In New York, there are extra steps required in a divorce if you were married in a religious, as opposed to a civil, ceremony. If you were married in church or synagogue, or by any member of the clergy or other religious figure, before you can get divorced you have to swear in writing that you have taken or will take all necessary steps to remove any barriers to your spouse’s remarriage following the divorce.

The reason for this rule is so that your spouse is protected in the event that their religion requires any extra, non-legal steps to conclude the termination of the marriage in the eyes of that religion. For example, Orthodox Jews may require a “get” from a rabbi and devout Catholics may require a special blessing from a priest.

In any event, regardless of the level of your commitment to the religion under which you were married, if it was a religious marriage then a sworn statement that you will do everything needed by your spouse’s religion to remove all barriers to their remarriage will be required by the courts before you can get a divorce.