what is the difference between divorce and annulment?

Answer 1

When a marraige is annulled...it is basically erased...its like it never happened. A divorce is a break of a marraige. And you become a divorcee...it is still on record.

Answer 2

An annulment is usually a religious thing, like when a Catholic who was married in the church gets divorced but wants to marry someone else in the church although the first marriage ended in a legal divorce the he can't marry in the church because the church doesn't recognize divorce. He must have the first marriage annuled. A relgiously annulled marriage is not a legal annullment and if there has been no legal divorce the couple are STILL legally married, just not "in the eyes of God".
Civilly an annulment can be granted if the marriage has never been consumated (no sex) if proof can be shown that the couple never partook of sexual intercourse BEFORE or after the marriage took place they can have their marriage annuled and it will be legal. (didn't Brittney Spears have her first marriage...the "joke" annulled?)

A divorce is the legal disillusionment of a legal marriage, one that has been consumated. (sex)

Answer 3

I know annulment from the Catholic church is the undoing of a mar rage as though it never happened. Divorce is not allowed under the Catholic religion. I don't know all the reasons that an annulment can be granted, but an example might be that if the marrage was never consummated you can get an annulment. Out side of religion, I believe you can get an annulment due to fraud by one of the parties. If you had an annulment and was never married before that, then your status is single, not divorced.

Answer 4

A divorce is a legal dissolvement of the marriage, an annulment is saying the marriage never existed.

L.

Answer 5

basically, a divorce is the end of a marriage and annulment is saying that the marriage never happened or was not legal for a variety of reasons.