The sheriff or a private process server will typically serve the divorce petition on your spouse. When you file your divorce petition, you will also need to have the clerk issue the summons. If your spouse lives in the county where you filed the petition, all you need to do is give the issued summons to the clerk, along with a copy of the filed petition, and ask the clerk to forward them to the sheriff for service. You will also need to pay a service fee.
If your spouse does not live in the county where you filed the petition, or lives outside of Illinois, you will need to contact the sheriff for the county where your spouse lives to determine that county’s procedure for serving the summons and petition.
If you cannot find your spouse to serve him or her with the divorce papers, then you can serve by publication, upon court approval. Because service of process is critical, service by publication is a last resort and you should consult with a qualified family law attorney before pursuing this option.
Once you have served your spouse, you will need to wait 30 days to see if he or she responds to the petition. If the opposing party does not file a response to the petition within 30 days of being properly served, then a motion for a default judgment can be filed seeking the relief set out in the petition.