Finland is planning to open an online service for people who want to file for divorce.
Scheduled to start in May, the e-divorce service will be part of the so-called 'My Court' platform, according to Pasi Kumpula, director general of the National Courts Administration.
People will be able to handle the initial stages of divorce proceedings online, according to Kumpula.
"These are matters that people typically handle themselves," he explained.
Finland's district courts handed down decisions on 15,377 divorces last year.
Currently, married couples seeking to split can begin divorce proceedings in writing or by emails sent to their local district court — and forms for the process are available on the public services website suomi.fi.
The electronic divorce filing platform will also use suomi.fi to verify the applicants' identification, via online banking ID checks or with mobile certificates offered by mobile service providers.
According to Kumpula, plans are in the works to expand the My Court platform for all court-related matters.
According to lawyer Matti Pulkamo, who also handles marital breakup cases, it is important for people who have filed for divorce to be able to follow the progress of their case online.
The suomi.fi website features a guide about the divorce process in Finland.