Understanding Annulment

 When considering a divorce you may wonder if you are eligible for an annulment.  An annulment is a void of marriage.  People belonging to certain religious groups may find an annulment a sound alternative from divorce.  If you have an annulment you are considered single rather than divorced after the process.  An annulment may be granted for the following reasons:

 - Your spouse was married to someone else when you were married

 - Lack of consummation

 - Your spouse was not of sound mind at the time of marriage

 - Fraud or misrepresentation

 - Your spouse is impotent

 - You or your spouse was under the age of consent at the time of marriage.

 - Incest

 

When seeking an annulment you must give specific reasons and supply evidence supporting you claims.  The filing timeframe for an annulment varies from state to state.  Annulments usually follow a brief marriage, but can depend on if your seeking an annulment due to something such as fraud.  In such case your time limit may depend on when you discovered the fraud, and not on your actual marriage date. 

 

State law governs annulments.  Similar to divorce the rules vary state to state.  Your annulment should be filed in the county where you live. 

 

To obtain a civil annulment you must have a reason beyond irreconcilable differences to justify terminating your marriage.  If you can not prove this a no-fault divorce may be a better way to dissolve the marriage without having to prove that one spouse or the other engaged in misconduct. 

 

You will want to seek advice from a family lawyer if deciding to obtain an annulment.  Family Law can help with establishing the timeframe for filing in your state.  A family layer can also establish if the grounds for filing make any difference for the timeframe when filing and if you have prof necessary to move forward with an annulment.