If you want to end your marriage, and you haven’t been married long, you may wonder if it’s possible to get an annulment. A Washington, D.C. lawyer explains why annulments are somewhat rare.

I Wasn’t Married Long. Can I Get an Annulment?

If you and your spouse have only been married a short time, you may wonder if you can simply “undo” your marriage by getting an annulment. People sometimes misunderstand annulment, as the concept exists in both the secular, legal sphere as well as the religious sphere. If you wish to end your marriage, it’s important to speak to a Washington, D.C. divorce lawyer.

What Is Annulment?

First, it’s important to distinguish legal annulment from religious annulment. Many churches permit their members to annul their marriages under the tenets of a particular faith. This is different from a legal annulment, which can only be granted by a secular court in the civil justice system.

Just because your marriage is annulled in your church, does not mean you can obtain an annulment from the court. Legal annulments are granted rarely. In most cases, you must obtain a divorce to end your marriage, even if you have only been married a short time.

In Washington, D.C., as in most other jurisdictions across the country, getting an annulment is actually quite difficult. Unlike a divorce, which ends the marriage but preserves it on public record, an annulment treats the marriage as if it never existed in the first place.

Grounds for Annulment in Washington, D.C.

To get an annulment in the District of Columbia, a married couple must satisfy at least one of the following requirements under D.C. law:

• The court will grant an annulment in cases where one spouse was already married to another person at the time of the marriage
• Mental illness. One spouse lacked the mental capacity to consent to the marriage
• The parties only married because one or both spouses were forced, coerced, or defrauded
• The court will annul the marriage if one spouse was under age 16, which is the age of consent under D.C. law

If you want to annul your marriage, you must obtain a court order. The annulment doesn’t happen automatically, even if you can prove your marriage satisfies one of the factors required for annulment.

Uncontested Divorce in Washington, D.C.

If you have only been married a short time, and you don’t qualify for an annulment, you can still end your marriage quickly and cost-effectively. You may not meet the requirements for annulment, but your divorce doesn’t have to be a lengthy or costly process.

In Washington, D.C., you can file for an uncontested divorce to end a short-term marriage. Washington, D.C. has its own statutes, which set forth the grounds for divorce and how the divorce process unfolds in the District.

In an uncontested divorce, you and your spouse must agree on all the issues in your case, such as how you will divide your property, who will be responsible for any debts, and how you will handle custody of any children.

Depending on how long your marriage lasted, you and your spouse may not own any property together. This makes ending your marriage quite straightforward. At the same time, it’s still important to work with an experienced Washington, D.C. divorce lawyer. Your divorce may be uncomplicated, but you want to make sure you handle it properly and protect your rights every step of the way. Even a simple error during the divorce process can be expensive and time-consuming to fix down the road.

Contact a Washington, D.C. Divorce Lawyer Today

To begin your uncontested divorce, call a Washington, D.C. divorce lawyer today. Your lawyer can explain your rights and answer your questions about the divorce process.