Void Marriage


Definition of Void Marriage

A void marriage is a marriage that has no legal legitimacy due to the fact that it contains inherently unlawful components. For example, an incestuous marriage is considered a void marriage. People who are involved in void marriages do not need to get legal approval to end their marriages. Instead, they can simply end the marriage themselves.



Void Marriage Explained

People can enter void marriages intentionally or unintentionally. For example, a man who has a wife in one state may try to intentionally marry a woman from another state so that he can have two wives. If the second state does not allow a man to have two wives, then this marriage would be void. An unintentional void marriage could happen if someone accidentally married someone to whom they are closely related without knowing it. For example, a person may accidentally marry a first cousin that he or she had never met.