Do you know anyone who has ever gotten an annulment? It seems like they’re only for the rich and famous, but an annulment is just another legal process that’s not as familiar to many filers as divorce. An annulment, like a divorce, is a legal means of ending a marriage. However, annulments have specific rules or standards that must be met to qualify to have a marriage voided. For a marriage to be voided, a party has to prove the marriage should be invalidated for one of the following reasons:
- Unsound Mind: drug addiction, alcoholism, or mental deficiencies all qualify as a person incapable of giving consent to marriage.
- Coercion: One of the two people in the marriage was forced to agree.
- Fraud: The marriage was entered into by one party under false pretense.
- Impairment: If a couple is unable to consummate their marriage because of a physical impairment, it’s grounds for an annulment.
Illegal and Voided Marriages
A marriage can also end because it was entered into under voidable conditions. The following are examples of voidable marriages .
- Bigamy: If one of the parties is already married, they cannot marry again without ending the first marriage.
- Underage Marriages: When one of the parties is under the age of consent and have not received their parent’s permission to marry, any other marriages become instantly voidable.
- Incestuous Marriages: If a couple marries, but discovered they are blood relatives, they cannot remain married.
All of these marriages are considered illegal marriages, so they are instantly voidable. Annulments are preferable in some instances. The law views annulments as a sort of marriage eraser that eliminates a marriage from record. One of the biggest advantages of getting an annulment is that it eliminates the marriage from your record as if it never happened. One of the disadvantages of trying to get an annulment is that they can be difficult to finalize. They require investigation to meet the requirement for proof.
The Major Takeaway
Knowing whether of not you qualify for an annulment or if it’s the right choice for your situation boils down to 6 characteristics, a few which we’ve already discussed earlier. If you are marriage fits any of these characteristics, you would likely qualify for an annulment.
- Fraud
- Coercion
- Impotence
- Mental Illness
- Incapacity
- Bigamy
An annulment is a great solution if your marriage fits the bill, but if it doesn’t, you can still obtain a quick and painless no-fault divorce. So, if you don’t want to burn through money paying investigators and lawyers extra to conduct depositions and hearings, a no-fault divorce is the way to go. Not everyone will qualify for an annulment, and the small number who qualify will have to spend more on their annulment than a no-fault divorce.
At Cairns Law Offices, we specialize in no-fault divorces for only $299. If the idea of a low-cost, amicable divorce appeals to you, contact us today to get started! Call us today at (888) 863-9115 to schedule a consultation.
