This page is for those who wish to marry in the United Kingdom and neither of the applicants is a permanent resident or a British citizen. This category includes, for example, people who are in the UK under one of the visa categories or another long-term category.
Foreigners’ marriages are registered at any register office (Register Office) in the UK or at a church or embassy.
-Marriage in a Church
A couple can get married in a church. In the UK, this can be done in the Anglican Church in England or Wales. As for the possibility of registering a marriage in the Church of England in Scotland, it can be done at the Scottish Episcopal Church (Scottish Episcopal Church), which also belongs to the Church of England. Such marriages will be considered valid. The Home Office of Great Britain does not recognize other types of religious marriages, i.e. such marriages will not be considered valid.
-Certifying marriages at your country’s embassy
Marriages performed in the embassies of their respective countries are accepted as valid. A couple can contact their country’s embassy to see if they can help arrange the marriage or not. Sometimes this is very important because if the marriage is concluded at the embassy and depending on the immigration situation of the applicants, they may have a chance to apply to the Home Office for permission to issue a temporary residence permit in the UK.
-Possibility of Marriage for Persons Without Legal Status in the UK
According to the general principles of UK immigration law, it does not matter what immigration status the person who wishes to marry has, or with whom they plan to marry (whether they are a UK resident or an EU citizen, or a British citizen themselves).
In either case, the marriage can be arranged within the UK, but further, in order to apply for a spousal visa, an applicant who does not have legal status in the UK or who does not have a long term visa with a right to stay in the country for more than 6 months will have to leave the country and apply for a family visa from abroad.
-Partners of persons with limited leave to remain in the UK
Some people who are temporarily resident in the U.K. can bring their partners to the U.K. to be reunited/accompanied with them. As a dependent of a person with limited leave to remain (for example, on a student or work visa), the partner may take up employment or self-employment for the duration of his or her leave to remain (depending on the immigration category of the principal visa holder).
Normally, applicants will receive a visa which is the same validity period as the sponsor’s visa and the applicant is expected to leave the country with the sponsor if the sponsor has no intention of settling in the UK.
However, if the sponsor is able to settle permanently and has applied for a visa to do so, dependents may also settle in the UK with the sponsor. In this case, the rules for victims of domestic violence do not apply.
In view of this, persons residing in the UK on a residence permit, other than on short-term visitor visas or with illegal residency, can marry in the UK and then join their partner on a dependent visa. Or they can marry outside the UK and then immediately apply for a dependent visa for their married partner.
