Marriage and Divorce

Are you going through a major life change? Here you will find information about marriage, separation, and divorce, including resources on dividing up family property and changing your name.

The resources on this page were hand-picked by the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta's staff as a good place to start.

Significant changes are coming to the Divorce Act on March 1, 2021. Check CPLEA's publications page for updated resources on family law.

You may also find helpful resources listed under these legal topics: Marriage, and Divorce and separation

CPLEA Suggested Resources

Not sure where to begin finding answers to your questions. Get started with our suggested resources. See additional resources below for more information.

These online FAQs are provided by Canadian Legal FAQs, a website of the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta. These FAQs deal with divorce and provide information regarding: Divorce Act; Grounds for Divorce; Children and Divorce; Custody; Access; Child Support; and Mobility Rights.

You may obtain the Alberta Divorce Kit which contains the forms required, plus information on how to get the process started from most stationary stores and also the King's Printer Bookstore located in Edmonton and Calgary. Note: The item must be ordered; it cannot be downloaded.. The kit contains all the information required to obtain an uncontested divorce in Alberta. It includes a step by-step guide, plus all the necessary forms specific to the laws of Alberta. All the required forms are included on a CD-Rom. You can use this kit to process an uncontested divorce if at least one spouse has resided in Alberta for the last year; and there are no disputes over child custody, property, or spousal support.

LawNow is a bi-monthly digital public legal education magazine which has been published by the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta for almost 40 years. Its articles and columns are written in plain language and take a practical look at how the law relates to the every day lives of Canadians.In each issue, LawNow’s family law column takes a look at a specific topic in this area of law and explains it clearly and concisely.

Sometimes married couples and common-law spouses may want to consider a separation agreement when their relationship ends. An agreement will help outline:

• Division of Property
• Spousal Support
• Understanding Assets and Liabilities
• Custody and Guardianship
• Child Support

This checklist and information sheet covers many of the topics that you may want to include in your separation agreement. The checklist is a publication of the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta and forms part of their Families and the Law Series.

Alberta Resources

This group of programs and services is offered by Alberta Justice in collaboration with the courts of Alberta. This webpage provides general information for those who are representing themselves in a family matter in either Court of King's Bench or The Provincial Court of Alberta.

This service is for people who don’t have a lawyer. Use it to:

• prepare for court
• navigate your family law matter through the Provincial Court
• discuss your issues, explore your options and get you referrals
• get a court order prepared and filed with the Court of King’s Bench and then have copies sent to the other party – after a parenting-related hearing
• review your divorce before its submitted to the Court of King’s Bench

A series of videos that gives instructions to complete and file the paperwork required to get a divorce in Alberta.

This resource is from the Student Legal Services and includes information about; Your Legal Name; Changing Your Own Name (including getting married or Adult Interdependent Relationship); Naming Your Child; and Changing Your Child's Name and Referral Numbers (related to changing your name). This resource is also available to downloaded as a PDF.

Divorce 101 in Alberta is an informative and easy-to-understand animated video that guides the viewer through the divorce process. This video will inform people of the steps to take by self-representing themselves, utilizing a mediator, or when to hire a lawyer.

Services and information are available for couples divorcing or separating – before, during and after. These links are provided by the Government of Alberta and are intended for those who are considering or are going through divorce or separating. There are links related to: Mediation; Finding a Lawyer; Finding Your Own Legal Information; Filing for Divorce; Ordering a Divorce Certificate; Changing Your Name; Changing Your Address; Child Support; Government Financial Assistance Programs; Custody and Access; Counselling and Assistance; and Family Violence Help and Prevention Resources.

This Alberta Court's page provides access to forms and instructions to complete an uncontested divorce. An uncontested divorce is one where custody, access (parenting) and support have been settled. The forms do not deal with property division.

If you need assistance court forms information coordinators are available to assist with locating court forms and providing information on when to use them and how to fill them out. Further information on this service and locations can be found on the Resolution and Court Administration Services (RCAS) website.

Calgary Legal Guidance (CLG) offers a Do Your Own Divorce clinic to individuals who are looking for information about the divorce process and who have already settled their child support, property and debts and now want to divorce .Parties have to have been separated for more than one year, to have lived in Alberta for one year, and have an agreement as to family property division and child custody/access. For information on up and coming Do Your Own Divorce Clinics you can contact CLG at 403-234–9266.

This website provides age-appropriate information to help kids, teens and parents deal with a family break up. Select jurisdiction (Alberta) from the drop down menu. The website was produced by the Justice Education Society in collaboration with Centre for Public Legal Education, Alberta.

This online resource about Family law is provided by Legal Aid Alberta. It includes information about: marriage and 'common law relationships'; divorce; property rights, and guardianship of children; and explains some of the differences between a marriage and an Adult Interdependent Relationship.

The kits are a series of plain language resources which include forms and instructions to make applications and appeals for parenting, guardianship, custody and access, contact, enforcement of time with a child, child support, spousal support and other applications under the Family Law Act in Alberta. These booklets and kits are helpful to self represented litigants as they provide not only general information, but also step by step instructions and precedents.

Information on getting a divorce in Alberta. Provides general information on how to apply, what forms are required, and how to request a Certificate of Divorce.

This online resource is provided by Service Alberta. It contains information about: Before You Get Married; Contacting a Marriage Officiant; Marriage Ceremony Requirements; Civil Ceremonies; Religious Ceremonies; as well as information about: Marriage Documents; Married Last Name; Marriage Commissioner Listing; Marriage Licenses; Marriage Officiants; Ordering Marriage Certificates and Documents; Permanent Marriage Commissioner Appointments; Registration of Marriages; Religious Organizations and Clergy Registration; Temporary Marriage Commissioner Appointments; and a link to the Vital Statistics Office.

This online resource is from the Student Legal Services of Edmonton. Includes information about what Marriage is and property within a Marriage. This resource is also available to download as a PDF.

These video resources have been produced by Alberta Justice - Resolution Services to assist Albertans going through the divorce process. - There are four vidoes which provide information on the following:

1. A guide to divorce where there are dependent children, one spouse prepares the paperwork, and the other spouse is served with that paperwork. This video tells you about: what an uncontested divorce is.
2. A guide to divorce without dependent children, one spouse prepares the paperwork, and the other spouse is served with that paperwork. This video tells you about: how to fill in the Statement of Claim for Divorce.
3. A guide to divorce where there are dependent children, both spouses do the paperwork together, and come to the courthouse together.
4. A guide to divorce where there are no dependent children, both spouses do the paperwork together, and come to the courthouse together.

These FAQs are provided by the Canadian Legal FAQs, a website of the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta. They provide answers to questions about the laws related to getting married in Alberta.

Albertans now have the choice of taking Parenting After Separation in person or as an eCourse. This eCourse is a six hour seminar offering information to parents about separation and divorce process, the effects of separation and divorce on children, techniques for communication and legal information that affects parents and children. Separating or divorcing parents who live near a judicial centre and have issues concerning child support or parenting time may access this service.