2
Posts
2
Users
0
Reactions
37
Views
November 29, 2025 11:18 pm
This was posted on our subreddit:
“I’m trying to start a divorce in Phoenix but my situation is complicated. My husband and I married in 2017. He’s not a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE in 2022 after a criminal charge, and was ultimately deported to Mexico in 2023. We’ve been separated since then. We have two children together, though only one has his name on the birth certificate. His mother currently has legal custody of both kids, and contact with him is very limited. I have no current address, phone number, or reliable way to reach him—only occasional Facebook messages.
I’m now stable and ready to file for divorce but don’t know the correct steps when I can’t locate my spouse. What forms do I need in Arizona, and how do I proceed if I need to serve someone living outside the country with no known address? Any guidance would help.”
If you meet Arizona’s residency requirement, you can file for divorce even though your husband now lives abroad. Since you don’t know his current address and he’s in Mexico, you will likely need to ask the court for permission to use “service by publication.” This means you will need to show the court that you made a diligent, documented effort to locate him, such as searching for his last known addresses, attempting contact, and checking social media.
If service by publication is approved, the divorce complaint and summons will be published in a newspaper for a specified period. If he doesn’t respond, you can proceed with a default divorce. However, keep in mind that issues like child custody, child support, or international enforcement can become more complicated in these cases. It would be wise to consult with an Arizona divorce attorney experienced in international or default-service cases to guide you through the necessary steps.