767.18.Actions to affirm marriage.
Subch. II: Provisions of General Application · Last amended 2005 · Current through 2025 Wisconsin Act 247 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Section 767.18
Amendment History
Wisconsin prints each section’s legislative history as a single “History” line naming every act that created or amended it, and every renumbering. It is reproduced verbatim below.
History: 1979 c. 32 s. 50; Stats. 1979 s. 767.04; 2005 a. 443 s. 24; Stats. 2005 s. 767.18.
Plain-English Summary
An unusual remedy, and an old one. If the validity of a marriage is denied or doubted by either of the parties, the other party may commence an action to affirm it.
The judgment goes one way or the other — it either declares the marriage valid or annuls it — and it is conclusive upon all persons concerned, not only on the two parties. That is what makes the action worth bringing: it settles the question against the world rather than between the spouses.
An action to affirm marriage is one of the actions affecting the family listed in Section 767.001, and it is the one action excepted from the compulsory financial disclosure in Section 767.127.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an action to affirm marriage?
An action brought by one spouse when the other denies or doubts that the marriage is valid. The judgment declares the marriage valid or annuls it.
Who is bound by the judgment?
All persons concerned. The judgment is conclusive, not merely binding between the two parties.
Do I have to file financial disclosure in this action?
No. An action to affirm marriage is the one action affecting the family excepted from the disclosure requirement in Section 767.127.