MyHMCTS message causes confusion amongst family lawyers

Confusion amongst family lawyers has arisen this week following a notification issued by the MyHMCTS online service which stated that the digital portal will soon close due to imminent divorce law reforms.

The message posted on MyHMCTS said that the portal currently used for applications will close in favour of a new service which will implement the provisions set out in the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act to accommodate no fault divorces from 6^th April.

The MyHMCTS notice said:

“This service will close soon due to changes in divorce legislation. Submit your saved application as soon as possible so they do not get returned. For new applications, consider waiting until the replacement service is launched – otherwise you may have to submit them again.”

Solicitors commenting on the update have expressed concerns around there being a gap between one service closing and another one opening, and in particular confusion as to whether HMCTS would accept paper applications during the period that the digital service is closed, and whether practitioners will be able to seek consent orders.

The deadline for implementing changes to the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act was put back to April this year. The reason for the delay was cited as “allowing sufficient time for the digital arm of the HMCTS service to be developed and tested”.

Further updates are expected from MOJ in due course.