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| link = [http://www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca/legal_issues/divorceBasics.php Divorce and Separation basics]
}}A couple ''separates'' when one or both spouses decide that their relationship is over and then take steps to <span class="noglossary">act</span> on that <span class="noglossary">decision</span>. When an unmarried couple separates, their relationship is over. The relationship of married spouses, on the other hand, isn't legally over until they are divorced , one of them dies, or their marriage is annulled.
This chapter begins by taking a quick look at separation and divorce, and talks about a few urban myths about separation and divorce. The following sections look in more detail at the [[Separation|legal and practical aspects of separation]] and the [[Separating Emotionally|emotional dimensions of separation]]. The do-it-yourself divorce process is reviewed in a fair amount of detail in the [[Divorce]] section at the end of this chapter.
For unmarried couples, including unmarried couples who qualify as spouses under the ''[[Family Law Act]]'', separation is all that's required to end the relationship.
The date a couple separates is very, '''very''' important, because the date of separation is a very important element in determining child support, spousal support, and the division of property and debt.
===Annulment===
===Divorce===
Divorce is the legal dissolution end of a valid marriage. To obtain a divorce, one spouse must sue the other in the [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/ Supreme Court], and in general at least one of the spouses must have been "ordinarily resident" in British Columbia for the preceding year. A To qualify for a divorce order, a spouse must prove that the marital relationship has broken down in order to qualify for a divorce order, and a marriage may have broken down for one of three reasons:
#separation for a period of not less than one year,
{{REVIEWED | reviewer = [[Vanessa Van Sickle]] and [[Thomas Wallwork]], Apr 25October 9, 2016}}
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