Divorce in Alaska, start to finish
See a different stateAlaska
Alaska’s courts hand you two entirely different legal processes — Dissolution and Divorce — and never quite explain which one is yours, or what happens if you guess wrong partway through. No counties to sort out, no residency countdown to run out the clock on. Just a state that assumes you already know the difference. This is the part that fills that gap.
Put in the day you filed and this page works out every date in your case, then hands you a calendar file that reminds you a week before each one and again the day before. It opens in the calendar you already use. Free, no account, nothing stored.
1 · The four routes, and what the rule requires
Alaska Statutes give two separate ways to end a marriage, and the court system splits each of them again by who is filing. Dissolution (AS 25.24.200–.210) is a joint petition, and Alaska law requires the spouses to already agree on every single issue before it is filed. Divorce (AS 25.24.050 and following) is the process everyone else uses — filed by one spouse, with the other responding — and it is what the case falls back to the moment full agreement is not there.
Before any of the four routes is available, Alaska requires at least one spouse to be domiciled here — physically present with intent to remain. Unlike most states there is no minimum number of days once that is met; but where neither spouse meets it at all, the court has no jurisdiction and the case belongs where one of them actually lives.
Dissolution — spouses filing together
AS 25.24.200–.210 · Packets 1 and 2
Alaska’s fast lane. Both spouses sign as joint petitioners and file the same paperwork together.
Packet 1 is the version with minor children; Packet 2 is the version without.
Available only where all of these are true:
- At least one spouse is domiciled in Alaska.
- The spouses agree on absolutely everything — every asset and debt, spousal support, and, where there are children, custody, parenting time and child support — in writing, before filing.
- Both spouses will sign the same petition as joint petitioners.
Because the agreement is already complete, the spouses can request to waive the in-person appearance at the hearing using form DR-110.
The agreement has to hold all the way to the hearing. See Section 7, “Alaska’s trap,” for what happens if it does not.
Dissolution — one spouse filing alone
AS 25.24.200–.260 and Civil Rule 90.1 · Packet 3
Alaska lets one spouse dissolve the marriage itself where the other genuinely cannot be located.
It requires a real, diligent search — internet searches, contacting people who might know, checking directories and locator services — documented in the Affidavit of Diligent Inquiry.
Available only where all of these are true:
- At least one spouse is domiciled in Alaska.
- The filing spouse does not know where the other spouse is, despite real effort to find them.
- The search is documented in form DR-210, the Affidavit of Diligent Inquiry.
This packet only ends the marriage. It does not divide property or debt, and does not decide custody, child support or spousal support. Where those are unresolved, a separate action is needed for them later.
Uncontested Divorce
AS 25.24.050 · Packets 4, 5 and 6
Where the spouses agree on the outcome but one of them is the filing party, the case runs through the Divorce statute rather than Dissolution — but because both still sign the same complaint, it stays uncontested.
Packet 4 is the version with minor children. Packet 5 is the version without. Packet 6 is a shorter version of Packet 5 for the narrowest case.
Available only where all of these are true:
- At least one spouse is domiciled in Alaska.
- The spouses agree on every issue, but one spouse files and the other signs the same complaint rather than co-petitioning.
- For Packet 6 instead of Packet 5: the marriage lasted 2 years or less, there is no jointly-titled property, no real estate either spouse considers marital, no minor children, and neither spouse contributed to a retirement account during the marriage.
Where the filing is not made through TrueFiling, form CIV-125S, the Case Description Form, is required.
Divorce — Complaint and Answer
AS 25.24.050
The standard route. One spouse, as Plaintiff, files a Complaint for Divorce, has the other served, and that spouse may file an Answer agreeing with some, all or none of it.
Neither Dissolution nor the jointly-signed Uncontested Divorce packets are available without full agreement — Alaska requires it for both.
This is the route wherever any of these is true:
- The spouses do not yet agree on everything, or are still working pieces out.
- One spouse will not sign the same complaint as the other.
Where genuine disagreement remains going into a hearing, this is the kind of case worth a consultation with a family law attorney — many offer a free first session, and Alaska Legal Services Corporation may be able to help those who qualify.
2 · Every form Alaska publishes for a divorce
The complete list, not a shortlist — because which forms a case needs depends on facts only you and, if you need one, your lawyer can weigh. Each row says which route it belongs to and carries the revision code the clerk’s office checks. Every one is free from the Alaska Court System.
