Quick answer

Annulment and declaration of nullity are different court remedies.

Declaration of nullity applies when the marriage was legally void from the beginning—for example, because a required marriage license was absent, a prior marriage was still subsisting, the parties were within a prohibited degree of relationship, or a spouse was psychologically incapacitated under Article 36 of the Family Code.
Annulment applies when the marriage was valid when celebrated but voidable because of a specific defect existing at that time, such as lack of required parental consent, narrowly defined fraud, force, unsoundness of mind, incurable physical incapacity to consummate the marriage, or a serious and apparently incurable sexually transmissible disease.

Long separation, incompatibility, abandonment, adultery, abuse, or a spouse’s refusal to cooperate does not automatically annul or nullify a marriage. These facts may support another remedy or form part of the evidence, but the petitioner must prove a ground recognized by law.

Only a Family Court can grant civil annulment or nullity. Do not remarry merely because a marriage appears void or because a judge has orally announced a favorable result. Wait until the judgment is final, the required post-judgment steps are completed, the decree is issued and registered, and the marriage record is properly annotated.

Annulment and nullity compared

Issue	Declaration of nullity	Annulment
Legal character of the marriage	Void from the beginning	Valid until annulled by final judgment
Main legal basis	Articles 4, 35–38, 40 and related provisions of the Family Code	Articles 45–47 of the Family Code
Common examples	No required license, bigamy, prohibited relationship, psychological incapacity	Lack of parental consent at age 18–20, fraud, force, unsound mind, incapacity to consummate, serious incurable STI
Filing period	The action or defense generally does not prescribe	Strict periods apply, depending on the ground
Agreement of the spouses enough?	No	No
Court process required?	Yes	Yes

The governing substantive rules are primarily in the Family Code of the Philippines. The procedure is governed by the Supreme Court’s Rule on Declaration of Absolute Nullity of Void Marriages and Annulment of Voidable Marriages.

When a marriage may be declared void

A marriage may be void from the beginning in circumstances that include the following:

One party was below 18

A marriage involving a party below 18 is void even if a parent or guardian consented. Child marriage is also expressly prohibited under Republic Act No. 11596. Its nullity may be raised without a prescriptive period.

This is different from a marriage involving a party who was already 18 but below 21. During that age range, lack of the required parental consent generally makes the marriage voidable, not automatically void.

An essential or formal requisite was absent

The Family Code requires legal capacity, consent freely given in the presence of the solemnizing officer, authority of that officer, a valid marriage license unless a statutory exception applies, and an actual marriage ceremony meeting the legal requirements.

The complete absence of an essential or formal requisite

Quick answer

In Philippine law, annulment and declaration of absolute nullity are different court remedies:

Declaration of nullity applies when the marriage was legally void from the beginning—for example, because a required marriage license was absent without a lawful exemption, a party was below 18, the marriage was bigamous, or psychological incapacity under Article 36 is proved.
Annulment applies to a marriage that was valid when celebrated but is voidable because of a ground existing at that time, such as lack of required parental consent, fraud specifically defined by law, force, unsoundness of mind, incurable incapacity to consummate, or a serious and apparently incurable sexually transmitted disease.

Long separation, incompatibility, adultery, abandonment, violence, or a spouse’s refusal to cooperate does not automatically annul or invalidate a marriage. Those facts may support another remedy or form part of the evidence for a recognized ground, but the ground must be proved in a Family Court.

A person should not remarry merely because the marriage appears void or a judge has orally announced a ruling. Wait for the judgment to become final, complete the required property and children-related proceedings, obtain and register the decree, and confirm the annotation of the marriage record.

Nullity and annulment compared

Issue	Declaration of absolute nullity	Annulment
Legal character	The marriage was void from the beginning	The marriage is valid until annulled by final judgment
Main legal provisions	Articles 4, 35–38, 40 and related provisions of the Family Code	Articles 45–47 of the Family Code
Filing period	The action or defense generally does not prescribe	Strict filing periods apply, depending on the ground
Common example	Psychological incapacity, bigamy, or absence of a required marriage license	Fraud, force, lack of parental consent, or incurable incapacity to consummate
Agreement of spouses enough?	No	No
Court evidence required?	Yes	Yes
Effect of respondent’s silence	No automatic victory	No automatic victory

Both remedies are governed principally by the Family Code and the Supreme Court’s Rule on Declaration of Absolute Nullity and Annulment of Voidable Marriages.

