What is the difference between being seperated and an actual divorce?

What does it mean when someone says they are seperated from their wife verses actually being divorced. If you are seperated are you free to do as you please without cheating?

Separated means that you are still legally married but you're not living as husband and wife. Divorced means it's legal. In my opinion, no you are not free to do as you please if you are separated because you are still married in the eyes of God and by law.

If they are separated, there is a chance that the two could work through their differences or they could decide to go ahead with a divorce. whether you are free to do as you choose depends upon what the intention is. If a man tells a woman this, he is free to have a relationship if his intention is to get a divorce, but the woman has to take the chance on whether he intends to get a divorce or get back with his wife and have a girl friend on the side, and whether he left or his wife threw him out for some type of violence or for having a girl friend on the side. If a man told you this, be very cautious about getting into a relationship with this guy until you are sure of the answers to those questions. Remember Scott Petterson said he "lost" his wife when in fact it was shown later that he had killed her.

Where I live you have to be separated for a year before you can get divorced. A bit of a difference...

none

separated means that the wife is doing her thing (see other men) and the husband is seeing other women. and that there is a possibility that they may get back together but for right now they are giving each other some place to see if this is what they want. a divorce means that they are done. legally. and at this point they are living in separate houses, and probably hate each other. and are seeing other people. GodBless

a piece of paper is the only difference

separation is two people living apart but still married. divorce means no more 'mr & mrs'. and being separated does not give one the freedom to do as you please without cheating. that's still cheating. and in some states, one spouse can have the other by the short hairs for 'infidelity'

Separation means that a divorce is possibly pending. Divorce is when the marriage has been disolved. It can still be considered adultery if a couple is separated and not divorced and one party takes a lover.

Not really.Being separated is like having problems in a marriage and instead of a quick divorce you usually take time out to think it through how to solve it,but usually after a while of thinking it through you decided you really want a divorce instead.

Well in my opinion a separation is so you can try to work thing out, to see if you can save the marriage. I don't think if separated you should be sleeping with anyone I would call it cheating.

you are free to do as you please on both cases, except
when you are divorced you are free ( and if your stupid ) jump right back into marriage
where as separated ( legally ) you are still married but have separated your financial history and thus one is not liable for debts incurred on the others behalf, unlike marriage
and there is no such thing as cheating in separation, as courts and people do not care, nor does cheating have any bearing on divorce proceedings
marriage as the US Government see it is a MERGER between 2 sole corporations, hence hwy you need a LICENSE to get married and you SUE to dissolve it

the difference is that legal paper.

One must be cheating each other.

In a seperation you are STILL Married so if you have sexual relations with someone else you ARE committing adultery. A divorce is a disillusionment of the marriage, and ending.

Separated = still married, most likely living apart. Any relations other than with his wife, is cheating.
Divorced= not married. Free to do whatever.

Separation is usually a trial period between the two parties. The limits and boundaries are also agreed upon between you and your spouse. Separations are usually done when both parties are not sure yet what they want. If they truly want to go through a divorce or not. Whether you can date or not, where you live,....A divorce is when you've legally decided who gets what and you are now free to do whatever you want.

50% of assets not divided up separated