Candidates need to apply for a marriage visitor visa in the UK if they wish to get married or register for a civil partnership in the country and also if they want to give notice of a marriage or a civil partnership in the UK. Our immigration solicitors in London can offer proper guidance, suitable information, and legal assistance if you want to apply for a marriage visitor visa for the UK or for a residence permit in UK. It is still possible to apply for a particular marriage visitor visa that permits candidates to enter the UK to get married or enter into a civil partnership without looking for any further leave to remain.
Table of Contents
Marriage visitor visa requirements
To be suitable for a marriage visitor visa, the following conditions must be met:
- candidates need to be 18 years or over;
- candidates must not be married;
- applicants need to visit the UK for less than 6 months and intend to leave at the end of their visit in the country;
- applicants must be able to financially support themselves without working or asking for public funds;
- candidates must give notice of marriage or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months;
- candidates must be capable of meeting the costs of return or onward voyage.
Our London immigration lawyer will help you through the entire visa process, in order to obtain suitable results. Support is provided for UK residence card or British citizenship.
What you can and can’t do with a marriage visitor visa for the UK
You can use this type of visa to get married or enter into a civil partnership in the United Kingdom:
- in any location licensed for this reason;
- within 6 months of your entrance.
You can’t use the marriage visitor visa to:
- bring in family members. They need to apply separately for special kinds of visas;
- live in the UK for prolonged periods through repeated visits;
- prolong your visa or change to another visa
- study for more than 30 days – studying can’t be the main purpose of your visit in the UK;
- work – except for allowed activities connected to your work or business abroad, for example, joining conferences;
- ask for public funds;
More details in this matter can be offered by our London immigration lawyer.
Do I need a marriage visitor visa to covert the civil partnership?
No, there is no need for a marriage visitor visa if you are interested in converting the civil partnership into a marriage. You can consider applying for a standard visitor visa instead of a marriage visitor visa. All the legal aspects you need about the married visitor visa or UK residence card can be explained by one of our immigration lawyers in London. Plus, a married visitor visa for UK has a validity of 6 months.
Timeframe for a married visitor visa
The application for a married visitor visa must be made within 3 months prior to the arrival in UK. The issuance of a marriage visitor visa is normally made in approximately 3 weeks if all the documents are accepted by the UK Visa Immigration Office. It is required to have legal advice by your side and skip the problems that might arise. Plus, specific post-Brexit conditions will be imposed, therefore, legal advice from an immigration lawyer in London will prove helpful. Talk to us and find out more about the married visa for UK and residence permit in UK.
Studies in UK
It is important to note that foreign citizens with a married visa for UK cannot study in this country for more than 30 days. In this matter, a student visa is required, but for more details, you can discuss it with our UK immigration lawyer.
Documents for a married visitor visa for UK
The application for a married visitor visa for UK is subject to specific documents that must be provided to the immigration authorities. Our advisors can provide legal help and assistance in drafting the required documents:
- A valid passport.
- Bank statements to prove you can sustain living while in UK.
- Documents showing the domicile with the partner.
- Proof regarding the marriage that should take place in UK.
- A decree absolute or a death certificate is solicited for citizens who were married before.
- Sole traders must provide the business registration documents.
One should note that all documents must be translated into English prior to the visa application.
Applying outside UK for a marriage visitor visa
Foreigners who want to apply for a marriage visitor visa from their home countries may do so, with complete guidance and legal advice offered by our team of immigration solicitors in London. The online application requires biometric data, plus a series of documents. Instead of making the visa application on your own, you can benefit from the legal services provided by our UK immigration lawyer.
What happens to citizens in UK after Brexit?
EU, EEA, and Switzerland citizens with a valid permanent residence in UK must observe the new rules for living in this country after the 31st of December 2020. It is important to note that the permanent residence permit will no longer be valid after this date, yet the authorities will allow citizens from abroad to live in UK until 30 June 2021 without having to do anything in particular in terms of documents. However, after this date, the EU Settlement Scheme enters the discussion. This means that people born in UK but without citizenship must observe the rules in this matter, plus other nationals.
Those married or in a civil partnership to a British partner can apply for citizenship, if a permanent residence document is held. Here are other rules to consider:
- EU, Iceland, and Swiss citizens can bring close family members to the UK after December 31st if they still are in a relationship that began before this date.
- A Swiss citizen can bring the spouse to the UK until December 2025, under the same conditions.
The application for a married visa for UK needs extra attention on your behalf. Legal advice is suggested to persons intending to like in UK after the post-Brexit transition period is over. The immigration authorities in UK continue to work on the new immigration rules, with respect to the foreigners who already live in the country and who should not be affected in this matter. We have gathered some facts and figures about the immigration in UK that you might find useful and interesting:
- According to migrationobservatory, around 9.3 million foreigners were living in UK in 2018.
- Around 39% of the migrants in UK came from the EU, according to statistics for 2018.
- Approximately 3.6 million EU citizens were registered in UK in 2019, representing up to 5.5% of the population.
- Most migrants come from Poland, Ireland in Romania.
- Approximately 48% of the EU citizens in UK migrated for work purposes.
If you need a marriage visitor visa for the UK, you can contact our immigration solicitors in London. You will receive proper information and legal assistance about this type of visa, about UK residence card, and British citizenship.
