What is the difference between separation and divorce?
Legally speaking, separation means one partner is currently not cohabitating with their spouse for any number of reasons, though both parties are still technically married. Divorce would be the actual, formal, and legally binding dissolution of a marriage in the eyes of the courts. In the past, some states have mandated separation periods before dissolving marriages through divorce, however, the recent trend of rapid no-fault divorce proceedings has allowed this customary action to all but become a part of history.
