Are we still legally married if we live separately?
What a lot of people don’t realize is that even though they have not lived with or had any contact with someone that they once married in years but never officially got a divorce from, they are still legally married. It is important to actually go and get a divorce from your spouse because now you will not be able to remarry another person until the first marriage is terminated under the law.
If you fail to get a divorce from someone that you are no longer in contact with but are still legally married to, this will follow you throughout your life and may stop you from doing the things that you want to do in your future. If you pass away without a will, the spouse that you no longer associate with may get your assets. As previously mentioned, another repercussion is that you may not be able to get remarried to a different person in the future because you have never dissolved your previous marriage in the eyes of the law.
Though some people may think the easiest route to take is to just give up contact with the person you have married when you decide you no longer wish to continue that relationship, it will follow you for years in the future. It is best to just obtain an official, legal divorce so you can be free of that relationship and it will not haunt you and prevent you from carrying on with your life. If you are still legally married to a person that you no longer have contact with, you should speak with an experienced divorce attorney who can assist you in bringing the marriage to a legal dissolution.
Robert Pollack is an experienced divorce and family law attorney in Long Island, New York. Contact The Pollack Law Firm, P.C., to set up a free initial consultation.
