Husband Wife Marriage Married People Doubts End Closely

When people get married, they usually promise to love each other "until death do us part" (a traditional phrase included in most marriage ceremonies), but sometimes marriages fail. Usually this "leads to" (comes before) a "divorce," or the legal end of a marriage. But sometimes people can get an "annulment" instead.

A "divorce" ends a marriage. In contrast, an annulment "voids" a marriage, saying that a "valid" (real; true) marriage never existed "in the first place" (to start with). To get an annulment, the people who have been married must show that one or more of the situations below "applies" (is relevant) to their situation:

The husband or wife was already married to someone else when the marriage began.

The husband or wife was not old enough to be legally married.

The husband and wife are closely related to each other.

The husband or wife "lacked" (didn't have) the "mental capacity" (intelligence and emotional abilities) to be married, maybe because one had a mental illness or was "drunk" (acting strangely because one drank too much alcohol).

The marriage was "fraudulent" (based on a lie), such as if the husband or wife didn't let the other person know that he or she was a criminal or was very ill.

The husband or wife was married "under duress" (was forced to be married).

The husband or wife wasn't able to "consummate the marriage" (have sex to make a marriage official).

People who want to end their marriage work closely with a lawyer to "determine" (find out and identify) whether they are "eligible for" (meet the requirements of) a divorce or an annulment.