help me, help her divorce me 'the foreign guy'

[free-dawn]

What is the name of your state? I live in Sweden, EU
What is the name of her state? Virginia

Hello! Just found the site and it seems like a keeper.

I'm currently living in Sweden and I'm a Swedish Citizen. I got married in California in the 2006-summer with a pleasant american girl.

And now I want to divorce her! : ). I just filed for a divorce here in Sweden and now I want her to file a divorce in the US, Virgina. (I'm assuming i need to get a divorce in the US as well in order for it to go through completely there?) - i have plans in returning to the US in the future and by then i most definitely dont want to be married.

When I filed the divorce over here it was just a matter of going down the govermental-buildings and ask where to turn and the kind staff would immediately guide me to the right building a block away where i filed the divorce.

Now i'm realizing that Sweden is 'la-la' land compared to the US when it comes to getting a divorce.(this country has its fair share of very rough beurocrazy*spell* however.. but not when it comes to divorcing). Here i google 'divorce' and i get thousands of third-parties and middle hands trying to feed on the divorcees with lawyers and such. It's hard to get the real information.

So I would greatly appreciate if anyone here could guide me through this system that im so unfamiliar with.

There are no children involved and there is no property that needs to be shared. This should be an uncontested divorce so I'm guessing it should be fairly easy to go through with.

First off; could the divorce I filed in my country count in the US as well? And if not where should she turn in Virginia to file the divorce without a lawyer, and how much do you reccon the fees would be?

We both have debts, I got my student loans that are under control and she got her creditcard-debts that are always sneaky. Both debts are our owns and they were created before the marriage. Now i have no grudge with my 'ex' but you never know with people. I havent seen her for 8 months either so im not quite sure how her life is and how she has developed as a person. So I guess what im asking, is there a chance that i could be forced to pay this debt?

And how long do you think a procedure like this would take?

in short: 'help me, help her divorce me the foreign guy. No lawyers involved.'

thanks! (some of these questions are probably easy to you.. but i find the easiest questions regarding the US-system to be the hardest to answer being a foreigner to the system)

 

[LdiJ]

If you legally divorce in Sweden, it would not be necessary for you to divorce again in the US. The US recognizes legally valid marriages or divorces from other countries.

 

[SHORTY LONG]

I have a question? Did you marry her to obtain US Citizenship? If so, you may encounter other problems.
If not, then, as LdiJ shared with you, that you only need one valid divorce!

 

[LdiJ]

I have a question? Did you marry her to obtain US Citizenship? If so, you may encounter other problems.
If not, then, as LdiJ shared with you, that you only need one valid divorce!

Shorty.....most EU residents these days wouldn't marry for a chance at US residency or citizenship...

 

[free-dawn]

LdiJ: Thanks! that is great news, im so reliefed that i only have to deal with the swedish system. It will be alot easier/faster and cheaper for me. I guess she has to get in touch with some officials to update the public records once the divorce is completed in Sweden however. You don't happen to know where one would turn to for this in the US and how much it would cost?.. if so

I'm glad I came here.

SHORTY LONG: thanks for confirming : ) (i married her for the pretty ring on my finger!) hehe - EU is treating its citizens very well and I feel very safe here with the free healthcare and free education amongst other things. I even hear about a lot of americans wanting to marry EU-citizens to come here. I am however definitely interested in returning to the US to work and live again, but my job will help me with the visa once i decide to do that. So nope! ... i dont like all these borders though!

Thanks again for the help, this will put an ease to my situation and i can focus on myself for once now.

 

[LdiJ]

LdiJ: Thanks! that is great news, im so reliefed that i only have to deal with the swedish system. It will be alot easier/faster and cheaper for me. I guess she has to get in touch with some officials to update the public records once the divorce is completed in Sweden however. You don't happen to know where one would turn to for this in the US and how much it would cost?.. if so

No, no public records in the US have to be updated or anything else. There is absolutely nothing that you need to do in the US. If any question arises, for any reason, all you would need is the copy of your divorce decree from Sweden.

Of course, I am assuming that you have no mutual children or significant marital assets located in the US. The US would have jurisdiction over child custody of any children located in the US, and would have jurisdiction regarding any major marital assets located in the US. Neither of those things however, would effect the divorce itself. They would be separate issues.

 

[SHORTY LONG]

Shorty.....most EU residents these days wouldn't marry for a chance at US residency or citizenship...

Thanks LdiJ for the insight! Now, i realize it is Americans & others who want to marry Eur's.

Best to you in your new future free-dawn.

 

[free-dawn]

LdiJ: Great. Thanks again so very much for the info! No children or property involved.. luckily.

SHORTY LONG: hehe people are marrying all over the world for other reasons than 'love and comittment' and we all know it : ).. there's definitely tons of advantages being european and marrying an american citizen as well.. but its not the way i want to do things.

Thanks man! and ditto.

I really sincerely wish the best for all the people going through a lot harder divorces than me here... i just hope people remain their love for life and friends and don't go bitter because of ugly divorcess and 'afraid' people acting on emotions. Loosing love and money is never fun but **** moves on and you better not let life go on without you in it!