Marriage Visitor visa (UK wedding visa)

What is a Marriage Visitor visa?

GOV.UK says you must apply for a Marriage Visitor visa if you want to get married or register a civil partnership in the UK, or give notice of either, and you are not planning to stay or settle in the UK afterwards. It is a visitor route: you can stay for up to 6 months, the visa costs £135, and the earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.

The route exists because ordinary visitors are barred from marrying. Standard Visitors and ETA holders cannot marry, register a civil partnership or give notice of either, and if you give notice without the right visa the register office must tell the Home Office.

Marriage Visitor or fiancé(e) visa: choose by what happens after the ceremony

Two routes lead to a UK wedding. They are not interchangeable, and picking the wrong one is costly.

• Both routes require the ceremony within 6 months of arrival and a genuine relationship.
• The fiancé(e) route carries the family visa requirements — usually a combined income of at least £29,000 a year and English at CEFR level A1 or above on a first application — which the Marriage Visitor route does not.
• A Marriage Visitor cannot convert to partner status in the UK; a fiancé(e) is expected to.
• GOV.UK’s marriage guidance lists the visa options for a non-UK partner as: a Marriage Visitor visa if you will not live in the UK and stay less than 6 months; a family visa to live permanently in the UK; or a family permit to join an EU, EEA or Swiss family member.

Who needs one, and who does not

You must apply for a Marriage Visitor visa if all of the following apply:

• you want to get married or register a civil partnership in the UK
• you want to give notice of a marriage or civil partnership in the UK
• you are not planning to stay or settle in the UK after your marriage or civil partnership
• you meet the other eligibility requirements

You do not need a Marriage Visitor visa if:

• you are converting an existing civil partnership into a marriage — apply for a Standard Visitor visa instead
• you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• you have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and have not yet had a decision
• you are an Irish citizen

Eligibility in detail

You must prove every point below. The first four are specific to this route; the rest are the genuine visitor requirements shared with all visitors.

• Aged 18 or over

  There is no under-18 provision on this route.

• Free to marry within 6 months of arrival

  You are free to give notice of marriage, to marry or to enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving. Previous marriages or civil partnerships must have ended.

• Genuine relationship

  You are in a genuine relationship with the person you intend to marry or form a civil partnership with.

• Visiting for less than 6 months

  The visit, including the ceremony, fits within 6 months.

• You will leave at the end of your visit

  You will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home.

• Funds and onward travel

  You can support yourself during the trip and pay for your return or onward journey, or someone else is funding you.

• Other activities are permitted

  You have proof of any other activities you want to do in the UK, as allowed by the Visitor Rules.

• Valid passport or travel document

  Valid for the whole of your stay in the UK.

What you can and cannot do

As listed by GOV.UK for the Marriage Visitor visa.

You can:

• marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of your arrival — you must use a venue licensed for this purpose
• pass through the UK in transit (on your way to another country)

You cannot:

• get public funds (benefits)
• bring in family members ('dependants') — they must apply separately
• live in the UK for extended periods through frequent visits
• extend your visa or switch to another visa
• work — except for permitted activities related to your work or business overseas, such as attending meetings
• study

Giving notice and the ceremony

The immigration rules and the marriage law run side by side. Both timetables have to fit inside your 6 months.

• In England and Wales you must give notice at least 29 days before the ceremony, at a register office in a district where you have lived for the past 7 days, and hold the ceremony within 12 months of giving notice.
• If one of you is from outside the UK you must give notice together, unless you both hold British or Irish citizenship, EU Settlement Scheme status, or a pending pre-July 2021 EU Settlement Scheme application.
• When notice is given by someone subject to immigration control, the Home Office may ask questions about you and your relationship; if it does, you may need to wait up to 70 days before marrying. It may also decide not to approve the notice, in which case you cannot marry in the UK.
• Bring originals to the notice appointment, including a passport-sized photo for each of you and proof of your current immigration status (for example the visa in your passport or a share code).
• The venue must be licensed for marriages or civil partnerships. Anglican weddings may follow a different notice process — check with the venue.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own marriage law; check the local requirements if you plan to marry there.

