Annulment vs. Divorce — What's the Difference?

Often requires specific legal grounds to be proven.

A legal process by which a valid marriage is ended.

Not recognized in all jurisdictions as an alternative to divorce.

Often involves issues like asset division, child custody, and alimony.

A legal decree that a marriage is void, as if it never occurred.

Available in no-fault forms in many jurisdictions.

Sometimes involves complex legal arguments about the marriage's validity.

Recognized universally, with procedures varying by location.

Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place (though some jurisdictions provide that the marriage is only void from the date of the annulment; for example, this is the case in section 12 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 in England and Wales).

Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the bonds of matrimony between a married couple under the rule of law of the particular country or state.

An act of annulling.

A divorced man.

The invalidation of a marriage, as for nonconsummation, effected by means of a declaration stating that the marriage was never valid.

The legal dissolution of a marriage.

An act or instance of annulling.

A court order or other document establishing such a dissolution.

The state of having been annulled.

A separation between things that were once connected or associated.

(legal) An invalidation of something, especially a legal contract.

To dissolve the marriage bond between (two people).

(legal) A legal (notably judicial) declaration that a marriage is invalid; the procedure leading to it.

To end marriage with (one's spouse) by way of legal divorce.

(archaic) Total destruction.

To cut off; separate or disunite

The act of annulling; abolition; invalidation.

To obtain a divorce.

The state of being cancelled or annulled

The legal dissolution of a marriage.

(law) a formal termination (of a relationship or a judicial proceeding etc)

A separation of connected things.

The act of abrogating; an official or legal cancellation

(zoology) The separation of a bonded pair of animals.

Can be influenced by religious or moral reasons.

(obsolete) That which separates.

(transitive) To legally dissolve a marriage between two people.

(transitive) To end one's own marriage to (a person) in this way.

(intransitive) To obtain a legal divorce.

(transitive) To separate something that was connected.

A legal dissolution of the marriage contract by a court or other body having competent authority. This is properly a divorce, and called, technically, divorce a vinculo matrimonii.

The decree or writing by which marriage is dissolved.

Separation; disunion of things closely united.

That which separates.

To dissolve the marriage contract of, either wholly or partially; to separate by divorce.

To separate or disunite; to sunder.

To make away; to put away.

The legal dissolution of a marriage

Part; cease or break association with;

Get a divorce; formally terminate a marriage;

Can be initiated by one or both parties.

Common grounds include bigamy, incest, fraud, force, or mental incapacity.

Annulment can be faster if the grounds are clear and uncontested; otherwise, divorce might be quicker.

No, only marriages that meet specific legal criteria can be annulled.

Divorce involves formal arrangements for custody and support, whereas annulment might not acknowledge these needs explicitly if the marriage is deemed void.

Yes, annulments can be contested, often leading to complex legal challenges.

These are separate from legal annulments and are governed by church law, not civil law.

No, but the requesting party must prove the grounds for annulment.

Generally, property is returned to the person who owned it before the marriage, unlike in a divorce where it is divided.

It is rare, as the marriage is considered invalid, but temporary support might be possible.

Generally, divorce is easier to obtain since it does not require proving the marriage was invalid.

If grounds can't be proven, the couple must seek a divorce instead.

The time limits vary, but it's typically a short period after discovering the grounds for annulment.

Since an annulled marriage is considered never to have existed, both parties are usually free to remarry.

Some jurisdictions require counseling before these proceedings, especially when children are involved.

Annulments might not be publicly recorded as marriages, depending on local laws.