Source: Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) / Illinois Courts
Jurisdiction: IL
Topic: service

Title: Serving your spouse & procedural basics (Illinois)
Heading: The respondent's response

Once your spouse has been served, they have a limited window to respond by filing an Appearance, plus a Response or Answer if they disagree with anything in the petition. The exact deadline is printed on the summons. If that window closes with no response, you can ask the court for a default.

Tags: respondent
response
appearance
answer
deadline
default
URL: https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/getting-divorce
Retrieved: 2026-06-03
License: Facts summarized in our own words; this is not ILAO's text. See the source URL for ILAO's full guidance. Exact deadlines and the publication notice period are county- and clerk-specific, so verify them before relying on them.