Divorce is the legal recognition that your marriage has ended, and is a necessary step you must complete if you wish to remarry. It does not matter how long you have been separated from your spouse, you must obtain a divorce before you can remarry. The first step in filing for divorce is completing a divorce petition. After you complete the petition, file the petition in the county where you live. Next, you must serve your spouse with a copy of the filed divorce petition. Your spouse must have notice of the divorce filing and an opportunity to respond before the court will grant your divorce. Therefore, you will need to make an effort to locate your spouse. For example, you may wish to hire a private investigator to find your spouse. If you are still unable to find your spouse, the court may appoint an attorney to represent your spouse’s interests during the divorce, and appear on your spouse’s behalf at the final hearing. This attorney will also spend time trying to locate your spouse. If necessary, the attorney may opt to publish a notice in the newspaper of the impending divorce. Be aware, that you will be responsible for paying this attorney’s fee, so you should do everything possible to locate your spouse on your own first. While you may not have much money to hire an attorney, there are several free legal services that can give you advice regarding this issue and your situation. For example, visit the Law Help website for additional information regarding free legal assistance, http://www.lawhelp.org/LA/.