Fees and costs

Figures as published on GOV.UK, last updated 8 April 2026. No Immigration Health Surcharge applies to visitor routes.

Marriage Visitor visa application

£135

Priority service — decision within 5 working days (where offered)

£500 extra

Super priority — decision within 24 hours, excluding weekends and bank holidays (where offered)

£1,000 extra

Biometrics (fingerprints and photograph)

No fee

Partner's own Marriage Visitor visa (if they need one)

£135

Child's Standard Visitor visa (if they need one)

£135

Faster decisions depend on your visa application centre; GOV.UK says to check with the centre. Ceremony costs are separate and set by the register office or venue — GOV.UK's England and Wales guidance gives £62 for a ceremony at a register office and £114.50 to book a registrar at a registered religious building or approved venue where there is no authorised person. Fees for checking foreign divorce documents (£55 locally, £83 through the General Register Office) may also apply. Confirm current figures with the register office when you book.

Processing times

Published UKVI processing times for applications made outside the UK, last updated 26 June 2026.

Marriage Visitor — decision after your appointment

3 weeks

Standard Visitor (for wedding guests)

3 weeks

Priority service (where offered)

5 working days

Super priority service (where offered)

24 hours, excluding weekends and bank holidays

Processing starts when you attend your appointment and give biometrics, and ends when you receive the decision email. Times are based on the UK working week and include UK public holidays. Your application may take longer if information needs further consideration, documents need verifying, you are asked to interview, or you have a criminal conviction; you will be contacted if so. You are not required to book travel before you apply.

Documents you will need

• A passport or travel document valid for the whole of your stay in the UK.
• Details of the marriage or civil partnership and proof that you have paid money towards some of its costs.
• Proof that you are planning to get married in the UK — for example a booking confirmation or emails between you and the venue.
• If you have been married before: proof you are free to marry or enter into a civil partnership again, such as a decree absolute or the death certificate of a previous partner.
• Evidence of your relationship, so the decision maker can be satisfied it is genuine.
• Evidence you can support yourself and pay for your onward journey, or that someone else will fund you — bank statements, income evidence or a sponsor’s letter.
• Evidence you will leave the UK: your employment, study, family and accommodation commitments at home, and your travel plans.
• Proof of any other activities you plan to do in the UK, as allowed by the Visitor Rules.
• Certified translations of any documents not in English or Welsh.

Keep the documents that prove why you are visiting in your hand luggage when you travel — GOV.UK advises you may be asked to show them at the UK border.

Application process

After your wedding

Next steps if you want to live in the UK.

A Marriage Visitor visa cannot be extended or switched. To live in the UK with your spouse or civil partner you must leave and apply for a family visa as a partner from outside the UK.

Common refusal reasons

Each of these maps to a requirement in the Visitor Rules or to the general grounds for refusal. A refusal letter will tell you which applied.

• The decision maker is not satisfied you will leave the UK at the end of your visit — often because your partner is settled here and your ties abroad are not evidenced, so the application looks like a settlement plan by another name.
• The relationship is not shown to be genuine, or the evidence of it is thin or inconsistent.
• The wedding plans are not evidenced: no venue booking, no correspondence with the venue, no proof of money paid towards the ceremony.
• You are not shown to be free to marry — a previous marriage or civil partnership is not proven to have ended.
• Funds or accommodation are not evidenced for the length of the visit, or the cost of the trip does not match the money shown.
• The ceremony timetable does not fit: notice periods and a possible 70-day referral would take you past 6 months.
• Intended activities go beyond the route — for example work for a UK organisation or study.
• A history of frequent or successive visits suggests you are living in the UK through visits.
• Previous overstaying, breach of conditions or deception, or criminal convictions, engaging the general grounds for refusal.
• False or undisclosed information, such as an unmentioned previous refusal or documents that cannot be verified.

Source note

Information sourced from GOV.UK ("Marriage Visitor visa", last updated 5 February 2015; "Apply for a Marriage Visitor visa: step by step", last updated 8 April 2026; "Family visas: apply, extend or switch", last updated 31 October 2024; "Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales", last updated 24 November 2014; "Visa processing times: applications outside the UK", last updated 26 June 2026) and reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rules change; we verify requirements at the point of instruction.

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