The Cusp is not a law firm and cannot tell you which forms are right for your case. Everything here is general information about how Alaska handles divorce, and every form below is published free by Alaska itself — you do not have to buy anything from anyone to get them. If your situation is not straightforward, a consultation with a Alaska family lawyer costs far less than fixing a filing that went wrong.
| Form | What it is | Route | Rev. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-1 | Packet 1 — Dissolution With Minor Children (combined PDF) | Dissolution — together | 1/26 | Download ↓ |
| DR-10 | Instructions — spouses filing together, with children | Dissolution — together | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-105 | Petition for Dissolution of Marriage — With Children | Dissolution — together | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-475 | Parenting Plan | Dissolution — together | 1/26 | Download ↓ |
| DR-2 | Packet 2 — Dissolution With No Minor Children (combined PDF) | Dissolution — together | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-15 | Instructions — spouses filing together, no children | Dissolution — together | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-100 | Petition for Dissolution of Marriage — No Children | Dissolution — together | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-110 | Request to Waive Appearance at Hearing | Dissolution — together | 7/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-3 | Packet 3 — Dissolution, One Spouse Filing Alone (combined PDF) | Dissolution — one spouse | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-20 | Instructions for filing alone | Dissolution — one spouse | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-200 | Petition for Dissolution of Marriage — One Spouse | Dissolution — one spouse | 7/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-210 | Affidavit of Diligent Inquiry | Dissolution — one spouse | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-211 | Order Regarding Diligent Inquiry and Notice | Dissolution — one spouse | 11/24 | Download ↓ |
| DR-4 | Packet 4 — Uncontested Complaint for Divorce With Minor Children (combined PDF) | Uncontested Divorce | 9/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-25 | Instructions for filing with children | Uncontested Divorce | 9/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-50 | Uncontested Complaint for Divorce With Minor Children | Uncontested Divorce | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-5 | Packet 5 — Uncontested Complaint for Divorce Without Children (combined PDF) | Uncontested Divorce | 9/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-30 | Instructions for filing without children | Uncontested Divorce | 9/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-55 | Uncontested Complaint for Divorce Without Minor Children | Uncontested Divorce | 8/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-6 | Packet 6 — Uncontested Divorce, No Property, No Children, Short Marriage (combined PDF) | Uncontested Divorce | 9/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-35 | Instructions — no property, no children, short marriage | Uncontested Divorce | 9/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-60 | Uncontested Complaint for Divorce — No Property, No Children, Short Marriage | Uncontested Divorce | 6/25 | Download ↓ |
| CIV-125S | Case Description Form (required if not using TrueFiling) | Uncontested Divorce | 3/26 | Download ↓ |
| DR-815 | Packet — Complaint for Divorce With Children (combined PDF) | Divorce | 12/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-816 | Instructions for Complaint for Divorce with Children | Divorce | 12/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-817 | Complaint for Divorce With Children | Divorce | 6/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-832 | Answer & Counterclaim to Complaint for Divorce With Children (the responding spouse files it) | Divorce | — | Download ↓ |
| DR-820 | Packet — Complaint for Divorce Without Children (combined PDF) | Divorce | 12/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-821 | Instructions for Complaint for Divorce without Children | Divorce | 12/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-822 | Complaint for Divorce Without Children | Divorce | 6/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-837 | Answer & Counterclaim to Complaint for Divorce Without Children (the responding spouse files it) | Divorce | — | Download ↓ |
| CIV-106 | How to Serve a Summons in a Civil Lawsuit | Divorce | 4/21 | Download ↓ |
| DR-150 | Child Custody Jurisdiction Affidavit — where there are minor children | Divorce, Uncontested Divorce | 6/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-305 | Child Support Guidelines Affidavit — where there are minor children | Divorce, Uncontested Divorce | 6/25 | Download ↓ |
| DR-306 | Shared Custody Child Support Calculation, if applicable | Dissolution — together, Uncontested Divorce | 9/23 | Download ↓ |
| DR-315 | Application for CSED Services — where there are minor children | Dissolution — together, Uncontested Divorce | 9/23 | Download ↓ |
| DR-316 | Information about CSED — where there are minor children | Dissolution — together, Uncontested Divorce | 7/23 | Download ↓ |
| DR-314 | Information Sheet (confidential) | All | 6/25 | Download ↓ |
| VS-401 | Certificate of Divorce, Dissolution, or Annulment | All | — | Download ↓ |
| TF-920 | Request for Exemption from Payment of Fees, if needed | All | 9/25 | Download ↓ |
Every one of these is free. Download fresh each time — the revision code at the bottom of the page changes more often than you would expect. Full catalog: courts.alaska.gov/shc/family.
3 · Getting the forms and filling them in
Alaska’s self-represented process is built around packets, not a single master form — and nearly every packet gives you a choice between typing on screen or filling in by hand. Here’s how it actually goes.
You are expected to e-file Required of you
- Portal
- TrueFiling (Alaska Court System eFiling)
- Paper
- Still accepted — you can file over the counter.
- What it costs
- No portal fee published.
- Account
- Yes. A free TrueFiling account requires a valid email address. The court warns that 'the email you use for TrueFiling can be seen by other people in your case and can be searched by anyone' — a real safety consideration in a divorce.
