Let's Get An Annulment! What You Need To Know
It's safe to say that the vast majority of couples take a well-thought-out approach to marriage, replete with a month's long engagement and a lot of wedding planning. Then there are those that impulsively wed and then almost immediately regret the action. If this is you, then you have likely heard of others, such as celebrities, getting that impulsive marriage annulled. Annulments are one of those issues that carry a lot of misconceptions, so read on to learn more about this way of being unmarried.
How did the need for annulments come about?
While you can no longer use religion as a valid reason to get an annulment, religion played a major role in its "invention". In times past, couples who no longer could tolerate each other could divorce, but then they might feel the stinging wrath of their chosen religion. Churches of the time were dead set against divorce, believing that people wed for life, and religion was a primary influence on life in those days.
Thus, the concept of an annulment was born. Instead of an annulment representing the end of marriage, it represented that there never was a valid marriage in the first place. This let many unhappy spouses off the hook when it came to their church and out of bad "marriages". It's interesting to note that even today the Catholic church won't recognize divorce, and those who take part in a divorce are forever barred from fully participating in certain religious practices. They may still attend services, however.
Reasons why the marriage was never valid
Unlike the widespread practice of no-fault divorces, an annulment must have a reason or reasons, and those reasons must spell out exactly why the marriage is not valid. While the specifics can vary from state to state, in most cases the following are considered valid reasons to have your marriage annulled. It should be noted that "not thinking things through thoroughly" is not listed below:
- Not of legal age to marry. Every state has different rules about the minimum age to marry, but if some subterfuge was used to marry too young, the marriage is eligible for an annulment.
- If the relationship is against the law in that state, it can be annulled. For example, if one party is already legally married to another person, or the relationship is incestuous in nature.
- If the parties were forced to marry against their will, it might be annulled. For example, a parent forcing a pregnant child to marry.
- If one or more of the parties was under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the point that they could not consent to the marriage, it might be annulled. Unsurprisingly this reason is used quite a bit.
- If one party was somehow lied to or tricked into the marriage, it is not valid.
- If the marriage had no sexual consummation, it is not valid.
If you've realized your mistake and want to make that marriage disappear, you may have other options if you cannot qualify for an annulment. Speak to a law office like Kleveland Law about uncontested divorces for those with no children or property.