LONDON – Thousands of people prefer the United Kingdom (UK) as their dream destination to get settled. While many look for opportunities for employment, some are able to find a partner in the kingdom for which they need a Marriage Visitor Visa. In this guide, we are sharing the details about this visa type.
What is a Marriage Visitor Visa
You can apply for a Marriage Visitor visa if either you want to get married or register a civil partnership in the UK or you want to give notice of a marriage or civil partnership in the UK or you’re not planning to stay or settle in the UK after your marriage or civil partnership.
Eligibility Requirements
The basic eligibility benchmark for getting this type of visa is that one must be aged 18 or over. The other eligibility criteria is that the applicant is free to give notice of marriage, to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arrival. Moreover, for this visa type, you must be in a genuine relationship and the duration of your visit should be less than 6 months.
You will be eligible for this visa type if you leave the UK at the end of your visit and you do not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home.
Any applicant is eligible for this visa type if they are able to support themselves during their trip or if someone else can support them. Another eligibility benchmark is that one should be able to pay for their return or onward journey or have funding from someone else for this purpose.
In case you want to do other activities in the UK, you should have proof of such other activities you want to do though no illegal activity is allowed.
It bears mentioning that one doesn’t need a Marriage Visitor visa if they have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, and are awaiting the decision. Moreover, Irish citizens also do not need to apply for this visa.
What can I do under a Marriage Visitor Visa?
If you have secured the Marriage Visitor Visa, you can marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of your arrival but you must use a venue licensed for this purpose. Moreover, you are allowed to pass through the UK in transit (on your way to another country) under this visa.
It must be kept in mind that the duration of stay allowed in the UK is for up to 6 months and any stay beyond this period would be illegal.
What is not allowed under a Marriage Visitor Visa
If you have secured a Marriage Visitor Visa, you are not allowed to get public funds or benefits. Moreover, you cannot bring in family members or ‘dependents’ under this visa as these dependents should apply separately.
You are also not allowed to live in the UK for extended periods through frequent visits or extend your visa or switch to another visa.
You are also not allowed to work under this visa except for permitted activities related to your work or business overseas, such as attending meetings. Moreover, if you have secured a Marriage Visitor Visa, you are not allowed to study.
Documents needed for Marriage Visitor Visa
The documents for this visa type are standard documents including a passport or travel document valid for the whole of your stay in the UK and containing a blank page for the visa.
In order to support your application for a visa, you can supply the details of the marriage or civil partnership and proof that you’ve paid money for some of its costs.
Moreover, you can also provide proof that you’re planning to get married in the UK, for example, a booking confirmation or emails between you and the venue.
The most important aspect of UK visas is that one needs to provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.
As far as certified copies are concerned, it should be kept in mind that one can certify a document as a true copy of the original by getting it signed and dated by a professional person, like a solicitor.
You can be asked to provide documents that are certified as true copies of the original and these documents can include passports, photocard driving licenses, letters from a government department, bank/building society or credit card statements, gas, electricity or council tax bills or letters from a hospital/doctor.
It must be kept in mind that you could ask a bank or building society official, councilor, minister of religion, dentist, chartered accountant, solicitor or notary or teacher or lecturer to certify your document. The only thing that should be avoided is that the one who certifies your documents should not be related to you or living at the same address or in a relationship with you.
The UK government has also detailed the procedure to get a document certified. According to the official guide, you can take the photocopied document and the original and ask the person to certify the copy by writing ‘Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me’ on the document besides signing and dating it. The one certifying the document also needs to print their name under the signature and add their occupation, address and telephone number.
As far as certifying a translation is concerned, you can ask the translation company to confirm in writing on the translation that it’s a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’. They also need to mention the date of the translation and the full name and contact details of the translator or a representative of the translation company.
Another document which could be asked from you is decree absolute or death certificate of a previous partner if you have been married before.
The UK government holds the right to ask for any additional document from you based on your circumstances.
Processing time for getting a Marriage Visitor Visa
One can apply for this visa type online but as part of your application, you’ll need to book an appointment at a visa application centre to prove your identity and submit documents.
One must be patient enough to understand that the visa application center may keep the passport and documents while processing your application. According to the official guide of the UK government, the earliest one can apply is 3 months before they travel.
As far as the final verdict on your application is concerned, once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.
Fee for marriage Visitor Visa
The fee to apply for the Marriage Visitor Visa is £115 which apparently seems very economical considering the advantages that the visa type offers.