- Worth knowing
- Alaska is one of the minority of states that DOES mandate e-filing for self-represented parties — but the five exemptions are self-certifying (no documentation required), which in practice makes paper filing available to most pro se filers who need it. Once TrueFiling is live in a location, 'paper documents may be filed with the court only when TrueFiling is unavailable.' Divorce/dissolution/custody/paternity court filing fee is $250 (fee schedule eff. 5/1/2023); fee waiver is requested on form TF-920. filing available to most pro se filers who need it. Once TrueFiling is live in a location, ‘paper documents may be filed with the court only when TrueFiling is unavailable.’ Divorce/dissolution/custody/paternity court filing fee is $250 (fee schedule eff. 5/1/2023); fee waiver is requested on form TF-920.dy/paternity court filing fee is $250 (fee schedule eff. 5/1/2023); fee waiver is requested on form TF-920.ocuments may be filed with the court only when TrueFiling is unavailable.’ Divorce/dissolution/custody/paternity court filing fee is $250 (fee schedule eff. 5/1/2023); fee waiver is requested on form TF-920. filing available to most pro se filers who need it. Once TrueFiling is live in a location, 'paper documents may be filed with the court only when TrueFiling is unavailable.' Divorce/dissolution/custody/paterni
Step one — download the whole packet, not just the piece you think you need
Every packet listed below is one combined PDF — instructions, every form, and the checklist, in order — free from the Family Law Self-Help Center:
courts.alaska.gov/shc/family — Family Law Forms
Alaska revises these constantly — DR-1 was updated in January 2026, DR-4/DR-5/DR-6 in September 2025, CIV-125S as recently as March 2026. The revision code is printed at the bottom of every page, like “DR-105 (8/25).” A saved copy from even a few months ago may already be superseded.
Step two — fill it in on screen, or by hand in black ink
Alaska’s forms are fillable PDFs — open them in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, or a browser, type into the fields, and print or upload. If you’re filling out the VS-401 vital records certificate by hand, the instructions are explicit: black ink only, and if you make a mistake, start the form over rather than crossing it out — the Bureau of Vital Statistics rejects forms with corrections on them.
Step three — notarize within the 60-day window
Both spouses’ signatures on a joint petition or uncontested complaint generally need to be notarized within 60 days of the date you file. If you signed earlier than that — say your spouse notarized their signature months ago and you’re only just getting around to filing — you’ll need to attach form TF-835 rather than starting over. Notaries are available at most banks (often free for account holders), UPS Store locations, and mobile notaries; remote online notarization is also accepted.
A form signed the night before and just stamped later isn’t notarized — it’s signed. Bring valid photo ID and sign in the notary’s presence, in person or by an approved remote session.
Step four — file it: TrueFiling where it’s required, paper where it isn’t
Alaska is rolling out a statewide electronic filing system called TrueFiling for civil and family cases, court by court. Where it’s live, self-represented filers are required to use it unless exempted; where it isn’t yet, you file on paper at the clerk’s office for your judicial district. Check current status and register at ak-courts.info/truefile. If you’re not using TrueFiling, attach form CIV-125S, the Case Description Form — it’s required for paper filings and one of the most commonly forgotten pieces.
The statewide filing fee for divorce, dissolution, custody, or paternity is $250 (Alaska Administrative Rule 9(b)) — the same everywhere, since Alaska charges by case type, not by judicial district. If you can’t afford it, file TF-920, Request for Exemption from Payment of Fees, with your petition. The clerk holds your case until a judge rules — most requests are decided within about a week.
4 · Your key dates, calculated
Alaska doesn’t run on the rigid day-count deadlines some states use — there’s no fixed statutory waiting period between filing and a decree. What Alaska does have are a handful of real, hard deadlines buried in the instructions. Put in your dates and we’ll calculate the ones we can — and tell you plainly where this kit can’t calculate for you and you need to call the clerk instead.
5 · The order it actually happens in
6 · The rejection-proofing checklist
These are the specific things that stall Alaska filings — every one of them costs weeks, and most of them are invisible until the clerk (or Vital Records) sends something back.
Signing, dating, and notarizing
Forms people forget
The VS-401 trap
Every field in boxes 9–32 is required. If something is genuinely unknown, the form’s own instructions say to write “Unknown” in text fields or all 9’s in date/number fields (“99/99/9999”, “999-99-9999”) — a blank field gets the record rejected by the Bureau of Vital Statistics, and an unrecorded divorce can block you from remarrying or getting a new license later.
7 · Alaska’s trap — the dissolution that quietly turns into a divorce
This is the one that catches people who did everything else right. Alaska law (AS 25.24.200) doesn’t let you file a joint Dissolution petition unless you already agree, in full, on every single issue — every asset, every debt, custody, parenting time, support, all of it. That agreement has to survive all the way to the hearing.
