You’ll find much incorrect information surrounding how to establish residency for a Nevada divorce, or a Nevada annulment while browsing online. Not surprisingly, this is one of the most-asked questions we receive. So, in the spirit of setting the record straight, here are the 6 most-asked questions pertaining to what the court looks for as proof of your Nevada residency when it comes to filing a Nevada divorce:
- Do both my spouse and I have to be Nevada resident to file a divorce in Nevada?
No. Only one of the parties must have resided in Nevada for a minimum of six-weeks before filing a divorce. If you are filing for an annulment and you obtained your marriage in Nevada then you need not be a Nevada resident. The Court has jurisdiction to set aside the marriage. However, if you want to annul a marriage from another state residency is required.
- How do I prove I’m a resident?
The main proof comes in the form of an Affidavit of Resident Witness. The individual who signs this sworn Affidavit in front of a notary must be another Nevada resident who knows you to have lived in Nevada for a minimum of six weeks before the date your divorce is filed.
This can be a friend, relative, co-worker, landlord, employer or employee, just anyone else at all who is a Nevada resident and is willing to sign this affidavit. If you are moving to Nevada not long before you plan to file a divorce, be sure to make some friends in your neighborhood or at work. You will need your resident witness to sign an affidavit that states that not only has he or she known you to have lived in Nevada for 6 weeks, but that he or she sees you three to four times per week. If you have children and they live here with you in Nevada, they must reside here for 6 months before the Court will exercise jurisdiction over their custody and visitation.
- Do I have to change my driver’s license to Nevada before I sign my Nevada divorce documents?
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) does require that incoming residents trade in their out-of-state driver’s license for a Nevada driver’s license before the first 30-day period of residency has expired. However, we are working for you and not for DMV so if you provide us with sufficient photo identification and evidence that you actually now reside in Nevada we will notarize your signature reminding you that you are under oath.
The Court generally does not ask to see your driver’s license unless you must make a court appearance in your divorce. If you cannot obtain a driver’s license DMV issues a state identification card which will be sufficient.
If your divorce is uncontested, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll have to appear in court and show as much proof of your residency, though it has occurred in the past. However, if the divorce is contested and your spouse challenges your residence then you will have to come up with other proof that you moved here for a legitimate reason (work, family, etc.) and have the intent to remain.
Under the above circumstances, it is a good idea to corroborate your Nevada residency in the form of:
- Nevada driver’s license
- Voter registration (if you vote)
- Rental or utility company receipts (if you rent/own a place where the utilities are in your name)
- Car registration, if you own a vehicle.
- Can I just move to Nevada, get my divorce, and leave?
Your divorce documents will state that, at the time you sign your divorce documents you have the intent to remain in Nevada after your divorce. Your Affidavit will state that it is still your intent to remain in Nevada for an indefinite period of time. The court has nothing to say on the fact that you might change your mind afterwards. However, this does not mean that you can come to Nevada, spend 6 weeks here, sign your divorce papers and leave town. You would be advised to remain in Nevada at least until your uncontested divorce is granted.
- I’m getting divorced because of an Immigration issue. Can I just move to Nevada, get a divorce, and leave?
There have been many instances in the recent past where Immigration officer have questioned the validity of Nevada divorces obtained to benefit parties in an Immigration case. Our office had a case where there was a paralegal company in New York City advertising Nevada divorces and gave out inaccurate information on residence. When an immigration application for a visa was filed after the Nevada divorce was granted, the immigration officer wanted much more evidence of the applicant’s Nevada residency than just a cousin’s affidavit that he had seen the client in Nevada for 6 weeks. If immigration suspects fraud by a non-citizen they can abort the immigration application and deport a person or not allow them reentry in to the country.
- What constitutes a legal residence?
The term, legal residence, applies to the place a person spends most of his or her time and is the home that is recognized as yours by law. For instance, you have a driver’s license issued by that state, and/or you claim Nevada as your home state on your tax filings, and/or you claim Nevada as your home state on your LES if you are military.
Residency as a legal term has different meanings in different contexts in the law. Also different jurisdictions define residency in different ways because of different laws. Some people consider themselves to have two residencies, especially when they have a second home. A deployed member of the military may be a permanent resident of Nevada even if he or she has been in Iraq for the past two years. Bankruptcy may require that you live in Nevada 6 months before you file whereas you only have to live in Nevada 6 weeks to file for divorce. Context is everything when it comes to legal residence.
There’s more here on Nevada residency and divorce
How long does one have to wait before filing the affidavit resisdent witness form? I am filing for divorce and i filed already, I had my sister be my witness and we took all our step and it it notarized, then I filed everything for the divorce the next day, I was then denied because it said I filed out the Affidavit of resident form 1 day before filing? Do you have to wait a certain amount of time before filing that form?
Hi Ashlie,
the resident witness affidavit must be filed after either the Complaint for Divorce (if your spouse did not sign), or the Joint Petition for Divorce (if your spouse signed). We typically file the resident witness affidavit as soon as the court clerk has given us a case number after we filed either the Complaint or the Joint Petition.https://nevadadivorce.org/blog/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?paged=1&ids=403#comments-form
If your trying to divorce an immigrant, are you at all responsible for them after filing the divorce and it becoming legal.
Dee, if you’re asking whether you are legally responsible for your ex-spouse after the divorce because you sponsored him through Immigration, that will depend on what the Affidavit Of Support with Immigration says as far as how long you’ll be financially responsible. The divorce does not set that aside. If he were to apply for Welfare after the divorce, they’d look to you for his support first.
If you’re asking whether you’ll be responsible for credit card (and other debts) that he incurs AFTER the divorce, no, you will not be responsible.
If he incurred debts DURING the marriage, and the final decree of divorce states that he is to pay them back, it’s a different story. Third party providers (like credit card companies for instance) have the right to come after an ex-spouse if a debt was incurred during the marriage. This is because in a community property state like Nevada both spouses are responsible for the debts of the other. You share property and you share them.,
Mind you, in my experience, it’s rare that a credit card company will come after the other spouse, especially if the final decree of divorce states that your spouse is responsible for the debt, but they DO have the right to do so, and you never know when they’ll decide to exercise it.
Can my son who is in the Army file for a divorce if his legal residence is Nevada but he is stationed in Alaska
Hello Barbara, if your son’s LES is Nevada, then absolutely. He’ll need a resident witness and that can be you if you live in Nevada. https://nevadadivorce.org/residency-requirements/
Hello, is there residency requirements for witnesses? The reason I’m asking is because I just moved to Nevada and I’m helping my friend obtain a divorce. My friend asked me to be their witness.
Hello Donna,
a resident witness has to be a resident themselves, so you have to have lived in Nevada for a minimum of six weeks before you can be someone’s resident witness.