Does a declaration of nullity affect the legitimacy of children?

A declaration of nullity, made by the Church, is strictly a religious matter and does not affect the civil facts of the marriage. A declaration of nullity is an evaluation of the spousal relationship, exclusively, and does not involve the legal standing of children. If a marriage was entered into in good faith, that is to say that the couple anticipated a healthy life-long marriage, and even though the marriage was proven to have been invalidly established at a later date, the good faith of the couple provided enough of a union to satisfy the notion of children being born within the benefit of marriage. This fact is written into the Church's teaching and law.