In the state of washington do I have to have my divorce papers notorized and does the other spouse have to sign in order to file

The clerk of the court will reject the filing of your documents if the documents are not properly formatted (for example, if required signatures are missing).

The petition for dissolution of marriage in WA does not need to be notarized. The petitioner does "declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of Washington that the foregoing is true and correct" by signing the appropriate place in the petition.

If this is an agreed petition, both spouses would have to sign in the appropriate place. Otherwise, the petition would not be treated as an joint petition and the petitioner would have to provide proofs of service.

Unless the other party has agreed to pay the filing fees and this is an agreed petition, you as the petitioner will be the one paying the clerk the filing fees.

You likely should review the instructions available at the court's website to see that you are doing things correctly. The site is http://www.courts.wa.gov/forms/ .

You should also review the information at WA LawHelp: http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/WA/index.cfm . There are informative self-help guides at that site.

You should also review your facts with an attorney to see what your rights and responsibilities are.

To file, you sign, no notary. You can also get part of the filing fee waived if you are low income by filing a Motion for Order to Proceed In Forma Pauperis

In terms of filing the matter, you don't need to have your paperwork notarized. After your case is filed, you have to wait 90 days from the date that the other party is served - or the papers are filed in the case of you filing a joint petition or one where your spouse files a joinder.

I think what you may be asking is about finalizing the dissolution after you've filed and whether or not your spouse needs to sign those papers. You have to wait at least 90 days from the date of filing/service before you can finalize the dissolution.

There are 2 ways that you can go about finalizing the dissolution. One - is to get an order of default if your spouse doesn't respond to the petition. Two - you both sign the Decree of Dissolution, Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, and any other necessary pleadings (Child Support Order, Parenting Plan, QDRO, etc.) and you bring those agreed documents with you to the final hearing.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This answer and any information contained herein is not intended to be treated, and should not be construed, as legal advice. Rather, this answer is offered solely for general information purposes. This answer does not create an attorney-client relationship, nor does it create any kind of legal relationship, duty, or privilege. This attorney is licensed only in Washington.