How Long Can You Be Married & Still File for an Annulment?

The Catholic church will grant a decree of nullity for a marriage judged invalid.

Time Does Not Affect Validity

An annulled marriage is determined to have never met the conditions for a valid union.

The Catholic church considers a marriage invalid unless certain conditions are met at the time of the marriage. If those conditions were not met, the church declares in its decree of nullity not that the marriage is dissolved or ended, but that it never existed in the first place. If a marriage never existed, it does not matter whether the invalid ceremony was performed seven minutes or seven years ago.

Time May Reflect Validity

Fraud or coercion invalidate a decision to marry.

If a church tribunal is asked to grant a decree of nullity based on invalidity of consent, a long marriage may make this judgment more difficult. For example, judging a marriage invalid because one party was in error about the other person would likely be more problematic after five years than after one month, although in the case of outright deception time still might not prove an obstacle.

Bottom Line

As long as the conditions for an annulment sincerely exist, the amount of time that has passed since the wedding day is irrelevant. As Colin Donovan, the vice president of theology at EWTN, states, "A valid marriage requires the proper intention at the time that the vows are exchanged."

References

• EWTN: Annulment/Invalidity of Matrimonial Consent
• EWTN: Annulment/Decree of Nullity
• Catholic Diocese of Trenton: The Tribunal FAQ
• EWTN's Catholic Experts List