Can I get an annullment or divorce and how?

What is the name of your state?Georgia
I was married on 02/12/1988 and within a few weeks was seperated. My spouse turned out to be a cocaine addict and physically abusive. Since roughly March of 1988 i left him and he is nowhere to be found all these years. I have notr seen or heard from him again and I don't know how to divorce someone I have no clue where they may be. We had no children and no assets. I want to be free of this marriage hanging over me. Could I get an annulment, and if so how? Or must I do a divorce? and if so how when have no idea what or where he may be?

If your question is can you get an annulment in GA just for a ‘short marriage’, then no, you can’t, because that’s not grounds for an annulment. You can get a divorce even if you don’t know where your spouse is. He’d be ‘served’ by putting a notice in the newspaper.

My disclaimer--I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY

You know I heard about the running an ad in the paper to get a divorce. I contacted the clerk of court and she said it's not possible. I had to locate him to have him served. Go figure. Anyway I am sure it's all about the money and fees. They are not going to tell anyone the cheapest way to anything.

But now we know why you can't get a marriage certificate for your shack-up. https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=256806

milodeke said:

You know I heard about the running an ad in the paper to get a divorce. I contacted the clerk of court and she said it's not possible. I had to locate him to have him served. Go figure. Anyway I am sure it's all about the money and fees. They are not going to tell anyone the cheapest way to anything.

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I would recommend that you get an attorney to handle this for you. Yes, its going to cost you some money but it shouldn't be outrageous (comparatively speaking). An attorney can handle it quite easily.

Shack-Up? I have noticed that some people on here are truly mean spirited. You don't know my situation, so who are you to pass judgement? For your information I am not shacked-up. Yes I am in an unusual and difficult situation here. And no I have not seeked a traditional marriage due to various factors. I would like to be able to have the same name as my children, but I have issues within myself that prevent me from taken that step. The abusive situation I was in left me deeply affected and I think in not divorcing him all these years it was my way of preventing myself from doing it again. Although now I am just seeking different advice as to what I can or cannot do and then I can make a choice where I will go from here. But your comment was rude and mean spirited. I have been with this man 13 years this August, have three children. We are not just shacked up. Playing house. Or living it up. We have a family. Didn't your Mother ever tell you "If you don't have anything nice to say, then say nothing at all"? I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but sometimes you should keep them to yourself if you are not well informed of the details of a situation.