Marrying in UK

[triumph 0]

can a couple get married in the UK … if they are both not British.

my fiance is UK resident with a visa and I , an American.

we wish to get married in the UK….. do we need a Home Office permission for this?

Or can we just get married?

There is no intention to adjust status or apply UK visa with the marriage. it is just a desire to wed in UK.

[TracyTN 237]

There are specific rules around this, but UK Yankee is the place for that. Not many VJers go 'that way'.

http://www.uk-yankee.com/

[Helen Louise Pile 80]

The law is just about to change regarding this:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsfragments/43-abolition-of-coa

Good luck!

[TracyTN 237]

Oh great - thanks Helen!!

[Helen Louise Pile 80]

Oh great - thanks Helen!!

No problem!

My husband and I initially tried to get married in Scotland...but the certificate of approval nonsense halted that and we decided to do a K1. I am glad they are going to change the law!

[TracyTN 237]

Yep - sounds like the right thing to do.

[david'sgirl 134]

No problem!

My husband and I initially tried to get married in Scotland...but the certificate of approval nonsense halted that and we decided to do a K1. I am glad they are going to change the law!

I am confused as to why the certificate was considered a problem. I applied online, had a 5 minute appointment for fingerprints and a photo in Boston and got my visa to get married in Scotland in a couple of weeks. We were engaged in April 2009 and wed July 2009. If we waited for the K1 visa we might have waited a couple of years based on similar timelines. If the OP wants to wed in Scotkand you should do it. Send me a message if you have any questions.

[trojam227 18]

Hi triumph..if you are talking about getting married in England then you should go to the County Council website of whichever county you want to marry in. Follow instructions on Legal Requirements of Marriage and Civil Partnership for Foreign Nationals. I am a USC and married a UKC in Surrey, England last Sept...I applied for a Marriage Visa(cheaper than a fiance visa) with the UK(you don't need any permission from the US). I don't know where your fiance is from but if she is NOT British, Swiss National, or European Economic Area then she is also subject to immigration control & will need to apply for a marriage visa as well as yourself. It took about a month to get my visa sent back in my passport and its good for 180 days. I had to be in the country for atleast 8 nights before we could give Notice of Our Intent to Marry at the designated registry office, and then wait a further 15 clear days before the ceremony could take place. So plan on spending atleast a month in the UK. Hope this helps a bit & Best Wishes!

Edited April 23, 2011 by trojam227

[Jim Brown 5]

Alternatively, what we've done, is have a 'civil' marriage in the US via the courts. The church in England agreed to have the ceremony then, stating that it was a 'renewal' according to the law (since we're already technically married), and we didn't have to go through all that 1 month in the UK mumbo-jumbo.