There is a 30-day waiting period in Arkansas. This means that the judge must wait 30 days from when you file your Complaint for Divorce to grant your divorce. Therefore, you will have to wait at minimum of 30 days.
The length of your case can depend on a variety of factors, including how busy the court’s docket is, the expectations of the other and how much he/she is contesting. Once the waiting period is over, the judge will decide if you have met the requirements in Arkansas for a divorce (residency, grounds)
Most likely, you will have to go to court but it depends. If you and your spouse agree on all terms of your divorce, then your divorce will be “uncontested.”
Even if your divorce is uncontested, the judge may want you to come to a hearing to verify for the court that you have been a resident of Arkansas for at least 90 days — 60 days before you filed and 30 after you filed — and why you want a divorce.
You will need to bring a witness with you who can verify that you have been a resident of Arkansas for at least 90 days and who also has knowledge that you and your spouse have been living separate and apart since the date of your separation as listed in your Complaint for Divorce.
Your witness will also likely need to verify for the court that he/she has firsthand knowledge as to the reason why you want a divorce. Some judges will allow you to do the verification for you and your witness by affidavit; however, this depends on the judge.
For the most part, the judge will expect you to go to court to finalize the divorce. A hearing as described above, is very short, lasting about 10 minutes long. If your spouse has signed the divorce decree, therefore, making this an uncontested divorce then she/he will not have to go to court either.