Establish residency and decide on grounds for divorce, such as irretrievable breakdown or fault-based causes, in order to obtain a divorce in New York. Give your spouse a summons and complaint within 120 days after filing it with the county clerk. Submit extra paperwork for the court's approval for uncontested divorces. Mediation or court hearings should be used to settle disagreements in contentious instances. The marriage is formally terminated when the court issues a Judgment of Divorce.