Marriage Visitor Visa UK

A UK Marriage Visitor visa is a short-term visa, valid for six months or less, for foreign nationals who want to get married in the UK or register a civil partnership in the country, or intend to give notice of a marriage or civil partnership. The name of the fiancé, fiancée or civil partner must be mentioned on the vignette.

All foreign nationals will require a Marriage Visitor visa in the UK except if you:

• Are an Irish citizen
• Have settled or pre-settled status in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme, or have applied under the scheme already and are awaiting a decision
• Qualify for British citizenship, including having dual nationality

A Marriage Visitor visa is a non-settlement immigration route, meaning the visa holder cannot stay or settle in the UK after their marriage or civil partnership. Additionally, if you are planning to convert your civil partnership into a marriage, you will have to apply for a Standard Visitor visa UK instead.

Page Contents

• What Is a UK Marriage Visitor Visa?
• What You Can and Cannot Do With a UK Marriage Visitor Visa
• Eligibility Requirements for a UK Marriage Visitor Visa
• UK Marriage Visitor Visa Document Requirements
• How to Apply for a UK Marriage Visitor Visa
• UK Marriage Visitor Visa Processing Time and Fees
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

A Marriage Visitor visa allows the visa holder to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within six months of their arrival or within their visa validity period, whichever is shorter. You may also transit through the UK on your way to another country on this visa.

However, you cannot be allowed to claim public funds, bring your dependent family to the country, extend your stay or switch to another visa, study, or work in the UK (except for certain permitted activities related to your work or business overseas). You will also not be allowed to live in the UK, through frequent or successive visits, for longer periods.

To be eligible to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa UK, a Filipino national must meet the eligibility criteria as follows:

• The applicant is aged 18 years or more
• The relationship between the couple intending to marry or register a civil partnership is genuine
• The applicant is free to marry or enter into a civil partnership, or give a notice intending to do so, in the UK within six months of their arrival (meaning, they are not in another marriage or partnership during that time which legally invalidates the proposed marriage/civil partnership in the UK)
• The applicant must be able to prove that they:
  • Are visiting the UK for six months or less
  • Will leave before or on their visa expiry date
  • Will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits
  • Will not make UK their main home
• They have sufficient financial means to cover their expenses during their trip (or have someone sponsoring them), including paying for their return/onward journey

You will need to submit the following supporting documents with your Marriage Visitor visa application:

• Your Filipino passport, valid for the entire duration of your stay in the UK and with at least one blank page for your visa
• Details of your marriage or civil partnership plan, proving that you intend to host it in the UK, e.g. a booking confirmation of a venue licensed for this purpose etc.
• Proof that you are covering at least a part of the marriage costs
• A divorce decree or death certificate of your erstwhile partner, as applicable, in case you were married before
• Proof of funds
• Proof of accommodation in the UK
• Details of your sponsor(s), if any, and their proof of funds
• Travel health insurance
• Return/onward journey ticket
• Evidence of where you are planning to settle with your partner eventually

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may ask for additional supporting documents depending on your circumstances. You will need to submit certified translation copies in case your documents are not in English or Welsh.

You must obtain a Marriage Visitor visa before traveling to the UK from the Philippines. Your application process will start with creating an account on the Home Office website. The Marriage Visitor visa application is an online process similar to other UK visas.

After filling in the application form correctly and completely, please submit the same online along with scanned copies of your supporting documents, and then pay the visa fees on the payments page. Once this process is complete, you will have to book an appointment with a UK visa application center (VAC) to submit your passport and supporting documents, and provide your biometric details.

VFS Global is the third-party UK consular services provider in the Philippines, and they run two VACs – one in Manila and the other in Cebu. Please choose the one nearest your location while booking your interview.

A Marriage Visitor visa UK processing fee is £135, and the application usually takes up to three weeks for processing. This timeline may increase if you have filled in the online form inaccurately or your form is incomplete, or if UKVI requires additional documents from you or is experiencing a high volume of applications at the time.

You may be eligible to get a faster decision by paying an additional fee, i.e. £500 for a priority service to get a decision within five working days of your visa interview appointment or £1000 for a super priority service to get a decision by the end of the next working day.