Getting the Final Annulment Decree
The final step in an annulment case is having a judge sign a Decree of Annulment. This is the document that includes all of the terms of the annulment and legally ends the marriage. An annulment is not final until a judge has signed a Decree of Annulment and it is filed with the Clerk of Court.
This page is for cases that started with one person filing for annulment against the other. If both spouses filed a joint petition for annulment, visit Filing Annulment Together to learn how finalize the case.
The information on this page is the last step that will not apply until you are at the point of finalizing your case. Do not follow these instructions until after you file all of the required documents to open a case and serve the other person.
If you are trying to get an annulment, you must File for an Annulment first.
How an Annulment is granted
You are responsible for preparing the final Decree to finish your case. There are three different ways that a final decree can be granted:
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Default: If the Defendant was served with the summons and complaint for annulment, but did not file any paperwork within 21 days, the Plaintiff can ask the court to enter a default and grant a final decree. The Plaintiff may have to go to a short hearing with the judge to have the final decree approved. If granted, the Plaintiff will typically get a Decree of Annulment that includes everything asked for in the complaint. Follow ALL of the steps below if you would like to get a Default Decree of Annulment.
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Agreement: If both parties reach an agreement on all terms of the annulment after the case has been filed, they can prepare a final Decree of Annulment with their full agreement included. The Defendant must file an Answer and pay the filing fee to do this. Both parties must sign the Decree of Annulment, and may be able to submit the Decree to the judge for approval without a hearing. Start at Step 2 below to get the annulment finalized this way.
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Trial or Hearing: When the judge grants an annulment at a trial or a hearing, the judge will issue all of the orders that are to be part of the final annulment. However, the annulment is not final until the written Decree of Annulment is signed by the judge. Usually, the judge tells one party to “prepare the decree.” Whoever was ordered to prepare the decree can start at Step 4 or 5 below to get the annulment finalized this way.
Follow these steps to get the final Decree approved:
1. Fill out the forms. There are several forms you have to fill out to get the judge to finalize your case.
2. File the forms. File the completed forms by mail or efiling.
3. Submit the Decree to the Judge. Turn in a proposed Annulment Decree to the judge to sign.
4. File the Notice of Entry of Order and serve the other party. You have to serve the other party with a copy of the final order.
1. Fill out the forms.
All of the possible forms to get a final Decree are below. You may need to fill out some or all of the forms; read about each form carefully and fill out the ones that apply to you.
- Default - required if Defendant did not file an answer within 21 days of being served.
The Plaintiff must complete the default form and submit it to the Clerk’s Office for approval. If you do not get a default against the Defendant, he or she can still file papers past the 21 day deadline. After the 21 days is up, it us usually a matter of who gets their paperwork turned in first.
Enter the date the Defendant was served on this form (check the Affidavit of Service for the date if you do not remember). If Defendant was served by publication, the date of service is usually the last date listed under the publication dates on the Affidavit of Publication.Default (pdf) Default (pdf fillable)
FYI!
If Defendant made an appearance in the case (in some way that would indicate Defendant planned to participate in the case, such as signing a Waiver), you must send the Defendant a final notice after you get your default approved by the clerk. The notice tells Defendant you will get a final default order if Defendant does not file anything in 7 days. Complete the form, file it, and mail a copy to the Defendant.
Notice of Intent to Take Default Judgment (pdf)
Notice of Intent to Take Default Judgment (pdf fillable)
After mailing, wait 3 business days for the mail to reach the Defendant, and another 7 days for the Defendant to file something to stop the final decree from being approved. If Defendant still does not file anything after those deadlines, you can turn in the final papers to get a final decree. -
Summary Disposition Request - required if you do not want a hearing. This asks the judge to approve of the Decree without a hearing. Plaintiff usually fills this out.
Request for Summary Disposition (pdf fillable) -
Affidavit in Support of Summary Disposition - required if you do not want a hearing. This form tells the judge about the details of the order you want approved. Plaintiff usually fills this out.
Affidavit in Support of Request for Summary Disposition - With Kids (pdf fillable)
Affidavit in Support of Request for Summary Disposition - No Kids (pdf fillable) - Affidavit of Resident Witness - required if you were married outside of Nevada. If the marriage took place in Nevada, this form is not needed. If the marriage took place in another state, one spouse must be a Nevada resident in order to get an annulment in Nevada. This form is the proof that one of the spouses has lived in Nevada for at least 6 weeks before filing for annulment and intends to remain here. Ask a friend, coworker, or family member who sees the Nevada resident spouse 3-4 times per week to complete this form.
