Putative marriage

A putative marriage is an apparently valid marriage, entered into in good faith on the part of at least one of the partners, but that is legally invalid due to a technical impediment, such as a preexistent marriage on the part of one of the partners. Unlike someone in a common-law, statutory, or ceremonial marriage, a putative spouse is not legally married. Instead, a putative spouse believes himself or herself to be married in good faith and is given legal rights as a result of this person's reliance upon this good-faith belief.

Putative marriages exist in both Catholic canon law and in various civil laws, though the rules may vary. In some jurisdictions, putative marriages are a matter of case law rather than legislation. In many jurisdictions, under civil law, the marriage becomes valid if the impediment is removed. If it is not removed, the innocent spouse, at least, is often entitled to the protections of a divorce for division of property and child custody.

In Catholic canon law, there are a number of requirements for a valid Catholic marriage. However, a Catholic marriage is considered valid unless and until it is proved otherwise. In consequence, children born as a result of a marriage which is found to be void are considered legitimate, and the spouses cannot marry others without first obtaining an annulment by proving its invalidity. If the invalidity is proven, an annulment can be granted.

If the impediment is removed, or a dispensation granted, and if consent perdures, the marriage can be convalidated.

Many U.S. states have a concept of a putative spouse.

A number of states followed the example of the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act (also sometimes called the Model Marriage and Divorce Act) to establish the concept of a "Putative Spouse" by statute. The concept has been codified in California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota and Montana. Case law provides for putative spouse rights in Nebraska, Washington state, Nevada, Texas and Louisiana. Colorado and Montana are the only U.S. states to have both common law marriage and to formally recognize putative spouse status. Putative spouse concepts, called "deemed marriages" are also recognized under the Social Security program in the United States.

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Wikipedia