In Maryland a legal separation is part of the formal divorce process, and is established through a separation agreement submitted to the court system. This does not mean that the pair is obliged to live in separate locations if that is not financially viable, but it does demonstrate that financial issues and custodial issues are in question. A Maryland legal separation agreement will usually lay the groundwork for the terms of the divorce. For example, it might address temporary alimony payments that will be converted to fixed alimony after the divorce; it might express the wishes of the couple as to the custody and visitation terms for their children; it may also dictate how debts and assets will be handled during the divorce. When a divorcing couple files their Maryland legal separation documents, they are not officially divorced from one another, nor are the terms permanent. For a divorce to proceed, however, the couple must be factually and legally separated for at least one full year.