Paltrow cited irreconcilable differences in the documents, which were filed in Los Angeles on Monday after 11 years of marriage.
The papers request joint custody of their two children, Apple and Moses.
Paltrow, 42, and Martin, 38, announced their separation in March 2014, describing it as a "conscious uncoupling".
The actress's lifestyle blog Goop.com crashed after the couple posted a statement about their decision.
They said they had "come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much, we will remain separate".
The couple said they had been "working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us".
"We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been," they wrote.
"We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time.
"We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner."
Confirmation of the divorce comes afters days of speculation the actress had filed the papers.
The documents do not list any details about how the pair will divide their assets, but asks that both sides pay their own lawyers' fees.
Paltrow won an Oscar for her role in Shakespeare in Love, while Martin and his band have won six Grammy Awards.
They married in secret ceremony in December 2003, days after they announced Paltrow was pregnant with their first child.
They had already been together for a year, after reportedly meeting backstage at a Coldplay concert.
Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin have filed for divorce.