Are civil annulments valid?

[jeryanders]

I was living in Portland when I was divorced and am joining the church, so naturally I’m looking into annulment. I noticed Oregon has an annulment as well as a divorce. If I got an annulment in Oregon, would I need an annulment with the church before my first Holy Eucharist?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

A civil annulment would not be valid to the Church. Once an exchange of vows takes place it is presumed to be valid unless proven otherwise to a Church tribunal. A civil annulment, much like a civil divorce, has no affect on the sacrament of marriage. There may be some overlap of evidence and/or testimony that would be useful for a Church annulment but it would have to be presented at the Church tribunal for their consideration.