Annulment, Divorce and Legal Separation in the Philippines: Questions and Answers

There are many questions relating to annulment and divorce in the Philippines, and many of the concerns of our readers had already been addressed in previous articles. Nevertheless, to consolidate everything for everyone’s easy reference, here are the FAQs on annulment and divorce in the Philippines:

Annulment, Divorce, Legal Separation in the Philippines Questions and Answers 1

Is divorce allowed under Philippine laws?

No, divorce is not allowed in the Philippines. However, there are certain instances wherein the divorce secured abroad by the foreigner-spouse, and even by Filipinos, are recognized under Philippine laws. [See also: Judicial Recognition of a Foreign Divorce Decree and Mixed Marriages and Divorce]

Would it make any difference if I marry abroad where divorce is allowed?

No. Filipinos are covered by this prohibition based on the “nationality principle”, regardless of wherever they get married (and regardless where they get a decree of divorce). Discussions relating to Overseas Filipinos or OFWs are transferred in Part V.

Is “annulment” different from a “declaration of nullity” of marriage?

Yes. In essence, “annulment” applies to a marriage that is considered valid, but there are grounds to nullify it. A “declaration of nullity” of marriage, on the other hand, applies to marriages that are void or invalid from the very beginning. In other words, it was never valid in the first place. [See Grounds for Annulment of Marriage and Grounds for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage]

Also, an action for annulment of voidable marriages may prescribe, while an action for declaration of nullity of marriage does not prescribe.

So, if a marriage is void from the very beginning (void ab initio), there’s no need to file anything in court?

For purposes of remarriage, there must be a court order declaring the marriage as null and void. Entering into a subsequent marriage without such court declaration means that: (a) the subsequent marriage is void; and (b) the parties open themselves to a possible charge of bigamy.

What if no marriage certificate could be found?

Justice Sempio-Dy, in the “Handbook of on the Family Code of the Philippines” (p. 26, 1997 reprint), says: “The marriage certificate is not an essential or formal requisite of marriage without which the marriage will be void. An oral marriage is, therefore, valid, and failure of a party to sign the marriage certificate or the omission of the solemnizing officer to send a copy of the marriage certificate to the proper local civil registrar, does not invalidate the marriage. Also the mere fact that no record of marriage can be found, does not invalidate the marriage provided all the requisites for its validity are present.” (Citations omitted)

Can I file a petition (annulment or declaration of absolute nullity of marriage) even if I am in a foreign country?

Yes, the rules recognize and allow the filing of the petition by Filipinos who are overseas. [See also How to File a Case for Annulment in the Philippines while Abroad]

What are the grounds for annulment?

  • 1. Lack of parental consent in certain cases. If a party is 18 years or over, but below 21, and the marriage was solemnized without the consent of the parents/guardian. However, the marriage is validated if, upon reaching 21, the spouses freely cohabited with the other and both lived together as husband and wife.
  • 2. Insanity. A marriage may be annulled if, at the time of marriage, either party was of unsound mind, unless such party after coming to reason, freely cohabited with the other as husband and wife.
  • 3. Fraud. The consent of either party was obtained by fraud, unless such party afterwards, with full knowledge of the facts constituting the fraud, freely cohabited with the other as husband and wife. Fraud includes: (i) non-disclosure of a previous conviction by final judgment of the other party of a crime involving moral turpitude; (ii) concealment by the wife of the fact that at the time of the marriage, she was pregnant by a man other than her husband; (iii) concealment of sexually transmissible disease or STD, regardless of its nature, existing at the time of the marriage; or (iv) concealment of drug addiction, habitual alcoholism or homosexuality or lesbianism existing at the time of the marriage. However, no other misrepresentation or deceit as to character, health, rank, fortune or chastity shall constitute such fraud as will give grounds for action for the annulment of marriage.
  • 4. Force, intimidation or undue influence. If the consent of either party was obtained by any of these means, except in cases wherein the force, intimidation or undue influence having disappeared or ceased, the complaining party thereafter freely cohabited with the other as husband and wife.
  • 5. Impotence. At the time of marriage, either party was physically incapable of consummating the marriage with the other, and such incapacity continues and appears to be incurable. Impotence is different from being infertile.
  • 6. STD. If, at the time of marriage, either party was afflicted with a sexually-transmissible disease found to be serious and appears to be incurable. If the STD is not serious or is curable, it may still constitute fraud (see No. 3 above).

