An Annulment, or a Declaration of Invalidity, is a statement made by the Church Tribunal stating there is evidence that for some reason the marriage investigated may not have been a valid and sacramental marriage.

An annulment is not a "Catholic" divorce. A divorce is a civil document that terminates all civil bonds of a marriage. The Catholic Church does not recognize a civil divorce as an end to a marriage. The Catholic Church holds that all marriages are valid bonds in the eyes of God and the Church, unless it is proven otherwise.