When a marriage may be declared void

A marriage may be void from the beginning when the facts fall within a ground recognized by law. Important examples include:

A party was below 18

A marriage involving a party below 18 is void even if parents or guardians consented. Republic Act No. 11596 separately declares child marriage void from the beginning and provides that an action or defense concerning its nullity does not prescribe. The law also prohibits and penalizes specified acts connected with arranging, facilitating, or solemnizing child marriages. See Republic Act No. 11596.

An essential or formal requisite was absent

A marriage requires legal capacity, consent freely given in the presence of the solemnizing officer, authority of that officer, a valid marriage license unless a statutory exemption applies, and an actual marriage ceremony meeting the law’s requirements.

An absence of a required element may make the marriage void. A mere irregularity, clerical error, late registration, or defect for which the law imposes civil, criminal, or administrative liability does not necessarily invalidate it.

Important distinctions include:

A missing PSA marriage record does not, by itself, prove there was no marriage.
A missing copy of the license is not necessarily proof that no license was issued.
A marriage without a license is not void if a genuine statutory exemption applied.
Lack of authority of the solemnizing officer does not invalidate the marriage when either or both spouses genuinely believed in good faith that the officer had authority.
Failure to hold any marriage ceremony is different from an irregularity in an actual ceremony.

The marriage-license application, license number, local civil registrar’s certification, marriage certificate, solemnizing officer’s authority, and witness testimony should all be examined before choosing this ground.

The marriage was bigamous or polygamous

A later marriage celebrated while a prior marriage remained subsisting is generally void, subject to the Family Code’s special rules on an absent spouse and judicial declaration of presumptive death.

Even if the earlier marriage was itself void, Article 40 requires a final judgment declaring it void before it may be relied upon for purposes of remarriage. Secretly marrying again without resolving the first marriage can also create serious criminal and property consequences.

In a 2024 En Banc ruling, the Supreme Court held that a spouse who knowingly contracted a bigamous marriage could not later use that wrongdoing to seek its nullity. For a bigamous subsequent marriage, legal standing may belong only to an innocent, aggrieved spouse of either union. See Quirit-Figarido v. Figarido.

There was a mistake as to the other party’s identity

This is a mistake about who the person actually is, not disappointment about the person’s character, finances, history, or promises.

The parties are related within a prohibited degree

Incestuous marriages and other marriages prohibited by Articles 37 and 38—such as certain marriages involving close blood relations, adoption relationships, or a spouse’s intentional killing to marry the other party—are void.

A later marriage violated the post-judgment requirements

A subsequent marriage may be void when a former spouse remarries without complying with the registration, property-distribution, and presumptive-legitime requirements under Articles 52 and 53.

Psychological incapacity under Article 36

Psychological incapacity is a legal concept. It is not simply a difficult personality, incompatibility, loss of love, mental illness, refusal to perform marital duties, or a marriage that has broken down.

Under the Supreme Court’s controlling interpretation in Tan-Andal v. Andal, the petitioner must establish psychological incapacity by clear and convincing evidence. The evidence must show a durable aspect of personality that makes a spouse genuinely incapable—not merely unwilling—to understand and perform essential marital obligations.

The principal characteristics are:

Gravity: The condition must be serious. Mild personality differences, occasional outbursts, ordinary marital conflict, neglect, difficulty, or ill will are insufficient.
Juridical antecedence: In all reasonable likelihood, the incapacity must have existed when the marriage was celebrated, although its clearest manifestations may appear only during married life.
Legal incurability: The enduring pattern must be so persistent in relation to the particular spouse that the marital obligations cannot realistically be performed. This is not necessarily “incurability” in a medical sense.

A psychiatric diagnosis is not indispensable, and an expert witness is not automatically required. Relatives, friends, household members, or other witnesses who knew the spouses before and during the marriage may testify about consistent behavior they personally observed. An expert evaluation may still be valuable when it uses reliable methods and is tied to the actual evidence.

Adultery, addiction, alcoholism, violence, abandonment, financial irresponsibility, or criminal behavior does not by itself establish Article 36. Such conduct matters only when the total evidence connects it to a grave, enduring, pre-existing personality structure that caused an actual incapacity to perform essential marital duties.

