The reasons for annulment of marriage in family law in Poland and in selected European countries

This article is about the reasons for annulment of marriage in family law in Poland and five other European countries: Spain, France, England, Germany and the Netherlands. The legal systems of each country are designed with rigour to give protection to spouses and their families. Each legal system creates conditions which must be complied with, at the time of the marriage, in order that the marriage takes place within the law. Otherwise the marriage may be void or voidable. Study of comparable law regulations of individual countries leads to the conclusion that all obstacles to marriage occurring in the Polish Family and Guardianship Code are also found in other countries. The required conditions vary between countries. Some conditions are the same in each country, for example an existing marriage bond (bigamy), which is one of the oldest marriage bans, is not allowed. Each country has age restrictions but these vary from country to country. Non-compliance of the pre-requisite conditions for marriage can lead to a void marriage or a voidable marriage depending on the country concerned. Analysis of the reasons for annulment of marriage will answer the question whether it is possible to create a single system of law governing marriage annulment within countries of the European Community.