On separation and annulment, Part 1

Many people have heard numerous different terms for married couples that go their separate ways — in fact, that’s one right there. More to the point though, the terms “separation,” “annulment,” and “divorced” are often all mixed together. Some people may think that all these terms mean the same thing. To the contrary, these are three distinct terms with three distinct meanings.

A divorce and an annulment are very similar to one another, but they still differ. Both an annulment and a divorce formally end a marriage. However, an annulment goes a step further. It actually ends the existence of the marriage completely, meaning that someone who gets an annulment is formally recognized as never having been married in the first place. A divorce still recognizes that a marriage existed.

Separation, on the other hand, doesn’t inherently mean that a married couple is divorced. In fact, separation keeps the marriage together. However, there are varying degrees of separation. The more serious the separation, the more legal processes are in place that make it feel like a divorce, and thus the end of the marriage — even though the marriage is legally still recognized.

We will have a lot more to say on the subjects of divorce, annulment and separation in our next post. But, as you can likely tell, these are three similar legal statuses that vary just enough to make a huge difference. If you are involved in a divorce, an annulment or separation, then you need an by your side.