Grounds and deadlines for annulment

Every annulment ground must have existed when the marriage was celebrated. The filing deadlines under Articles 45 and 47 are strict.

Lack of required parental consent

This applies when a party was at least 18 but below 21 and married without the required consent.

The affected spouse may file within five years after reaching 21.
A parent, guardian, or person having legal charge may file before the affected party reaches 21.
The ground is lost if, after reaching 21, the affected spouse freely lives with the other as spouses.

Unsoundness of mind

A petition may be filed:

by the sane spouse who did not know of the other’s condition;
by a relative, guardian, or person having legal charge of the affected spouse at any time before either spouse dies; or
by the affected spouse during a lucid interval or after regaining soundness of mind.

Free cohabitation after regaining reason may ratify the marriage and bar annulment on this ground.

Fraud

The injured spouse must file within five years after discovering the fraud and must not freely cohabit with the other spouse after learning the truth.

For annulment, “fraud” is limited to the circumstances listed in Article 46:

concealment of a final conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude;
concealment by the wife that, at the time of marriage, she was pregnant by another man;
concealment of a sexually transmitted disease existing at the time of marriage; or
concealment of drug addiction, habitual alcoholism, or homosexuality or lesbianism existing at the time of marriage.

The statute uses dated terminology regarding sexual orientation. Sexual orientation by itself is not an annulment ground; the statutory ground concerns concealment of an existing fact as specified in Article 46.

Ordinary misrepresentations about character, health, rank, wealth, or chastity are expressly excluded from the statutory definition of fraud.

Force, intimidation, or undue influence

The injured spouse must file within five years after the force, intimidation, or undue influence ceased. Free cohabitation after the coercion ended may bar annulment on this ground.

Physical incapacity to consummate the marriage

The incapacity must have existed at marriage, continue, appear incurable, and concern consummation with the other spouse. The injured spouse must file within five years after the marriage.

Infertility or inability to have children is not the same as physical incapacity to consummate.

Serious and apparently incurable sexually transmitted disease

The disease must have existed at marriage, be serious, and appear incurable. The injured spouse must file within five years after the marriage.

This is separate from annulment for fraud based on concealment of a sexually transmitted disease, which has a different deadline.

What usually does not qualify by itself

The following circumstances do not independently constitute annulment or nullity grounds:

many years of physical separation;
abandonment;
adultery or another relationship;
domestic violence;
refusal to provide support;
incompatibility or constant arguments;
absence of affection;
refusal to have sex;
inability to have children;
a spouse’s imprisonment;
a private agreement to separate;
a religious annulment; or
both spouses wanting to end the marriage.

Some may support legal separation, protection orders, custody or support proceedings, criminal complaints, or an Article 36 case when the additional legal requirements are proved. They should not be relabeled as psychological incapacity without evidence.

Who may file

As a general rule, a petition for declaration of nullity may be filed by a spouse, not by heirs or unrelated third persons. Annulment has the ground-specific exceptions for parents, guardians, relatives, or persons having legal charge described above.

Standing requires special attention in bigamy cases because an innocent spouse of the prior or subsequent marriage may be the proper petitioner, while the spouse who knowingly created the bigamous union may be barred.

If a party dies before entry of judgment, the special rule directs the court to close and terminate the case. Questions affecting succession or an estate may still be resolved in the proper estate proceeding. If death occurs after entry of judgment, the judgment binds the parties and their successors in the estate settlement.

Where to file

The petition is filed in the Family Court—the designated Regional Trial Court branch exercising family jurisdiction—of the province or city where either spouse has resided for at least six months immediately before filing. If the respondent is not a Philippine resident, the petitioner may choose the place where the respondent can be found in the Philippines.

Venue can become complicated when both spouses live abroad, recently moved, or use several residences. Residence should be supported by credible documents rather than an address chosen only to obtain a preferred court. The Family Courts’ jurisdiction is established by Republic Act No. 8369.

How the court process works

1. Legal assessment and preparation

Counsel should identify the exact ground, petitioner with legal standing, filing deadline, venue, expected witnesses, children’s needs, property regime, and possible criminal or foreign-law issues.

The verified petition must allege the complete material facts. It must identify the common children, the property regime, and relevant properties. The petitioner must personally sign the verification and certification against forum shopping; counsel or an attorney-in-fact cannot sign these in the petitioner’s place.