[See also: Grounds for Annulment of Marraige]

What if a spouse discovers that his/her spouse is a homosexual or is violent, can he/she ask for annulment?

Homosexuality or physical violence, by themselves, are not sufficient to nullify a marriage. At the very least, however, these grounds may be used as basis for legal separation.

How is “legal separation” different from annulment?

The basic difference is this – in legal separation, the spouses are still considered married to each other, and, thus, may not remarry. [See: Steps / Procedure in Legal Separation Cases]

Is legal separation faster than annulment?

Not necessarily. The petitioner in a legal separation, just like in an annulment, is still required to prove the allegations contained in the petition. More important is the mandatory 6-month “cooling off” period in legal separation cases. This is not required in annulment or declaration of nullity cases. The court is required to schedule the pre-trial conference not earlier than six (6) months from the filing of the petition. This period is meant to give the spouses an opportunity for reconciliation.

What are the grounds for legal separation?

1. Repeated physical violence or grossly abusive conduct directed against the petitioner, a common child, or a child of the petitioner.

2. Physical violence or moral pressure to compel the petitioner to change religious or political affiliation.

3. Attempt of respondent to corrupt or induce the petitioner, a common child, or a child of the petitioner, to engage in prostitution, or connivance in such corruption or inducement.

4. Final judgment sentencing the respondent to imprisonment of more than six years, even if pardoned.

5. Drug addiction or habitual alcoholism of the respondent.

6. Lesbianism or homosexuality of the respondent.

7. Contracting by the respondent of a subsequent bigamous marriage, whether in the Philippines or abroad.

8. Sexual infidelity or perversion.

9. Attempt by the respondent against the life of the petitioner.

10. Abandonment of petitioner by respondent without justifiable cause for more than one year.

The term “child” shall include a child by nature or by adoption.

[See also: Grounds for Legal Separation]

Should I file a petition for legal separation, can I use my own sexual infidelity as a ground?

It is interesting to note that among the grounds for legal separation, as listed above, only “sexual infidelity or perversion” is not qualified by the phrase “of the respondent” or “by respondent”. This may give the impression that the sexual infidelity of the petitioner, or the one who filed the petition, may be used as a ground in legal separation. We must consider, however, that legal separation is filed by the innocent spouse or the “aggrieved party” against the guilty spouse.

What happens if after learning that your husband (or wife) is unfaithful (No. 8 above), you still co-habitate with him/her?

This may be construed as condonation, which is a defense in actions for legal separation. In addition to condonation, the following are the defenses in legal separation:

  • 1. Consent.
  • 2. Connivance (in the commission of the offense or act constituting the ground for legal separation).
  • 3. Mutual guilt (both parties have given ground for legal separation).
  • 4. Collusion (to obtain decree of legal separation).
  • 5. Prescription (5 years from the occurence of the cause for legal separation).

If you’re separated from your spouse for 4 years, is that a sufficient ground for annulment?

No. De facto separation is not a ground for annulment. However, the absence of 2 or 4 years, depending on the circumstances, may be enough to ask the court for a declaration of presumptive death of the “absent spouse”, in which case the petitioner may again re-marry. [See also: Can someone remarry without going to court due to absence or separation?; and How Many Years Before a Marriage Becomes Void in the Philippines]

What are the grounds for declaration of nullity of marriage?

1. Minority (those contracted by any party below 18 years of age even with the consent of parents or guardians).

2. Lack of authority of solemnizing officer (those solemnized by any person not legally authorized to perform marriages, unless such marriages were contracted with either or both parties believing in good faith that the solemnizing officer had the legal authority to do so).

3. Absence of marriage license (except in certain cases).

4. Bigamous or polygamous marriages (except in cases where the other spouse is declared as presumptively dead).

5. Mistake in identity (those contracted through mistake of one contracting party as to the identity of the other).

6. After securing a judgement of annulment or of asolute nullity of mariage, the parties, before entering into the subsequent marriage, failed to record with the appropriate registry the: (i) partition and distribute the properties of the first marriage; and (ii) delivery of the children’s presumptive legitime.

7. Incestous marriages (between ascendants and descendants of any degree, between brothers and sisters, whether of the full or half blood).

