A covenant marriage is a type of marriage that is only available in Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In a covenant marriage the spouses promise that (1) they will participate in marriage counseling before filing for divorce; (2) agree to a longer waiting period before the divorce can be finalized; and (3) must allege fault grounds for the divorce (cannot seek a divorce on no-fault grounds such as irreconcilable differences).

Laws vary among states that recognize covenant marriages, but in a covenant marriage a spouse seeking a divorce generally must allege fault grounds such as:

• Adultery by the other spouse;

• Commission of a felony by the other spouse and sentence of imprisonment at hard labor or death;

• Abandonment by the other spouse for one year;

• Physical or sexual abuse of the spouse or of a child of either spouse; or

• The spouses have lived separate and apart for two years; or the spouses are judicially or legally separated and have lived separate and apart since the legal separation for (a) one year and six months if there is a minor child or children of the marriage; (b) one year if the separation was granted for abuse of a child of either spouse; or (c) one year in all other cases.

Covenant marriage is a type of legally distinct marriage that is not available in Massachusetts (MA). This form of marriage, which includes specific pre-marital counseling requirements, more stringent conditions for divorce, and limited grounds on which one can file for divorce, is only recognized in Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In Massachusetts, marriage laws do not include provisions for covenant marriage, and the state follows a more conventional approach to marriage and divorce. Couples in Massachusetts can seek a divorce on both fault and no-fault grounds, with 'irreconcilable differences' being a common no-fault ground. The state does not require couples to undergo counseling before filing for divorce, nor does it impose a longer waiting period for the divorce to be finalized beyond what is typically required for all divorcing couples under Massachusetts law.