If your marriage is nearing the end and you want to get an annulment rather than a divorce, you must have the right grounds to do so. Annulling a marriage is preferred by some people because there won't be any record of the marriage when it is annulled. Knowing the specific grounds that are required for annulment may help you if you are faced with this situation.

Grounds #1:  Marrying a relative

If you marry another person that you are related to, this could allow the marriage to be annulled. There are some instances when this could occur, and neither of the parries is even aware of it until later.

Grounds #2: Mentally incapacitated

You must have the necessary mentality to understand who you are marrying. If it is found out at a later date that you were mentally incapable of knowing this when getting legally web, this makes it possible to get the marriage annulled.

Grounds #3:  Committing fraud

Lying to your spouse in any form is known as fraud.  For instance, if you told your spouse that you didn't have any children, but you had several you brought into the marriage, this is fraudulent activity and is a reason to have the marriage annulled.

Grounds #4: Refusing intercourse

Being unable to have sexual intercourse, either involuntarily or voluntarily is grounds for an annulment. A sexual relationship is important for the success of any marriage and not engaging in one at all will allow the marriage to be annulled.

Grounds #5: Bigamy

If one of the spouses is married to another person previously and gets married again, it is possible to get the second marriage annulled. It is illegal in most states for a person to be married to two people at the same time.

Grounds #6:  Too young

It is necessary to be of age when getting married to another person in the majority of states.  Getting married under the age of 18 could allow this legal union to be annulled because of marrying at too early of an age even if the parent's consented to the marriage.

Finally, if your situation falls into any of the categories that are listed above, you may be capable of ending a marriage by way of an annulment. Be sure to consult with a family attorney (such as Dunsmuir Ridler) who can legally guide you through the process of ending a marriage in this method.

Share