8. Void by reason of public policy. Marriages between (i) collateral blood relatives whether legitimate or illegitimate, up to the fourth civil degree; (ii) step-parents and step-children; (iii) parents-in-law and children-in-law; (iv) adopting parent and the adopted child; (v) surviving spouse of the adopting parent and the adopted child; (vi) surviving spouse of the adopted child and the adopter; (vii) an adopted child and a legitimate child of the adopter; (viii) adopted children of the same adopter; and (ix) parties where one, with the intention to marry the other, killed that other person’s spouse, or his or her own spouse.

9. Psychological Incapacity. Psychological incapacity, which a ground for annulment of marriage, contemplates downright incapacity or inability to take cognizance of and to assume the basic marital obligations; not a mere refusal, neglect or difficulty, much less, ill will, on the part of the errant spouse. Irreconcilable differences, conflicting personalities, emotional immaturity and irresponsibility, physical abuse, habitual alcoholism, sexual infidelity or perversion, and abandonment, by themselves, also do not warrant a finding of psychological incapacity. We already discussed the guidelines and illustrations of psychological incapacity, including a case involving habitual lying, as well as the steps and procedure in filing a petition.

[See also: Grounds for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage]

Please note, however, that there are still other grounds to declare a marriage as null and void.

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Browse through the comments below to check if your questions are similar to that of others. Other common issues are consolidated in Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Costs in seeking an Annulment, and other related posts. You can check the Related Posts at the bottom of each post.

Atty.Fred

885 thoughts on “Annulment, Divorce and Legal Separation in the Philippines: Questions and Answers

  1. gezzy

    hi atty fred! im an ofw and i was away for 3 years now.ive read that i can file an annulment eventhough im away.i dont have any communication with my x husb anymore for 7 yrs now and ive learned from a common friend that he had his own family now and had a kid.i want to know where can i file an annulment and how long will it take?how much am i going to spend?we had a son and my son lives with my parents back home.im supporting my son alone.thanks and hope to hear a reply fr u soon.more power and God Bless

    Reply
  2. Pingback: Annulment in the Philippines: Questions and Answers (Part II) at Atty-at-Work

  3. annfrans

    atty fred, my name is ann.both of us were muslims.and married in muslim rights.we were both agreed to get separated . and ask him to file for divose in USA. he’s been there for 7 years now. i wanted to go to USA and work there and get my own citizenship. my previous lost passport is with hes name on it. now i wanted to apply as single and changed hes name on my passport. is that possible?

    Reply
  4. Atty. Fred Post author

    Annfrans,

    There are a number of options under the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines (P.D. 1083). This is not a legal advice and, of course, you have to consult your lawyer to determine which one is applicable to you.

    1. Divorce by Ila (vow of continence by the husband). Where a husband makes a vow to abstain from any carnal relations (ila) with his wife and keeps such ila for a period of not less than four months, she may be granted a decree of divorce by the court after due notice and hearing (Art. 47).

    2. Divorce by zihar (injurious assimilation of the wife by the husband).

    3. Divorce by li’an (acts of imprecation). Where the husband accuses his wife in court of adultery, a decree of perpetual divorce may be granted by the court after due hearing and after the parties shall have performed the prescribed acts of imprecation (li’an). (Art. 49)

    4. Divorce by khul’ (redemption by the wife). The wife may, after having offered to return or renounce her dower or to pay any other lawful consideration for her release (khul’) from the marriage bond, petition the court for divorce . . . (Art. 50)

    5. Divorce by tafwid (exercise by the wife of the delegated right to repudiate) (Art. 51).

    6. Divorce by faskh (judicial decree). The court may, upon petition of the wife, decree a divorce by faskh on any of the following grounds:

    (a) Neglect or failure of the husband to provide support for the family for at least six consecutive months;

    (b) Conviction of the husband by final judgment sentencing him to imprisonment for at least one year;

    (c) Failure of the husband to perform for six months without reasonable cause his marital obligation in accordance with this code;

    (d) Impotency of the husband;

    (e) Insanity or affliction of the husband with an incurable disease which would make the continuance of the marriage relationship injurious to the family;

    (f)Unusual cruelty of the husband as defined under the next succeeding article; or

    (g) Any other cause recognized under Muslim law for the dissolution of marriage by faskh either at the instance of the wife or the proper wali.

