Qualifying for a Civil Annulment Qualifying for a Civil Annulment in Connecticut in Connecticut A civil annulment is the process by which a Bigamous Marriage - where one party marriage is recognized by a state court as was already legally married at the time of being void or voidable due to some statutory the marriage. or common law ground at the time of mar­ riage. In effect, the judgment declares that Defects in the Marriage Ceremony ­ the marriage never existed. In Connecticut, where the individual officiating at the to qualify for an annulment of marriage you wedding is not authorized under state must meet one of the required statutory or law to perform a legal marriage. common law grounds. Ifyou do not meet one of these grounds, you will have to file for Misrepresentation or Concealment ­ a divorce. Simply being married for a very when one party hides from the other short period of time is not a qualifying party a health or physical condition that ground. negatively impacts his or her ability to perform the duties and obligations of the A civil annulment is different/ram a reli­ marriage relationship or that is gious annulment. A civil annulment is dangerous to the health of others. granted by a court based on statutory and common law grounds. A religious annul­ This is not intended as a complete list of ment is granted by a religious institution possible grounds for annulment. Other based on its own practices. The information grounds for annulment may exist but have contained on this card addresses civil an­ not yet been addressed by the courts in our nulments. state. Note, however, that a marriage is pre­ sumed to be valid; there is a high burden of An annulment is not a quick alternative proof to have a marriage declared void. You to a divorce. The process for requesting an will need to research the Connecticut Gen­ annulment is similar to requesting a divorce eral Statutes and case law to decide if your and may take the same amount of work and reason is strong enough to support a claim time. for annulment. For more information and to begin your research, please see Connecticut The following are recognized statutory General Statutes §§ 46b-20 to 46b-38i and common law grounds for an annul­ (Marriage) and§ 46b-40 (Grounds for Disso­ ment in Connecticut: lution of Marriage). You may also want to Consanguinity and Affinity - when consult secondary research sources, availa­ parties are not allowed to legally marry ble in the Judicial Branch Law Libraries, for under Connecticut General Statutes § more detailed discussion of the grounds for 46b-21 due to the degree of their family annulment. relationship. For more information, visit us online at: For more information, visit us online at: www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/ www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/ Rev. 2-2014