In today’s blog, we are happy to share with you the 5 steps to a successful annulment in the Philippines.
You might have already been curious about the annulment process in the Philippines, whether you’re about to go through it or not. In layman’s term, an annulment is a proclamation that a marital union was not valid to begin with, thus it is null and void.
The process of annulment includes numerous steps to conclude. That’s why in this blog, we will discuss through the major steps of an annulment process in the Philippines. Anyone who wants to get an annulment must go through these steps in order to successfully end an annulment here in the Philippines.
- Educate yourself on the process. This is very crucial especially to those who want to get an annulment. Getting an annulment isn’t a decision that should be made hastily, especially if you know nothing about what’s at stake. Read and conduct research about the process of annulment, and familiarize yourself with it. Asking questions about the matter will also do you good. Doing these things will surely help you prepare for what’s to come.
- Hire an attorney. The next step that you should occupy yourself with is choosing the right attorney. This is a very important step because the probability of your success will mainly rest on the talent and abilities of your attorney. Asking for referrals will help, but make sure to hire someone that you can trust. Be very cautious on your dealings and do not be swayed by false promises. Find a professional that can guide you and will be upfront with you at all times.
- After your attorney have documented your previous relationship and marital history from beginning to end, your attorney will then file the petition of annulment with the facts that have been gathered. The pre-trial will come next and an investigation will also commence. The investigation is to determine whether there was conspiracy between both parties in filling the annulment as this is not allowed. It is also during the pre-trial that parties will discuss child custody, child support, and other issues that should be addressed.
- Then the trial will take place in which the petitioner will come forward and present the witnesses. All witnesses will be interrogated by the prosecutor to challenge the testimonies that were previously presented. All these will happen whilst notifying the respondent. Following this is the reading of the decision.
- The decision will be made final if no reconsideration is filed within fifteen (15) days after the decision has been given. It is then that the annulment will reach its conclusion with an annotation with the civil registrar.
Psychological incapacity is one of the usual bases of an annulment. In this case, the petitioner and its attorney will require the services of a psychologist, and such will also have to appear in court. However, it is important to note that not all annulment cases are the same. Therefore, some factors will arise that may require additional steps in some cases, and this will ultimately drag the duration of the annulment. But the duration of an annulment will mostly rest on how often and how far apart the court will schedule the trial.