Affidavit of Resident Witness (pdf) Affidavit of Resident Witness (pdf fillable)
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Confidential Information Sheet - required. This form discloses both spouses' social security numbers (which is required for everyone filing for annulment) and helps parents with child support enforcement in the future if needed.
Confidential Information Sheet - WITH CHILDREN (pdf fillable)
Confidential Information Sheet - NO CHILDREN (pdf fillable) -
Seminar for Separating Parents ("COPE") Certificate - only needed if the judge ordered you to do the class. You only have to do this step if the judge told you to complete the seminar for separating parents and file a certificate of completion. For information on providers, see Seminar for Separating Parents.
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Decree of Annulment - required. The Decree of Annulment is the final order that includes all the terms of the annulment. How you fill out the Decree of Annulment will depend on how you are getting the final decree:
- If you are getting a Default Decree: Everything in your proposed Decree of Annulment should match everything you asked for in your complaint.
- If both parties are signing the Decree: The Decree of Annulment must include all of the agreements between you and your spouse. You both must sign the Decree of Annulment.
- If you are submitting a Decree based on a hearing or trial: Everything in your proposed Decree of Annulment must match everything the judge ordered at your hearing. You should obtain a copy of the “minutes” from your hearing from the Court Records department. Make sure everything included in the minutes is included in the proposed Decree.
Decree of Annulment – No Children (pdf)
Decree of Annulment – No Children (pdf fillable)
Decree of Annulment - With Children (pdf)
Decree of Annulment - With Children (pdf fillable)
TIP!
If the judge approved of a Parenting Agreement that you and your spouse mediated at FMC, attach the Parenting Agreement as an “Exhibit” to the Decree instead of the blank visitation schedule included with this form. This will make sure your full custody and visitation schedule is included in your final decree.
2. File the Forms
File all the documents above, except the Decree of Annulment, with the court. Just like with your initial documents, you can file the papers in one of three ways:
- Online through eFileNV.
- By mail (Family Court Clerk of Court, 601 North Pecos, Las Vegas, NV 89101).
- In person at the Family Courthouse (check our How to File page for hours and more information)
3. Submit the Decree of Annulment to the Judge
Do not do this step until the documents above have been successfully filed with the court. If you are efiling, wait to do this step until you receive confirmation that your efiled documents were successfully filed.
You must turn in a decree to your assigned department to review. If you do not know what department your case was assigned to, you can look it up here: https://www.clarkcountycourts.us/Portal/.
If you did not already fill out a proposed Decree with the rest of your forms, do so now:
Decree of Annulment – No Children (pdf fillable)
Decree of Annulment - With Children (pdf fillable)
Email your proposed decree in a pdf format to your assigned judge. Check the Department Letter assigned to your case and email it to the correct email below:
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If you cannot email it, you can bring it to the court in person or you can mail it to 601 N. Pecos, Las Vegas, NV 89101 (mail takes 4-6 weeks to process).
The judge will review the decree and sign it if approved. You will receive it back by mail or through email if you registered for eservice in your efiling account.
If there is a problem with the paperwork, you will receive a memo from the judge’s staff letting you know what needs to be fixed. You will have to fix the problem and resubmit the Decree.
If the judge's staff tells you to set an "uncontested" or a "prove up" hearing, follow these steps:
Some judges want to have a hearing with you to make sure there are proper legal grounds to grant an annulment. If the judge wants you to set a hearing, you will need to set an "uncontested" hearing with the judge. You can do this by filling out a "Setting Slip" and filing it with the clerk. A clerk will set a court date for you when you file the form.
Uncontested Setting Slip (pdf fillable)
Most hearings are happening by video. You should receive instructions on how to attend the hearing after you get the date.
The judge will ask some questions to make sure the annulment is proper. If the judge approves, the judge may prepare a final decree for you or might ask you to fill one out and email it to them for approval.
FYI!
The date the marriage is legally terminated is the date the Decree is "filed" at the Clerk's Office. This is the date that appears on the upper right corner on the first page of the Decree of Annulment.
4. File a Notice of Entry of Order and serve the other party
You have to serve the other party with a copy of the final Decree by filling out a Notice of Entry of Order, filing it, and serving it. The Notice of Entry of Order triggers the timelines for anyone to appeal. If this is not filed, the other party may be able to appeal the order months or years later!
After you get the signed and filed final Decree, fill out the Notice of Entry of Order and attach a copy of the Decree. You will have to serve the other party with a copy the same day you file it, so be sure to fill out the Certificate of Mailing at the bottom.
File the Notice of Entry of Order (with a copy of the Decree attached).
Notice of Entry of Order (pdf fillable)
Make a copy of the Notice of Entry of Order (with the Decree attached) and mail it to the other party. You can mail it by regular mail.