The Marriage Visitor visa is designed for individuals over the age of 18 who wish to visit the UK to marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of a marriage or civil partnership, in the UK.
On arrival in the UK, all visitors (including non-visa nationals) coming to marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of this, in the UK must have a valid visit visa endorsed with this purpose and the name of the holder’s fiance(e) or proposed civil partner.
To ‘give notice’ you and your partner must sign a statement at your local register office to say that you intend to get married or form a civil partnership. You must have lived in the registration district for the past 7 days before you can give notice. If you or your partner are a non-EEA national, you will need to give notice together at a designated register office.
The notice period is 28 clear days – so you must wait at least 29 days before the ceremony can take place. During this waiting period, there is no need to remain in the UK.
You might need a visa to pass through the UK in transit (on your way to another country). To get a transit visa you must prove that you will be in transit to another country, with enough funds and the intention to travel on, you can enter that country and the only purpose of your visit to the UK is transit.
There are 2 types of Transit visa: Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV) and Visitor in Transit visa. You apply for a DATV if you will be changing flights in the UK and will not be going through UK border control. Your airline can tell you if you will go through border control. If you will be going through border control but leaving the UK within 48 hours., you apply for Visitor in Transit visa. Otherwise, you will apply for the Standard Visitor visa.
The fees for DATV is £35 whereas the Visitor in Transit visa costs £64.
The cost may vary slightly depending on which country you’re in
In order to qualify for a Marriage Visitor visa you will need to show that: you are over 18 years old, you are free to give notice of marriage and to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within six months of your arrival, you are in a genuine relationship, you will visit the UK for less than 6 months and will then leave the UK, you have sufficient funds available to you to cover the costs of your visit and your return journey without needing to rely on public funds. You are not allowed to get public funds, bring in family members, extend your visa, switch to another visa, work in the UK, study for more than 30 days or make the UK your home through frequent visits.
You should make an application for a UK Marriage Visitor visa no more than 3 months before you. The visa is granted for 6 months and you should marry or enter into a civil partnership during this period.
The application fee for a Marriage Visitor visa is currently £95.00. You should get a decision on your UK Marriage Visitor visa application within 3 weeks of attending your visa appointment. You may be able to pay more, to get a quicker decision.
Copyright © 2023 Adam Bernard Solicitors. This Firm is Authorised & Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority SRA NO: 598171, 656730.
