When is annulment an option?

Annulment allows spouses to end their marriage without requiring a divorce. An annulment order is a declaration that the marriage is void and establishes that the marriage never existed. It makes it as if the spouses were never legally married.

It is difficult to establish grounds for annulment in Ontario. The cases in which an annulment may be granted are: capacity issues dealing with one of the spouses (such as a lack of mental capacity, one party was under the age of 18, etc.) or a legal defect in the marriage ceremony.