The special rule calls for six copies and requires service on the Office of the Solicitor General and the proper city or provincial prosecutor within five days after filing, with proof submitted to the court.

2. Paper and electronic filing

Since April 2025, nullity and annulment cases are expressly covered by Rule 13-A on electronic filing and service. The initiatory petition is filed through the prescribed primary mode—personal filing, registered mail, or accredited courier—and the petition, annexes, and other accompanying documents must also be emailed to the court in PDF within 24 hours after completion of the primary filing. Failure to make the required electronic transmission on time can cause the petition to be treated as not filed.

Subsequent pleadings, motions, and service are generally electronic, subject to exceptions in the rules or a court order. The official court email address, PDF specifications, filename format, proof of transmission, and any local implementation directions should be confirmed with the Office of the Clerk of Court before filing. See the Supreme Court’s electronic-filing guidance and A.M. No. 25-01-13-SC.

3. Summons and answer

The respondent must be formally served with summons.

Ordinarily, the verified answer is due within 15 days from service of summons. If the respondent cannot be located despite diligent inquiry, the court may authorize publication once a week for two consecutive weeks, together with service at the last known address or another measure ordered by the court. An answer following publication is due within 30 days from the last publication.

A respondent who does not answer is not declared in default in the ordinary way. The petitioner must still prove every required element.

4. State participation and collusion investigation

The public prosecutor appears for the State to prevent collusion and the fabrication or suppression of evidence. If no genuine issue is raised, the prosecutor investigates whether the spouses are colluding.

The court cannot grant the case simply because both spouses agree, sign an admission, or stipulate that the marriage is invalid. Civil status and the validity of marriage cannot be compromised.

5. Provisional orders

When the spouses have no adequate written arrangement, the court may issue temporary orders on:

spousal support;
custody and support of common children;
visitation;
administration of community or conjugal property; and
other matters requiring immediate action.

A petitioner should not wait for the final trial if a child lacks support, a spouse is disposing of property, or safety requires urgent court protection.

6. Mandatory pre-trial

Pre-trial is mandatory. Parties generally must appear personally and submit pre-trial briefs identifying their claims, issues, documents, witnesses, affidavits, and expert evidence.

An unjustified failure by the petitioner to appear may cause dismissal. Mediation may address lawful matters such as existing property arrangements, but it cannot compromise the marriage’s validity, civil status, future support, or future legitime.

7. Trial and decision

The judge personally conducts the trial on the marriage ground. There is no judgment on the pleadings, summary judgment, or judgment based on confession. Even an uncontested petition requires competent evidence.

Family-case records receive special privacy protection. The court may restrict courtroom access when public testimony would cause specified harm or violate privacy or decency, and nonparties generally cannot inspect or copy the case record without a court order.

8. Post-judgment deadlines

A decision granting or denying the petition ordinarily becomes final after 15 days from notice if no proper motion or appeal is filed.

A party wishing to appeal must first file a motion for reconsideration or new trial within 15 days from notice of judgment. If that motion is denied, the notice of appeal must be filed within 15 days from notice of the denial. These deadlines require immediate advice from counsel because late filing can end the right to appeal.

Finality, the decree, and civil-registry annotation

A favorable decision is not the last administrative step.

After entry of judgment:

The entry of judgment must be registered with the local civil registry where the marriage was recorded and the local civil registry where the Family Court is located.
If property must be divided, the court proceeds with liquidation, partition, and distribution, and the approved partition involving real property must be registered with the proper Register of Deeds.
When required, the children’s presumptive legitimes must be delivered.
The court issues the decree of nullity or annulment after the required compliance.
The prevailing party registers the decree with the relevant civil registries and the Philippine Statistics Authority and reports compliance to the court within the period required by the rule.
If summons was served by publication, the decree must also be published as directed by the rule.
Obtain a newly issued, annotated PSA marriage certificate and check that the annotation is accurate.

The PSA advises parties to coordinate first with the local civil registry where the marriage was registered and to preserve the decree, certificate of finality, certificate of registration, certificate of authenticity, and annotated and unannotated marriage records. See the PSA’s annotation guidance.

Do not schedule another wedding until counsel has confirmed finality and full compliance with Articles 52 and 53. A premature subsequent marriage may itself be void.

Effects on children, support, and custody

Annulment or nullity does not erase parenthood or end a child’s right to support.

