Annulments used to be used frequently in the days of our ancestors. It was a way to get out of a marriage without having to bear the stigma that the word “divorce” carried with it. Then annulments went out of style and divorces became the thing of the day. Now, however, many celebrities are bringing annulments back and more and more couples are wondering how an annulment is different from a divorce and if an annulment is possible to dissolve their marriage.

An annulment is different from a divorce because while a divorce is a dissolution of the marriage, an annulment is a piece of paper that says that the marriage was not valid from the start. It means that, in the eyes of the law at least, your marriage never existed. There are strict rules about what marriages are available for an annulment and which ones are not. For instance, if you married due to a threat, you can have the marriage annulled.

You can also have it annulled if one of the partners was unable to think for themselves, either through a mental problem or from being too intoxicated to be responsible for their actions. You can also seek annulment if one of the spouses was under the age of consent, or if the two discover that they are biological relatives, such as being aunt and nephew or brother and sister.   Unlike divorces, annulments generally prohibit the two from having to split the money and spousal support is not an issue. If the couple has had children together, the courts are not likely to grant an annulment for the sake of the children, and are more likely to have the couple go through the divorce process. For more information, visit www.lawprofessor.com.