    Reply
  5. Dana Melissa

    Atty Fred,
    I am 17 yrs separated to my ex Japanesse, one week after the marriage that we were together he went back to Japan because of his work, knowing as we planned I was to follow him there within 2 months as I was waiting for Immigration to approve my visa.
    During that time I was suprised to recieve a phone call from him saying that he is no longer waiting for me as he had heard that in the Philippines papers are often fabricated for a cost, which he told me that the marriage is not legal, no matter that I told him the marriage is legal but if he did not want to be married to me anymore then he can do the right thing for me and come back to the Philippines and get an annulment so that I can be free to get on with my life and if later on I find someone special then I will be free to marry again, as I think that is the least you can do for me.
    His response was its up to me as he is not interested and it doesn’t affect him since the marriage is not registered in his country, and with that he hung up the phone.
    After sometime when I had calmed down from the shock of his treatment to the marriage i decided to try and talk to him again, but only to find out the phone number no longer existed, and he had moved. So after many months of trying to track him down without success I became so disillusioned that I gave up trying to find him.
    The reason it is effecting me now is because I have met someone whom I want to spend the rest of my life with and as he lives in another country but has put his life on hold to come to live with me for 1 year as his Immigration states that the least you can have to move to his country is living together and marry within the 9 months the visa is given.
    So as you can see after getting married and actually only being together for only one week under the same roof before he went back to Japan it has been a hefty price I have paid for the last 17 years and even more so now as I have finally a chance at true love and happiness which I think I am entitled to now.
    Now my question is if I will file for abandonment which I have been adviced to do since it was him that left me, will I still get the same entitlement as an annulment would? meaning will it show the like to an immigration department that I am now single and free to marry as I need this to show so that I can go and marry my partner in his country?
    Thank you for any helpful information you can give me as well as an estimate of how much will it cost for an abadonment, aswell as the cost of an annulment if need to be done that way.
    Again thank you very much, hoping for your reply.

    Yours Sincerely,
    Dana Melissa

    Reply
  6. white

    Atty Fred,

    I would just like to ask two things, first is how long does it normally take for the judge to issue a decision on the annulment case (2 months, 3 mos.)? Second, what does it mean by the final decision to be reflected in a publication “of general circulation,” does this include national dailies or is it limited to notices posted in RTCs?

    I am waiting for the decision of the RTC judge on the annulment case filed on me after receiving the notice last May 22, 2007 that the case I’m into has been set for decision. By the way, all throughout the case i have never made any single reply nor appear in any of the meetings and hearings since Oct. 2006.

    Thanks very much in advance for the enlightenment on this regard, keep up the generosity.

    White

    Reply
  7. Atty. Fred Post author

    Danna Melissa,

    I’m sorry to hear about your predicament. Abandonment is a ground for legal separation, not annulment. Even if the petition for legal separation is granted, the petitioner CANNOT remarry because the marital tie is still legally existent.

    White,

    I couldn’t possibly give you a definite perod for a judge to “normally” issue a decision in an annulment case. It could be a month or it could be a year, depending on the court’s docket (and other factors). On the other hand, In case service of summons was made by publication, notices posted at the RTCs does NOT comply with the requirement that in cases where the service of summons was made by publication, the parties shall cause the publication of the Decree in a newspaper of general circulation (the summons is normally served on the respondent when the petition is filed, but is resorted to when the respondent cannot be located at the given address or the whereabouts are unknown and cannot be ascertained by diligent inquiry).

    Reply
  8. Dana Melissa

    Atty Fred,
    Thanks a lot for your reply, to follow up on my question atty, if I will file for an annulment what grounds can I use? by the way atty it was Sept 10 when we got married, we were suppose to get a marriage license in Manila City Hall on that day but the Rev who solemnized our wedding said before that we can get married right away at the same time we are getting our marriage license. the marriage license shown it was taken in Cavite dated November 11 can I use this as a ground for getting an annulment? if I am living in another country can I still file for an annulment from there? will you handle my case if in the future I decide to file for an annulment and could you please give me an estimate cost for this matter?
    Thanks in advance atty I will look forward to your reply.

    sincerely,
    Dana Melissa

    Reply

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