Marriage / Civil Partnership

Marriage / Civil partnership

This type of visa allows a person to enter and remain in the United Kingdom on the basis of marriage to, or a civil partnership of, a person present and settled in the United Kingdom that is to a person who is a British citizen, holds Indefinite Leave to Remain or enjoys the Right of Abode.
An individual who is not a European national, married to or a civil partner of a person present and settled in the United Kingdom must apply to a British Embassy or British Mission in their country of origin for Entry Clearance before embarking to the United Kingdom.

If you are recently in the United Kingdom as a tourist, you are not allowable to apply for a visa on the basis of your marriage or civil partnership. You may apply for a visa on the basis of Marriage or a Civil Partnership from within the United Kingdom provided you have received Entry Clearance from a British Embassy or British Mission outside the UK for that purpose or if you are recently in the UK with a legitimate visa that was issued for more than six months and you have been given permission to get married or engage in a civil partnership by getting a Certificate of Approval which is required by UK Law.
Your marriage must be recognized under UK law.

Once you have been issued with a Visa on the basis of your marriage or Civil Partnership you may stay in the UK for a period of 2 years and be allowable to work freely without limitation and to exit and enter the United Kingdom as often as you may select. On completion of the of the 2 years, provided your marriage or Civil Partnership still subsists, it may be possible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Previous to being able to marry in the United Kingdom Overseas Nationals must now apply for a Certificate of Approval before giving notice to marry. This is applied for through the Home Office and must be issued before a wedding may take place. In order to apply for a Certificate of Approval a individual must hold leave to remain in the United Kingdom that was primarily issued for longer than six months and that recently has at least three months remaining before expiry.