How does a non-Catholic get an annulment to marry a Catholic?

This could be a complex question because of the many ways it can be interpreted.

Regarding conversion to Catholicism, this does not require that you obtain an annulment to your marriage. Any marriage you may have contracted is valid since marriage is both a natural and supernatural (sacramental) institution. Only Catholics are obliged to contract a sacramental marriage. If you were not Catholic at the time of your marriage, this obligation was not incumbent upon you and you validly entered into a natural marriage contract. The Church wishes you to continue strong in that marriage and earnestly wishes for the conversion of your spouse that you both can have your marriage blessed and raised to the dignity of a sacrament with all the graces particular to it. If you have any reasonable doubt as to the validly of your marriage in its original context - that being when it was contracted prior to your conversion - you can consult with a priest. However, the Church will assume your marriage is valid.

There are, however, the following circumstances that may have prompted this question:

* If you have decided to convert, but your spouse is so opposed to it to such a degree as to reject you or make life unreasonably difficult, you may decide to separate, but this does not affect your ability to be received into the Church. Neither is this grounds for an annulment.

* If your marriage was preformed with a person of a different Christian religion, no religion, or a Pagan religion, the marriage is still considered valid and you do not need an annulment for you to be received in the Church. If your marriage was contracted according to one of the more fringe religions, such as involving polygamous unions, or denying the very purpose of marriage or at least some of its basic principles, perhaps your current status needs to be addressed and remedied before moving into a new life as a Catholic.

* If your marriage was to a Catholic who did not receive a dispensation from the Church to marry you, then the marriage was automatically invalid since your Catholic spouse cannot contract a non-sacramental marriage without a dispensation. You are therefore not married in the eyes of the Church and there is nothing to be annulled. If you want others to understand this situation, you may ask the Church (through your priest) to issue an official declaration that all may become public knowledge. However, the above situation should not impede your reception into the Church unless there is some sort of misunderstanding that has led to public scandal. Such a situation may need to be remedied out of prudence before the Church receives you. * If you desire to obtain an annulment in order to marry again upon becoming Catholic, that issue is completely irrelevant and does not affect your being received into the Church unless you are only converting in order to get an annulment. Such a reason would not be a sufficient cause in order to be received into the Church and a priest would refuse to baptize you. The annulment process is begun by your local parish priest. He will ask you for any religious or civil documentation, witnesses, reasons, etc. If the state of your marriage is not obvious, he will then forward your case to a proper canon lawyer or recommend one to you. This process is not free and normally costs thousands of dollars and takes around two years to complete. Only begin down this path if you have serious doubts about the validity of your marriage and are prepared for the consequences of the final decision of the Church, which may or may not "grant" the annulment. The bottom line, however, is that you do not need to annul your marriage in order to become Catholic. If there are specific circumstances that have led you or others to this conclusion that are not addressed above, perhaps submit these circumstances in a new question. Otherwise, continue, become Catholic and may God bless your marriage.