Annulment

How to Annul a marriage in the United Kingdom?

There are two grounds that can be relied upon when seeking to Annul a marriage:

Ground 1

You can annul a marriage if it is not legally void, for example:

• You are closely related to the person you married
• One or both of you were under the age of 16
• One of you was already married or in a civil partnership

If your marriage is considered void due to one of these reasons, it will be considered to have never legally existed.

Ground 2

You can Annul a marriage if it was legally valid but has become voidable, for example:

• You and your spouse have not consummated the marriage
• You did not properly consent to the marriage (forced marriages)
• Your spouse had a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) when you got married
• Your spouse was pregnant by someone else when you got married
• One spouse is in the process of transitioning to a different gender

To submit your nullity petition, you will be required to pay the court fee of £593 but if you are on a low income or receive certain benefits you may be entitled to a court fee remission. You can apply online for help with fees

If your spouse disputes the nullity petition, you may need to go to court and present your case to a judge in order to have the marriage annulled.

When can you annul a marriage?

For a family court in England and Wales to have jurisdiction to Annul your marriage, you or your spouse must have either lived in England or Wales for at least a year or had a permanent home in England and Wales for at least six months.

You may apply for an Annulment even after being married for more than one year, but you will be required to provide an explanation to the courts.

Financial Settlement following an annulment of marriage

Financial settlement is an arrangement under which a couple's assets and financial affairs are separated upon the annulment of a marriage or civil partnership. In England and Wales, the act of annulment of marriage/civil partnership does not put an end to the financial relationship between you and your partner.

Obtaining a financial settlement when you are annulling your marriage is important because outstanding financial claims may come back to disrupt your lives even years after your annulment has been finalised.

Why choose Westridge Legal?

Our team of family lawyers are aware of the sensitivity and complexity involved in annulment matters. We understand that every individual requires different care and are here to support you.

Our highly experienced lawyers will guide and support you every step of the way to ensure that the best outcome is achieved with minimal disruption to your life.

If you wish to speak about your options directly with our specialist staff, please contact us on 0121 724 0302 to book a consultation today.