Annulment

Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Annulment differs from divorce where the court ends an otherwise legal marriage on a specific date.

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Grounds for annulment vary in different legal jurisdictions, but are typically limited to fraud, bigamy, and mental incompetence. Grounds for annulment often include:

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• Either spouse was already married to someone else at the time of the marriage;
• Either spouse was too young to be married, or too young without required court or parental consent;
• Either spouse was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the marriage;
• Either spouse was mentally incompetent at the time of the marriage;
• If the consent to the marriage was based on fraud or force;
• Either spouse was physically incapable to be married (typically, inability to have sexual intercourse which persists) at the time of the marriage;
• The marriage is prohibited by law due to the relationship between the parties.

Marriage: Marriage is a legal, social, and religious relationship between individuals which has formed the foundation of the family for most societies. Historically, marriage has been a social contract between a man (husband) and a woman (wife). Polygamy has been a common variation in some cultures, usually i...

Divorce: Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage, which can be contrasted with an annulment which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody and distribution of property....