Annulment Differs From Divorce

• An annulment is different from a divorce in the acknowledgment of whether or not a marriage existed at all. When two people divorce their marriage is dissolved, but there is no denial that marriage was entered into and existed for a period of time. When a marriage is annulled it is legally and religiously as if the marriage never existed to begin with.
  
  

Criteria For Annulment in the Catholic Church

• The Catholic Church considers marriage to be a sacramental bond and the only way that bond can be broken via an annulment is if there is evidence that the marriage should not have been considered a sacrament. There are a few reasons why a request for annulment may be granted by a Catholic Church. If a priest tries to marry, or if the husband or wife is married already at the time of the ceremony, then annulment is a valid choice. If one individual was forced to marry the other, or if one individual had different expectations out of the marriage -- for example, if one wants children and the other does not -- then the marriage will be declared an invalid sacrament. The Catholic Church will also annul a marriage if one of the partners cheats during the marriage, or if the ceremony was not performed in front of a priest and two witnesses.
  
  

Criteria for Legal Annulment

• An annulment that legally wipes a marriage off of all records will only be granted over a divorce if certain conditions apply. If one partner was mentally impaired due to undiagnosed or untold mental illness, or because of drug or alcohol intoxication, then they can be considered to not have had the mental capacity to enter into the marriage when the marriage took place and an annulment can be granted. If one individual is under the legal age to marry without consent, one partner is already married at the time of the ceremony, one partner is forced into the marriage or one partner refuses to consummate the marriage, the marriage can be legally annulled as well.
  
  

Consequences of Annulment

• When two individuals agree to have their marriage legally annulled they choose to forfeit some of the rights they would have had if the marriage had dissolved through a divorce. It may be difficult for one or both spouses to make claims on items they shared when they were married, such as a house or cars. An annulment may also make it difficult for one partner to receive spousal or child support from the other.