Marriage is strictly defined as a lawful union of two persons.
A marriage annulment is a lawful pronouncement that a marriage is null and void. An annulled marriage is stated to be unacceptable from the start. A marriage annulment makes it unnecessary for an individual to be incurred by financial obligations of his/her former spouse. However, spouse and child support, in addition to property laws may still be active.
Annulment should never be confused with divorce. Divorce undoes a marriage only from the date that the judgement becomes effectual where as an annulment outlines the fact that the two parties were under no circumstances legally married.
It is important to note that legitimate grounds must be presented to facilitate the annulment of a marriage.
Some conditions for annulment of a marriage include:
- Marrying an individual who was already legally married to someone else.
- The individual does not have the mental capacity to fully comprehend what marriage is.
- Marrying an individual who is too close a relative. Example a brother or a sister.
- Underage marriage i.e. under the age of 18 without parents consent.
- Marrying under threat.