If it doesn’t — one of you has second thoughts, the judge decides the property split isn’t actually “fair and just,” or one spouse simply doesn’t show up to the hearing — you can’t just amend the dissolution paperwork and keep going. You have to file a separate Motion & Affidavit to Convert Dissolution to Divorce (SHC-1330) and a proposed Order (SHC-1335), and your case restarts as a Divorce: a new complaint, potentially service on your spouse, and — if you’ve now genuinely disagreed on something — a contested case, possibly with attorneys on the other side of the table.
“We basically agree” is not the same thing as “we agree, in writing, on every line item.” If any piece is still verbal, still being negotiated, or contingent on something else falling into place, you are more likely to end up converting mid-case — which costs you the time already spent, plus everything a Divorce complaint requires. When in doubt, use the Uncontested Divorce packet instead: it still needs full agreement, but the complaint/answer structure gives you a cleaner off-ramp if something changes.
Forms: SHC-1330 — Motion & Affidavit to Convert Dissolution to Divorce · SHC-1335 — Order Granting Motion to Convert
8 · What this costs, by judicial district
Alaska has no counties — it’s organized into four judicial districts covering the whole state. The $250 filing fee is identical everywhere, set by statewide Administrative Rule, not by district. What genuinely varies by district is everything downstream of filing: how far a process server has to travel, whether there’s a notary in town, and how much local attorneys charge.
| Judicial District | Main court locations | Filing fee | Member-reported attorney retainer, uncontested* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st — Southeast | Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Haines, Petersburg, Wrangell, Skagway, Craig, Hoonah, Yakutat | $250 | $3,500–$7,000 |
| 2nd — Northwest/Arctic | Nome, Kotzebue, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Unalakleet | $250 | $4,500–$9,500 |
| 3rd — Southcentral | Anchorage, Palmer/Wasilla, Kenai, Homer, Seward, Kodiak, Valdez, Cordova, Dillingham | $250 | $3,000–$6,000 |
| 4th — Interior/Western | Fairbanks, Bethel, Delta Junction, Tok, Nenana, Galena, Aniak | $250 | $3,800–$8,500 |
*Attorney retainer figures are member-reported, illustrative demo data for comparison only — not a quote, not a guarantee, and not from any official fee schedule. Actual attorney rates vary by firm and by case.
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Filing fee — divorce, dissolution, custody, or paternity (Adm. R. 9(b)) | $250 |
| Process server or certified mail, if you’re on the Divorce (not Dissolution) track | $60–$150+ |
| Notary for signatures not done at the clerk’s counter | $0–$25 |
| Remote/rural service or notary travel add-on (2nd & parts of 4th District) | $100–$400+ |
| Typical all-in, doing it yourselves, uncontested | $250–$550 |
File TF-920, Request for Exemption from Payment of Fees, with your petition or complaint. The court holds your case until a judge rules on it — you generally can’t get a completed summons or move the case forward until that happens, so file it as early as possible, not the day you’d otherwise file everything else.
What this is. A guide to Alaska’s own process, built from Alaska Statutes Title 25, Chapter 24 (including AS 25.24.050, 25.24.200, 25.24.210, and 25.24.220), Alaska Civil Rule 90.3, Alaska Administrative Rule 9, and the official DR-, VS-, TF-, and CIV-series instructions and forms published by the Alaska Court System’s Family Law Self-Help Center at courts.alaska.gov/shc/family. The forms themselves are free and this kit links you to them rather than reselling them.
What this is not. The Cusp is not a law firm and does not practice law. Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here tells you which choice is right for your particular situation — only what Alaska requires of each path. If your case involves contested custody, a business, hidden assets, domestic violence, or a spouse with a lawyer, talk to an attorney; many offer free consultations, and Alaska Legal Services Corporation (alaskalawhelp.org) is a free resource for those who qualify. Court staff, including clerks, are not permitted to give legal advice.
Confirm current numbers with the clerk. Filing fees, form revisions, and which court locations require TrueFiling are periodically updated by the Alaska Court System. Where this kit could not verify an exact figure, hearing timeline, or local requirement with confidence, it says so or points you to the clerk’s office in your judicial district rather than guessing.
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Everything we have written about Alaska specifically. Every figure on these pages is quoted from Alaska’s own statute or its courts’ own published schedule, and carries the date we last checked it.
The most expensive mistakes in a divorce are made in the year after it, by people who thought the case was over. After the divorce is the checklist for that year — the health-coverage clock, the retirement order a decree cannot replace, and the beneficiary form that outranks your will.
Filing is one household becoming two, and the second one starts empty. The two-household list is what to send the people who keep asking how they can help — the second of everything, and the half of it that costs nothing. Some people call it a divorce registry.