D8N form: apply to annul a marriage or civil partnership
Form D8N is the nullity application: it asks the court to annul a marriage or civil partnership, meaning it was never legally valid or can be treated as invalid. GOV.UK says annulment is applied for on this paper form.
Fill in the D8N form with Wren
How Wren helps with the D8N
Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.
- Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the D8N becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
- Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
- The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official D8N. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
- What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.
Time and money
- On your own
- A day or more
- With Wren
- About an hour for most forms
- Solicitor for this form
- £740 to £1,2403 to 5 hours
A solicitor’s time for the D8N can run to £1,240. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes about an hour for most forms rather than a day or more.
Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.
Key facts
- Official title
- Apply to annul your marriage or civil partnership: Form D8N
- Paper application
- GOV.UK says you annul a marriage by filling in the nullity application form and sending it to the court.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Edition
- 07.23 (22 pages).Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Void or voidable
- The form lists the facts that make a marriage or civil partnership void or voidable; you tick those you rely on and give brief details.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the D8N
A person whose marriage or civil partnership is void (for example because the parties were already married) or voidable (for example because one of them did not validly consent). Most people ending a marriage or civil partnership apply for a divorce or dissolution online instead.
When it is used
When you believe the marriage or civil partnership was never valid, or can be annulled for one of the reasons the form lists. Unlike a divorce, you do not have to wait a year from the marriage.
Before you start
- Read GOV.UK's guidance on void and voidable marriages; you may wish to take legal advice.
- Your marriage or civil partnership certificate, or a certified copy.
- Your spouse or civil partner's full name, date of birth and address.
- Details of any other court cases about the marriage or civil partnership.
How to fill in the D8N
Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.
Sections 1 to 4: you, the respondent and the marriage
You give your details and the respondent's, and copy the details from the certificate.
Section 5: jurisdiction
You tick the reasons the courts of England and Wales can deal with the case.
Sections 6 and 7: the facts and the statement of case
You tick the facts you rely on, for a marriage or a civil partnership, and briefly give the details.
Sections 8 to 12 and the fee
You say whether you need help to attend court, list other cases, say whether you want to apply for a financial order, confirm what you ask for and sign the statement of truth.
Prepare your D8N with Wren Family
Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.
Get startedFree for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.
What happens after you send it
The court issues the application and sends it to the respondent. If the court is satisfied, it makes a conditional order of nullity; you can then apply for it to be made final on form D36N.
Common mistakes
- Using a nullity application when a divorce or dissolution is what is needed.
- Ticking facts without giving the brief details the statement of case asks for.
- Forgetting the certificate or a certified translation.
Common questions
Is annulment the same as divorce?
No. A divorce ends a valid marriage. An annulment says the marriage was never valid or can be treated as invalid. GOV.UK explains the difference.
What is the fee?
This page does not state a fee because fees change. The current fee is in leaflet EX50, and you may be able to get help with fees if you have a low income or receive certain benefits.
Where these facts come from
These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.