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Submit your default judgment to finish your divorce

After you complete your judgment forms, you must submit them to the court with copies and envelopes.

The court will review your paperwork to make sure nothing is missing.

If everything is complete, the judge will sign your Judgment.

If something is missing or incorrect, the court will return your papers with instructions about what needs to be fixed.

Prepare envelopes

The court will mail several documents during this step. You must provide envelopes with enough postage.

Envelope for your Request to Enter Default

If you haven’t filed your Request to Enter Default yet, you can file it when you submit your judgment paperwork.

Provide:

1 envelope addressed to your spouse
Enough postage for the clerk to mail the document

The clerk will use this envelope to mail your spouse a filed copy of:

Request to Enter Default (form FL-165) (link opens in new tab) ↗️

Two envelopes for your judgment packet

Provide 2 large envelopes that are big enough to hold your paperwork.

Address:

1 envelope to yourself
1 envelope to your spouse

These envelopes must have enough postage.

If the court approves your judgment, the clerk will mail you both:

A filed copy of the Judgment
A filed copy of the Notice of Entry of Judgment

⚠️ Some courts require a third small envelope for the Notice of Entry of Judgment.

Contact the court clerk ↗️ or your court’s self-help center ↗️ to check before submitting your papers.

Make copies of your forms

Make 3 copies of all your judgment paperwork.

You will:

Give the original and 2 copies to the court clerk
Keep 1 copy for your records

Turn in your paperwork to the court

Take the following to the court clerk:

Your original forms
2 copies of each form
All required envelopes with postage

The clerk will process your paperwork and give it to a judge for review.

📅 The review process can take several weeks or even months, depending on the court.

You can ask the clerk how long this step usually takes at your court.

What happens next

If everything is correct, the judge will sign your judgment.

The clerk will:

Stamp the Judgment and Notice of Entry of Judgment “Filed”
Mail copies of the filed forms to you and your spouse

If something is missing or incorrect:

The court will return your paperwork
The forms will not be signed
The court will include instructions about what needs to be fixed

Your case is finished when you receive the Notice of Entry of Judgment marked “Filed.”

If you asked for a divorce (dissolution), the notice will also show the date your marriage or domestic partnership officially ends.

Key takeaways

After completing your judgment forms, you must submit them to the court with copies and envelopes.
You must provide envelopes so the court can mail filed documents to you and your spouse.
A judge reviews your paperwork before signing the judgment.
Your divorce or legal separation is finished when you receive the Notice of Entry of Judgment marked “Filed.”