It is rare in Missouri for the Courts to grant an annulment of a marriage, but there is a procedure for declaring a marriage to be invalid that is authorized by the Missouri statutes.

An annulment, rather than a dissolution of marriage (divorce), may be proper only in very specific situations, such as:

  1. The married parties have a close relationship, typically by blood.
  2. One of the parties at the time of the marriage did not satisfy the age requirement and did not receive the court’s consent – in Missouri, the age requirement is 16 with parental consent, or 18 without parental consent.
  3. One party lacks mental capacity.
  4. Marriages that are common law in nature.
  5. If one party was still legally married to another at the time of the marriage.
  6. One party was under duress at the time of marriage.

Some marriages may be annulled because of fraud. However, the fraud must be so essential as to create a bar to the marriage.

Deciding whether an annulment is a possibility requires a complicated legal analysis that is different with each individual case.

If you have questions or concerns about your specific situation, you should consult with an experienced family lawyer to discuss in more detail.

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.