Applicants now able to submit relevant documents and payments online
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has increased the scope of the system that digitises the early stages of getting a divorce.
It has extended the service to make the application process fully digital, taking in submitting the form, sending the relevant documents and payment. The pilot that began in April of last year has previously only involved applications with prompts and guidance.
HMCTS said the earlier version had drastically cut the number of applications returned due to error by 90%, and that so far it has received 130 applications from the new system. The next stage will involve making it available for use by legal representatives.
The changes are part of a broader programme of digitising processes in the courts.
Susan Acland-Hood, chief executive officer of HMCTS, said: “We are investing over £1 billion to reform and modernise the justice system.
“These measures are drastically cutting the number of applications returned because of errors – streamlining the process and ensuring we are best supporting people going through a difficult and often painful time.”
Image by Marc Hatol, CC BY 2.0 through flickr
