• Page Contents
• Overview
• Specialist Annulment Solicitors
• Grounds For Annulment Of Civil Partnership
• Void Civil Partnerships
• Voidable Civil Partnerships
• When Can You Annul A Civil Partnership?
• The Processing Time For Annulment
• Fiancial Settlement Upon Annulment
• How Can We Help?
• How Much We Charge?
• How Much Is The Court Fee?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Under English law, Court can annul a civil partnership on the basis that the civil partnership is void or voidable. Annulment (sometimes known as ‘nullity’) is a different way of ending a civil partnership. Annulment of civil partnership is a decree (court order) by the family court that a civil partnership was not legally valid or had become legally invalid. Under English law an annulment of civil partnership may be granted by the family court if you can show that the civil partnership:

• was never legally valid (‘void’)
• was legally valid, but meets one of the reasons that makes it ‘voidable’

Specialist Annulment Solicitors

Our expert team of annulment solicitors in London are specialists in dealing with annulment of civil partnership in England & Wales. Our annulment solicitors have wealth of knowledge and experience of successfully handling nullity petitions for annulment of civil partnership.

Thinking of getting your civil partnership annulled and need legal help and assistance from annulment solicitors? Contact our specialist team of annulment solicitors in London, Manchester or Birmingham for fast, friendly, reliable and fixed fee legal services for your annulment petition. 

Ask a question to our annulment solicitors for free advice online for annulment of civil partnership or submit an online request to schedule an appointment for detailed legal advice concerning your petition to annul your marriage or civil partnership.

What Are Grounds For Annulment of Civil Partnership

You’ll need to show that the marriage or civil partnership:

• was never legally valid (‘void’)
• was legally valid, but meets one of the reasons that makes it ‘voidable’

Void Civil Partnerships (Civil Partnership Not Being Legally Valid)

You can apply to annul a civil partnership if it was not legally valid in the first place, for example:

• you’re closely related to the person you registered civil partnership with
• one or both of you were under 16
• one of you was already married or in a civil partnership

If a civil partnership was never legally valid, the law says that it never existed. However, you may need legal paperwork (a ‘decree of nullity’) to prove this - for example if you want to get married again or register your civil partnership again.

Voidable Civil Partnerships

You can annul a civil partnership for a number of reasons, such as:

• it was not consummated - you have not had sexual intercourse with the person you married since the wedding (does not apply for same sex couples)
• you did not properly consent to the civil partnership - for example you were forced into it
• the other person had a sexually transmitted disease (STD) when you registered civil partnership
• the woman was pregnant by another man when you registered your civil partnership
• one civil partner is in the process of transitioning to a different gender

When Can You Annul A Civil Partnership?

For a family court in England & Wales to have jurisdiction to annul your civil partnership, you or your civil partner must have either:

• lived in England or Wales for at least a year
• had a permanent home in England or Wales for at least 6 months

Unlike divorce or dissolution of civil partnership, you can apply for annulment in the first year of your marriage/civil partnership or any time after. However, if you apply years after the marriage or civil partnership, you might be asked to explain the delay.

How Long Does The Annulment Process Take?

This varies from court to court and from case to case, depending on the complexity of the case. An annulment of civil partnership process can take up to 6 months. However, in complicated case, the process can take much longer than 6 months and time would vary depending on the complexity of the matter.

Financial Settlement Upon Annulment Of Civil Partnership

Financial settlement is an arrangement under which a couple’s assets and financial affairs are separated upon annulment of marriage or civil partnership. In England and Wales, the act of annulment of marriage/civil partnership itself doesn’t put an end to the financial relationship between you and your partner. An application for financial settlement is made to the family court by completing application form A.

Obtaining a financial settlement when you are annuling your marriage or civil partnership is important because outstanding financial claims may come back to disrupt your lives even years after your annulment has been finalised. This is because in England and Wales, even when your marriage or civil partnership is annulled, you still retain the ability to make financial claims against your ex and vice versa, and there’s no time limit for making these. This is why it’s crucial to put your financial affairs in order and have a binding court order stating what your financial arrangements with your ex husband or wife are.

How Can We Help With Annulment Of Marriage Or Civil Partnership?

Our specialist team of annulment solicitors is aware of the sensitivity in matters involving annulment of civil partnership and that every individual is in a different situation. To make your life easier, you can seek expert legal advice and representations from our specialist annulment solicitors at Sunrise Solicitors. Our expert team of annulment solicitors are highly trained and experienced in all aspects of annulment laws and court procedures and will guide and support you each throughout the court process to annul your civil partnership. We will cut through the legal jargon and ensure you understand exactly what’s happening at all times. Our team of experienced annulment solicitors will provide the required legal help and guidance with step by step procedure for getting annulment of your civil partnerhsip in the UK.

Our team of annulment solicitors will advise and assist to cater for your individuals needs. We will discuss the possible grounds on which you can apply for nullity of your civil partnership after gathering all the relevant factual information from you. Our annulment solicitors will explain to you the court procedures in very simple and clear terms and fully guide you through the procedures and carry out all the follow up work until the annulment order is issued by the family court.

How Much We Charge?

How Much Is The Court Fee For Annulment Of Civil Partnership?

• The court fee for filing annulment of civil partnership application in the family court is £593 which has to be paid at the time of filing for annulment. Petitioners with very low income may qualify for court fee exemption.