Virginia law recognizes two types of divorce: divorce from bed and board (a mensa et thoro) and a divorce from the bond of matrimony (a vinculo matrimonii). A divorce from bed and board is a partial or qualified divorce under which a husband and wife are legally separated from each other but are not permitted to remarry. A divorce from the bond of matrimony is a complete and absolute divorce. Any person granted a divorce from bed and board may ask the court to “merge” the decree into a divorce from the bond of matrimony after at least one year has passed from the date the parties originally separated.

In a divorce from bed and board, there are two types of fault grounds for divorce in Virginia:

• Willful Desertion or Abandonment

• Cruelty and Reasonable Apprehension of Harm

In a divorce from the bonds of matrimony, there are three types of fault grounds for divorce in Virginia:

• Separation Divorce or a "No Fault Divorce"

• Adultery, Sodomy or Buggery

• Conviction of a Felony

Many divorces filed based upon fault grounds are often resolved as uncontested divorces based upon separation in excess of one year as provided by statute in Virginia.