Types of Marriage Cases

The most common type of case is the Formal Case which determines whether a marriage is invalid because of questions about the ability of the parties to give consent or the sufficiency of their consent at the time of the marriage. It involves a number of steps.

Other types are the Documentary Cases. These include the Lack of Form, Prior Bond and certain impediments to marriage such as lack of proper age, lack of proper dispensations that may be required or lack of jurisdiction (authorization) on the part of the officiant.

The proofs in these cases are obtained almost entirely from official documents and are not so complex to resolve as a Formal Case.

The Dissolution Cases are the Pauline Privilege and the Privilege of the Faith.