If you want to get married or enter into a civil partnership in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you need a specific visa. This visa is known as the Marriage Visitor Visa. This visa allows you to marry or enter into a civil partnership, but does not allow you to stay in the UK. Read this article to learn more about this visa and the application process.

When is a Marriage Visitor visa required?

If you plan to get married or enter into a civil partnership in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you will need a Marriage Visitor visa. This visa requires proof that you will actually get married during your stay in the United Kingdom. You must also demonstrate that you do not intend to stay in the UK afterwards. Apart from that, you must naturally also meet the conditions of the visa.

Once you have married or entered into a civil partnership in the United Kingdom under the Marriage Visitor visa, you can also choose to continue living in the UK. This involves applying for a family visa. It is also permitted to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK with a family visa.

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Requirements of the Marriage Visitor visa

To be eligible for a Marriage Visitor visa, the following conditions must be met:

• Applicants are 18 years old or older.
• Applicants are eligible to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK.
• Applicants are in an actual relationship.
• Applicants stay in the UK for a maximum of 6 months.
• Applicants do not intend to live in or make repeated trips to the United Kingdom.
• Applicants have sufficient financial resources to cover their stay in the UK as well as their return or transit costs, or they receive these resources from someone else.
• Applicants can prove they only wish to engage in activities authorised by the visa.

You do not need a Marriage Visitor visa to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the United Kingdom if you:

• have Irish nationality.
• have British nationality, also in the case of dual nationality.
• have so-called settled or pre-settled status in the United Kingdom under the EU settlement scheme.

Those planning to stay in the United Kingdom after marrying or entering a civil partnership cannot apply for a Marriage Visitor visa. In such cases, you will need to apply for British citizenship or a family visa.

Bringing wedding guests or children to the United Kingdom

You can bring wedding guests or children with you to the UK so they can attend the wedding ceremony. However, they will have to meet certain requirements. They do not need a Marriage Visitor visa to visit the UK, but, in most cases, they will need to have a valid Standard Visitor visa or an ETA UK. You will need to meet certain requirements if you wish to apply for one of these visas. Any foreign traveller who does not qualify for a visa exemption for the United Kingdom needs their own visa or ETA and a valid passport. The passport should be valid throughout the entire stay in the United Kingdom.

If you have young children who cannot apply for a visitor visa or ETA on their own, you may apply for their visa as a parent. Keep in mind that children must also have their own international passports. You should also do well to bring a copy of their birth certificate with you, as the immigration service may ask for it on arrival in the UK.

Apply for an ETA for the United Kingdom here

Applying for the Marriage Visitor visa

You have to apply for the UK Marriage Visitor visa through the UK government website. You will also need to make an appointment at a so-called visa application centre to confirm your identity and provide the necessary documents. Your biometric data will be taken during this appointment. This means that your fingerprints will be taken and that a photograph will be taken of you. You can apply for the Marriage Visitor visa three months in advance at the earliest. The average delivery time of this visa is about three weeks. The cost is 115 GBP per visa.

The requirements of the Marriage Visitor visa

Anyone wishing to apply for a visa to marry in the UK must be able to demonstrate that they will marry within the validity period of the Marriage Visitor visa. The visa has a validity period of up to six months that starts immediately after the application is approved.

You may also use the visa for a transfer in the UK. This means that you may also travel to the United Kingdom with this visa and travel on to another country from there, for example to go on your honeymoon. Keep in mind that most countries outside Europe also require a visa. Think of destinations such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Indonesia or Sri Lanka. You can apply for different visas via e-Visa.ie, including the visa for each of these countries.

A Marriage Visitor visa allows you to get married or enter into a civil partnership in the United Kingdom or make a transfer in the country. The following activities are not allowed with this visa:

• using government benefits.
• bringing over family members (they must have their own visa).
• spending longer periods in the United Kingdom through various visits to the country.
• extending the visa or changing to another visa category.
• studying in the United Kingdom.
• working in the United Kingdom, with the exception of certain work-related activities, such as attending meetings.

Required documents for the Marriage Visitor visa

To apply for a Marriage Visitor visa, you will need a valid passport. This passport must be valid throughout your stay in the UK and include at least one blank page. You could also be asked to provide the following documents:

• proof that you are getting married or entering into a civil partnership in the United Kingdom, for instance by way of a booking confirmation for a wedding venue or a confirmation for an appointment at a local government agency.
• details relating to your marriage or civil partnership and proof that you have paid (part of) the costs (e.g. by showing that you have made a partial or full deposit for the wedding venue or have already paid the corresponding booking fee).
• if you have been married before, you must be able to prove that you are now free to marry or enter into a civil partnership again (e.g. by showing divorce documents or, if you are a widow/widower, by showing a death certificate of the deceased ex-partner).

Cancelling or changing your Marriage Visitor visa application

If you wish to cancel or change your Marriage Visitor visa application, you should contact the United Kingdom Immigration Service. You can only change your application or receive a refund if it has not yet been processed. Once the application has been processed, you will have to submit a new application to make any changes. Please always check all your personal information carefully and make sure you are 100% certain that the information you entered is correct and complete.