Annulment is a declaration by the Court that a marriage was not legally valid or had become legally invalid. Essentially, it means that the marriage never took place.
Annulment is granted in limited circumstances. At Rollingsons Solicitors, our London annulment lawyers can advise you of the grounds for seeking annulment. We have significant experience representing parties requesting annulment as well as parties responding to the annulment.
The Annulment Process
The annulment process itself is much the same as the process for divorce, in that one party must petition for an annulment on the grounds that the marriage is either void or voidable. The petitioner is required to attend Court to give evidence on oath about what is contained in the petition. This is different from standard undefended divorce proceedings. A judge will then decide if the marriage is void or voidable based upon the evidence.
The Grounds for Annulment
The grounds for an annulment are as follows:
- Not complying with the legal requirements of marriage
- Mental incapacity at the time of marriage
- Being forced or threatened into the marriage
- Non-consummation of marriage, either by willful refusal or inability by one party
- One party being under 16 years of age at the time of the marriage
- Parties to the marriage not a fully male/female couple
- Parties to the marriage being closely related
- One party having a communicable sexually transmitted disease at the time of the marriage
- One or both parties already being married
- The wife being pregnant with someone else's child at the time of the marriage and the husband being unaware of the pregnancy
To Learn More About Annulled Marriages, Contact Rollingsons Solicitors
If you would like to discuss an annulment further please contact Lauren Scott directly. Lauren offers a one-hour, free consultation at our offices to discuss whether your circumstances would allow for an annulment. If not, she can educate you about your other options.
Call 0808 159 5250 or contact our London family law firm online.
