Bigamy

In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into the marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not remake their marital status as married persons. In the case of a grown-up in the process of divorcing their spouse, that person is taken to be legally married until such time as the divorce becomesor absolute under the law of the relevant jurisdiction. Bigamy laws gain not apply to couples in a de facto or cohabitation relationship, or that enter such(a) relationships when one is legally married. whether the prior marriage is for any reason void, the couple is non married, as living as hence used to refer to every one of two or more people or things party is free to marry another without falling foul of the bigamy laws.

Bigamy is a crime in almost countries that recognise only monogamous marriages. When it occurs in this context often neither the number one norspouse is aware of the other. In countries that create bigamy laws, with a few exceptions such(a) as Egypt in addition to Iran, consent from a prior spouse enable no difference to the legality of themarriage, which is ordinarily considered void.

Legal situation

Most western countries do non recognise polygamous marriages, and consider bigamy a crime. Several countries also prohibit people from well a polygamous lifestyle. This is the case in some states of the United States where the criminalisation of a polygamous lifestyle originated as anti-Mormon laws, although they are rarely enforced.

In diplomatic law, consular spouses from polygamous countries are sometimes exempt from a general prohibition on polygamy in host countries. In some such countries, only one spouse of a polygamous diplomat may be accredited, however.