The court may decide custody, support, and visitation during the case and as part of the post-judgment proceedings. The child’s welfare is the controlling consideration; arrangements made merely for litigation convenience are not binding if they conflict with that welfare.

A child’s status depends partly on the ground:

Children conceived or born before the final judgment of annulment remain legitimate.
Children conceived or born before final judgment in an Article 36 case are treated as legitimate.
Children of the subsequent marriage described in Article 53 are likewise treated as legitimate.
For other void marriages, the general rule on children conceived and born outside a valid marriage may apply, subject to statutory exceptions.

Birth-certificate amendment or annotation may be ordered. Because legitimacy affects names, inheritance, parental authority, and civil records, the exact decree and the child’s dates of conception and birth should be reviewed before drawing conclusions.

Property and debts

Property consequences are not identical in every case. They can depend on:

the ground for annulment or nullity;
whether the marriage was void or voidable;
the date of marriage;
marriage settlements;
whether either spouse acted in bad faith;
whether Articles 147 or 148 on co-ownership apply;
the source and date of acquisition of each asset;
existing mortgages, loans, and other creditors; and
prior property judgments or agreements.

The court may order inventory, liquidation, partition, delivery of presumptive legitimes, forfeiture in cases of bad faith, and registration with the Register of Deeds. Creditors must be protected and notified when required.

Neither spouse should conceal, transfer, mortgage, withdraw, or destroy records of common assets in anticipation of litigation. A title or account being in only one spouse’s name does not necessarily settle ownership.

Evidence to collect and preserve

The needed evidence depends on the chosen ground, but an initial file commonly includes:

Civil-status records

PSA marriage certificate and local civil-registry copy;
PSA birth certificates of the spouses and children;
Advisory on Marriages or other relevant PSA certifications;
prior marriage, death, annulment, nullity, presumptive-death, divorce, or foreign-naturalization records;
marriage-license application, license, or certification from the issuing civil registrar; and
solemnizing officer’s authority and ceremony records.

Evidence of the ground

a detailed chronology beginning before the marriage;
messages, emails, letters, photographs, and contemporaneous notes;
witnesses with firsthand knowledge;
final criminal judgments or official records;
medical records and qualified medical testimony where relevant;
school, employment, rehabilitation, financial, police, barangay, or court records;
psychological or psychiatric material, if an expert will be used; and
evidence showing when fraud was discovered or coercion ceased.

For Article 36, record specific conduct, its frequency and duration, the marital obligation affected, facts from before the marriage, and the witnesses who personally observed the pattern. Avoid general labels such as “narcissist,” “toxic,” or “irresponsible” without supporting facts.

Children and property records

school and medical records;
proof of regular child expenses and caregiving;
titles, deeds, tax declarations, leases, vehicle records, bank documents, business records, insurance policies, loan statements, and receipts; and
proof of each spouse’s income and liabilities.

Preserve original files, message metadata, complete conversation threads, envelopes, receipts, and unedited backups. Do not access a spouse’s password-protected accounts without authority, impersonate another person, alter screenshots, or secretly record conversations without first obtaining legal advice about admissibility and privacy laws.

Practical steps before filing

Address immediate safety first. If there is violence, coercion, stalking, threats, or danger to a child, contact the appropriate police, barangay, social-welfare office, or lawyer about emergency protection. A marriage case need not be completed before seeking protection.
List all relevant dates. Include birth dates, marriage date, discovery of fraud, end of coercion, separation, prior marriages, citizenship changes, foreign divorces, and receipt of court papers.
Obtain official records. Do not build a case solely from recollection or social-media posts.
Prepare a factual chronology. Separate what you personally observed from what another person told you.
Identify children, assets, debts, and urgent needs. Ask whether provisional support, custody, or property orders are necessary.
Have a Philippine family-law lawyer assess the correct remedy. A wrong ground can waste time and may allow an annulment deadline to expire.
Ask for a written engagement and cost breakdown. There is no single government-set total price or guaranteed duration. Costs may include court fees, service or publication, records, professional services, expert work, property proceedings, and registration.
If private counsel is unaffordable, inquire promptly with the Public Attorney’s Office or the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Eligibility, merit, conflicts, and available capacity must still be assessed. The Supreme Court lists official legal-assistance options.

