Have you ever made a mistake that you knew right away was a mistake? You often hear couples talk about staying married for a few years and then deciding to split up, but what if it doesn’t take that long? How fast can you end the marriage?
It depends on the specifics of your situation.
Texas has no-fault divorce
One thing to keep in mind is that Texas uses no-fault divorce laws. You do not have to wait to have a specific reason to get divorced. You just have to want to end your marriage. If you know this quickly, you can still act, despite not having a reason to show that your spouse made marriage impossible.
Annulment is possible in rare cases
It’s also sometimes possible to get a marriage annulled. Unlike a divorce, an annulment means that the marriage was never legally valid in the first place. While annulling your marriage can be a quick process, annulment is only possible in very specific situations.
You still need to meet a residency requirement
If it’s been longer than a month, you can then proceed with a divorce, as long as you meet the residency requirements. In Texas, that means that you or your spouse have to spend at least six months as a resident of the state prior to filing your petition. You need to live in the county in which you file for a minimum of 90 days. This won’t impact you if you already lived in Texas and met those requirements prior to getting married. If you just moved to Texas, though, it will mean an additional delay.
If you do decide to end your marriage, be sure you know what legal steps to take to make the process as fast and painless as possible.