A Consent Order is a court-sealed record of your financial agreement. Getting one has four stages: agree, disclose, draft, submit.
Stage 1 - Reach agreement
You both need a clear, written outcome: who gets the house, how pensions are split, whether spousal maintenance is paid, and whether you want a clean break. The agreement must be fair - the judge will refuse to seal orders that look unbalanced without an explanation.
Stage 2 - Full and frank disclosure
Both of you must fully disclose your finances. Non-disclosure is the single biggest reason Consent Orders are later set aside. Use Form E-style categories: assets, liabilities, income, pensions, business interests.
Stage 3 - Draft the order and D81
- Consent Order - the legal document setting out the transfers, lump sums, pension sharing, maintenance, and clean-break wording.
- Statement of Information (Form D81) - the summary the judge reads to sanity-check fairness.
- Pension Sharing Annex (Form P1) - required for each pension share.
Stage 4 - Submit to the court
- You must have your Conditional Order first.
- Pay the £53 court fee.
- Upload the Consent Order, D81 and any Pension Annexes via MyHMCTS or the court portal.
- Wait 4 - 12 weeks for a district judge to seal it (or come back with questions).
What if the judge queries the order?
The court can ask for more information, more disclosure, or an amendment. Answer promptly and precisely - most queries are cleared up in one round.
This article is general information about the law of England and Wales, not legal advice. For advice on your situation, speak to a solicitor.