Signposting Pls - Divorce Information for couple married outside of the UK

[Frankumagin]

I married abroad and need some advice on a divorce. I assumed (yup, I know) that a marriage would automatically dissolve over time. As I have dual nationality and he was a 'foreigner', our marriage took place at a legal office, the Ministry of Justice. I have not been divorced; nothing states that I am divorced, and he has since married. I don't know where I stand and am in need of advice now that I feel safe enough to seek it.

[atticus]

I think you need specialist advice. Can I check that you are in the UK?

At the very least, someone needs to look at your marriage certificate and check its validity. Some investigation is necessary whether there has been a divorce. If not, and if you have been legally married, you can seek a divorce in the UK.

Is your husband in the UK?

[Frankumagin]

I think you need specialist advice. Can I check that you are in the UK?

At the very least, someone needs to look at your marriage certificate and check its validity. Some investigation is necessary whether there has been a divorce. If not, and if you have been legally married, you can seek a divorce in the UK.

Is your husband in the UK?

Thank you for your response. My marriage certificate is in Arabic; it involved going to the British Embassy and the Ministry of Justice, from what I can remember. Lots of official stamps.
Yes, he is in the UK, he remarried in a similar country, and they are living here.

[Lizaza]

It sounds like you have been carrying this uncertainty for a long time, and it’s understandable that you want to clarify your legal position now.




A marriage does not usually end automatically with time, and the fact that your former spouse has remarried does not necessarily mean that your own marriage was legally dissolved.




Because the marriage took place abroad, the answer can depend on the country where you married, your nationalities at the time, and whether any divorce or legal process was ever completed.




It may be worth speaking to a family law solicitor who deals with international marriages, as they can help check your status and explain what steps are available