What is the difference between divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, and annulment?
The laws for ending a marriage vary state by state, and the terminology differs as well. A divorce, often called a dissolution of marriage in many states, legally ends the marriage. In some states, a dissolution is uncontested while a divorce is contested. A legal separation is a court-recognized separation, but does not legally end the marriage. During a legal separation the parties are not free to remarry. An annulment is the legal proceeding to declare a marriage null and void, in other words, as though it never existed.
