DIVORCE & FAMILY LAW
Residency Requirements
The Family Court must have “jurisdiction” over
you before it can issue a divorce decree. The Family Court has
jurisdiction over you if you meet certain “residency” requirements.
You meet these residency requirements if either you or
your spouse has (1) lived in Hawaii for at least six continuous
months; and (2) you or your spouse has lived on the same island for
at least three months. If you don’t meet these residency
requirements, you may simply wait until you do, or you may apply for
a legal separation or temporary restraining order from the Family
Court, which may provide temporary custody and visitation orders.
Click on the links at the left to learn more about family law.