Common and costly mistakes

Treating every marriage case as “annulment” without identifying the legal ground.
Filing after an annulment deadline has expired.
Using an address that does not satisfy the six-month venue rule.
Assuming a missing PSA record proves the marriage never occurred.
Confusing an absent marriage license with a lost or unregistered copy.
Exaggerating facts or coaching witnesses to fit Article 36.
Agreeing to suppress evidence or stage a false dispute.
Believing the respondent’s nonappearance guarantees approval.
Assuming a church annulment changes Philippine civil status.
Paying a fixer who promises a decree without testimony or court appearances.
Hiding children, creditors, property, or a prior marriage.
Remarrying after the decision but before finality, registration, and issuance of the decree.
Ignoring summons, pre-trial notices, or electronic-filing deadlines.
Publishing confidential family records or allegations online while the case is pending.

No lawyer can ethically guarantee that a petition will be granted. Verify counsel’s name and standing through official professional records, insist on receipts, and keep copies of every filed and received document.

When legal help is urgent

Seek immediate legal assistance when:

an annulment filing deadline may expire;
summons, a decision, or a denial of reconsideration has been received;
a spouse is selling, mortgaging, withdrawing, or hiding significant assets;
a child has been taken, denied support, or placed in danger;
violence, threats, stalking, or coercive control is present;
either party is seriously ill, because death before entry of judgment can terminate the case;
there is a prior marriage, foreign divorce, citizenship change, or possible bigamy;
child marriage or forced marriage is involved;
evidence is at risk of deletion or destruction; or
the respondent’s whereabouts are unknown and publication may be necessary.

Frequently asked questions

Can we obtain an annulment because we have been separated for many years?

No. Length of separation is not an annulment or nullity ground. A recognized ground existing at the legally required time must still be proved.

Can the case proceed if my spouse objects or refuses to sign?

Yes, after valid service and compliance with the rules. The spouse’s consent is not required, but the petitioner must prove the case. There is no automatic judgment for nonparticipation.

Is a psychological evaluation mandatory?

No. Tan-Andal treats psychological incapacity as a legal concept and allows proof through ordinary witnesses and other competent evidence. An expert may nevertheless strengthen or clarify a fact-specific case.

Is adultery a ground for annulment?

Not by itself. It may support legal separation or another action. In an Article 36 case, it is relevant only if the complete evidence establishes the required grave, antecedent, and enduring incapacity.

Does domestic violence automatically make the marriage void?

No. Violence may justify protection orders, criminal or civil remedies, and possibly legal separation. It may contribute to Article 36 evidence only when the additional requirements of psychological incapacity are established.

How long does a case take?

There is no fixed duration applicable to every petition. Service problems, publication, court calendars, contested evidence, expert testimony, property liquidation, post-judgment registration, and appeals can all affect timing.

How much does it cost?

There is no fixed all-in amount. Court fees and other lawful charges apply, while professional fees, publication, expert work, records, and property proceedings vary. Request a written breakdown and do not rely on a promised “package” that bypasses court requirements.

Can I remarry immediately after receiving a favorable decision?

No. Confirm finality, entry of judgment, compliance with property and children-related requirements, issuance and registration of the decree, and civil-registry annotation first.

Does a church annulment allow civil remarriage?

No. It affects religious status, not Philippine civil status. A civil court judgment and the required registrations are still necessary.

Is legal separation the same as annulment?

No. Legal separation may permit spouses to live apart and may dissolve their property regime, but it does not sever the marriage bond and does not allow remarriage.

What if there is already a foreign divorce?

Judicial recognition of foreign divorce is a distinct remedy. It may apply when Article 26 of the Family Code and the relevant Supreme Court decisions cover the spouses’ citizenship and the foreign divorce. The foreign decree and applicable foreign law must be properly proved; the divorce is not simply submitted to PSA for automatic annotation. See the PSA’s foreign-divorce guidance.

What happens if a spouse dies while the case is pending?

If death occurs before entry of judgment, the marriage case is closed and terminated under the special rule, without prejudice to proper estate proceedings. If death occurs after entry of judgment, the judgment remains binding on the parties and their successors.

Official legal references

This article provides general Philippine legal information, not legal advice or a prediction of any case. The proper remedy and outcome depend on the marriage records, dates, citizenship, evidence, children, property, prior proceedings, and other facts. Laws, rules, and official guidance were checked through 23 July 2026.