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If your Florida divorce is uncontested, the final hearing is short and procedural. The judge is confirming an agreement you and your spouse already reached, not deciding a contested issue. What the hearing actually looks like, though, depends on which route you filed: a Simplified Dissolution puts both spouses in front of the judge together; a regular uncontested divorce, with or without children, usually needs only the person who filed.
This guide walks through who has to appear, what the judge reviews in the room, whether your hearing might happen by video, and what changes the moment the judge signs the final judgment.
Florida's family rules generally require a party to appear at a final hearing, but the uncontested process has two very different shapes depending on which package fits your case.
Both spouses attend the same short final hearing together. This is a condition of the Simplified Dissolution process itself: filing this way means both of you agree to give up the right to trial and appeal, and both of you show up to say so. Every county we checked handles this hearing in person, not by video.
Usually only the spouse who filed the petition needs to appear, with or without children in the case. The other spouse's signed Answer, Waiver, and Request for Copy of Final Judgment tells the court they accept the petition and settlement agreement as written and waive their own appearance.
Either way, the person or people in the room are confirming an agreement, not making one on the spot. Nothing about the property division, parenting plan, or support terms gets renegotiated at the hearing; that all has to be settled and in writing beforehand.
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Check my eligibilityAn uncontested final hearing is not a trial and there is no opposing side arguing against you. The judge's job is narrower: confirm the paperwork is complete, confirm you understand and agreed to it, and sign the order that makes the divorce final.
In most hearings, the judge covers a short list:
If everything is in order, this whole review takes only a few minutes. Most delays at this stage trace back to something missing from the file well before the hearing date, not to the hearing itself.
Florida does not run one statewide format for uncontested final hearings; individual circuits and even individual divisions set their own practice, and it can change. A few patterns hold generally:
| Track | Typical format |
|---|---|
| Simplified Dissolution | In person, in every county we checked. Do not plan around a remote simplified hearing. |
| Regular uncontested, filing spouse only | Many divisions hear these by video; some also offer a no-hearing path decided on the papers alone. Neither is guaranteed everywhere, and a judge is never required to grant it. |
Because this varies by circuit and even by judge, confirm your own county's current instructions, whether through the clerk's family filing counter, the circuit's self-help center, or the notice you receive once your hearing is set, rather than assuming your case will follow a format you read about somewhere else.
Florida law sets a floor on how fast any of this can move: a final judgment cannot be entered until at least 20 days after you file. In practice, scheduling the hearing itself, and getting every required document filed beforehand, is what sets the real pace.
Those ranges assume the packet is complete and accurate the first time it is filed. A rejected filing or a missing document doesn't just cost you the paperwork fix; it costs you the calendar slot, since the hearing can't be requested until everything required is docketed.
None of this is adversarial, and there is no cross-examination. Most people describe it as closer to a brief confirmation appointment than anything resembling a trial.
Once the judge signs the final judgment and the clerk enters it, the marriage is legally over. From there, a few practical things follow: you can request certified copies of the judgment for banks, employers, benefits paperwork, or a passport application; any name restoration you requested in the case takes effect; and either spouse is free to remarry, since Florida has no separate waiting period after the judgment beyond the 20 days that already applied before it was entered.
What doesn't change automatically is anything that requires its own follow-up step, like retitling a car, refinancing a mortgage, or updating beneficiary designations. Those happen on your own timeline after the judgment, not at the hearing itself.
It depends on the track. A Simplified Dissolution requires both spouses to attend the same short hearing together and give up their right to trial and appeal. A regular uncontested divorce, with or without children, usually requires only the spouse who filed; the other spouse's signed Answer, Waiver, and Request for Copy of Final Judgment excuses them from appearing.
For a regular uncontested divorce, many circuits hear these hearings by video; check your specific county's instructions before assuming yours does. Simplified Dissolution hearings are in-person in every county we checked, since both spouses must appear together, so do not count on a remote simplified hearing.
The judge confirms who is present, checks that proof of Florida residency is on file, and asks the person or people in the room a short set of questions confirming the settlement agreement (and parenting plan, if there are children) was signed knowingly and voluntarily. It is confirming an agreement, not weighing a dispute.
Typically just a few minutes. With the paperwork already complete and both spouses in agreement, the judge has little to review beyond confirming residency, voluntariness, and that the required forms are filed, then signs the final judgment.
Bring valid photo ID and, if you have not already filed it, proof of Florida residency: a Florida driver license, ID card, or voter registration card issued at least 6 months before you filed. If you are relying on a corroborating witness instead, that witness generally needs to be available as well.
Once the judge signs the final judgment of dissolution and the clerk enters it, the marriage is legally over. From there, you can request certified copies for banks, employers, and the passport office, and start any name restoration, insurance, or account changes tied to the divorce.
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Start the free checkFlorida Family Law Forms (flcourts.gov) · Florida Statutes § 61.19, Entry of judgment (20-day waiting period) · Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration (The Florida Bar)