What is the primary purpose of annulment?

The primary purpose of annulment is to have a marriage declared invalid. Annulment is a legal procedure that effectively states that a marriage was never valid from the outset, as opposed to divorce, which formally ends a legally valid marriage. Grounds for annulment might include fraud, coercion, lack of consent, youth, or incapacity. By securing an annulment, parties receive a judgment declaring that the marriage did not possess the essential legal elements required to form a valid union, which can have various implications for issues like property division and children born during the marriage.

Other options relate to different legal concepts. For instance, legally dissolving a marriage refers to divorce. Separating physical assets typically occurs during divorce proceedings, while establishing child custody arrangements pertains to decisions made after separation or divorce. Each of these pertains to valid marriages, differentiating them from the annulment process that seeks to invalidate the marriage itself.