If you would like to get married or enter into a civil partnership in the UK, you may need to apply for a UK Marriage Visitor visa.
For more information about Marriage Visitor visas, what the laws are regarding marriages and civil partnerships, or any other question about coming to the UK, speak to one of our legal advisers, or contact us online.
The UK Marriage Visitor visa (or Marriage Visit visa) allows foreign nationals to travel to the UK to get married, enter into a civil partnership, or to give notice of intention to do so.
Marriage Visitor visas are usually valid for up to 6 months. You cannot stay or settle in the UK after your visa expires.
You won’t need a Marriage Visitor visa to get married or enter into a civil partnership in the UK if any of the following apply to you:
Additionally, you won’t be eligible for a Marriage Visitor visa if you qualify for British citizenship.
With a Marriage Visitor Visa, you can:
Note that you cannot:
To be eligible for the Marriage Visitor visa, you must meet all of the following criteria:
Note that you must also provide at least 28 days’ notice of your intention to marry or enter into a civil partnership at a designated registry office.
You must apply for the Marriage Visitor visa online through the Gov.uk website before you travel to the UK.
You must also apply for your visa no more than 3 months before you plan to travel to the UK.
As part of the application process, you will need to book an appointment at a local visa application centre to prove your identity and provide your documents. You will also have your biometrics information in the form of your fingerprints and photograph taken at this appointment.
Note that your nearest visa application centre may be located in another country, so you will need to ensure that you allow plenty of time to attend your appointment.
Your partner must also apply for their own Marriage Visitor visa and pay the fee if you both need one. If you have a child or children who will travel to the UK with you, they will each need to apply as a standard visitor if they need a visa.
You may apply on behalf of your partner and child if they can’t apply for themselves. However, they must attend their own appointment at a visa application centre.
You will need to provide a range of documents when applying for your UK Marriage Visitor visa, including the following:
Note that depending on your personal circumstances, you may also be expected to provide additional documents not listed here.
You must also provide translations of any documents that are not in either English or Welsh.
It costs £100 to obtain a Marriage Visitor visa.
If you need to cancel your application, it’ll only be possible to receive a refund if the application hasn’t been processed yet.
Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your application within 3 weeks. However, this period of time may be longer depending on how busy the Home Office is when processing applications.
You can check up-to-date waiting times by consulting the UK government’s page on visa decision wait times.
After your Marriage Visitor visa application is processed, you will receive an email or a letter stating whether your application has been approved or refused.
If your application is approved, you will receive either a sticker (called a vignette) that goes in your passport, or access to view your immigration status information online if you used the smartphone app to prove your identity.
These will show you the type of visa you’ve been granted, the start and end dates, as well as the conditions of your visa.
If your application is refused, you will receive a letter or an email outlining the reasons why.
This letter will also explain if you have the right to either an administrative review or an immigration decision appeal, if you feel like your visa refusal was unjust.
For more information about appealing your visa refusal, and how to go about the process, get in touch with one of our immigration advisers today on, or contact us online.
The Marriage Visitor visa is a useful visa for those who only wish to travel to the UK to get married or enter into a civil partnership. However, obtaining this visa, and any UK visa in general, isn’t always an easy process. Several people apply for UK visas every year without success.
If you’re interested in applying for a Marriage Visitor visa, We Manage Your Visas can help. We can provide you with a smooth experience while we handle the work of ensuring your eligibility is proven without doubt and increase your chances of success.
We are expert legal advisers specialising in UK immigration law and can advise you if you need to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa to get married or enter into a civil partnership in the UK. We can help establish your eligibility for the visa, help assemble your application and supporting documents, and help guide you through the process of travelling to the UK and conducting your ceremony.
For more information about the services we offer and what we can do for you, contact us today, or reach out us online.
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The Marriage Visitor visa only allows people to marry or enter into civil partnerships in the UK. It does not allow people to live or settle in the UK long term.
Meanwhile, people with a fiance visa are allowed to live and settle in the UK after they get married or enter into a civil partnership. They can do this by applying for a spouse visa before their initial fiance visa expires.
If you wish to enter into a marriage or civil partnership, you must apply for a Marriage Visitor visa. UK standard visitor visas do not allow you to get married.
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