What are the basis for annulment?

Answer 1

An annulment can be carried out in the event of fraud or lack of consent. Unlike a divorce, in the case of annulment, it is considered that the marriage never took place. In other words, the marriage is considered null and void right from the beginning.

Answer 2

I will try to answer your question to the best of my ability. The bases for annulment are many - very many and I will not attempt to enumerate all of them because this is beyond the scope of my expertise. I can offer you some advice from the Roman Catholic Church's point of view but cannot speak for other religious belief systems. Entering into the state of matrimony without the intention of procreation ( ie giving birth to children) may be a basis for applying for an annulment. The Roman Church also desires that people be virginal at the time of marriage and if either party later finds that their marriage partner is not, this also may be grounds for applying for an annulment. If you are a Roman Catholic, and really wish to know all the grounds for an annulment, I strongly urge you to speak to your Parish Priest about this matter. If you find this a daunting prospect, you may consider speaking to a priest under the" seal of the confessional". All matters discussed in this situation will remain strictly private - between you, the priest and God.

Any "annulment" is simply a declaration that something is "null", meaning it does not exist. A secular annulment of marriage, by a civil court, is a decree stating the marriage did not/does not exist. This is possible if the marriage was never legal to begin with (bigamy, lack of consent, etc.) or because it was never consummated. This would be the case if the couple never had - or was unable to have - sexual intercourse due to any number of reasons, including impotence, unwillingness by either party, or certain medical malformations.

To obtain an marriage annulment in a civil court, the participant must testify that situation exists. Some couples choose to agree to testify to that, thereby avoiding the long delays and court and attorney's fees that a divorce might bring with it.