One requirement after you file for divorce is that you “serve” your spouse with divorce papers. However, if your spouse’s whereabouts are unknown, this can be a difficult task to accomplish. If the filing spouse proves to the judge that he or she has made a “good faith effort” to locate the other spouse, and swears that he or she does not know where their spouse is currently residing, the judge may allow the filing spouse to serve the other by publication. This would require running a notice in a local newspaper.