Marriage Visa Necessity Question

Hi everyone,

My name is Heather and I am a US citizen engaged to a UK citizen from Wales. We would like to be married this year in the UK and the plan likely will be for my fiancé to move to the US, but we will keep all options open for the time being.

I reached out to the local town registrar regarding the necessity of a Marriage Visa. When asked if I need a marriage visa in order to be married in Wales and the order of operations, I was told we have the following two options:

1) Obtain the marriage / fiancé visa first and then give notice with them
2) Give notice and then be subject to immigration control for the home office to check everything and approve the marriage. This costs £57 each instead of £42 for the notice

My question is, if we do not take the extra step of obtaining the Marriage Visa, will we be able to get married in Wales without it? I see it can take 3-6 months to get approval.
Also, if that is possible, how long after giving notice and providing the necessary documents would immigration control need to check and approve the marriage?
Anything negative to consider or potential future roadblocks that make it advantageous to take the extra time to obtain a Marriage Visa?

Thanks for your assistance!
Heather

Congrats and good luck!  Sorry I have no answers to your questions, but I can say that I just celebrated my 30 year anniversary in a marriage that started in a similar way to yours.  It's certainly possible to get through the paperwork and have a long and happy life. 

You need a marriage visitor visa to legally be married in the UK and this is something the registrar will check. If the border guard realises you are there for a wedding and you do not have one you will also likely be denied entry.

We elected to marry in Scotland because you could give notice by mail. It is a drawn out process and requires plenty of planning, it is much easier to be married in the US.

Details for the visa application are here:
https://www.gov.uk/marriage-visa

You need to prove you understand the rules and will be returning home - include evidence of rent or mortgage, job (a note from your manager can confirm you're approved for holiday on the dates of your wedding), and bank statement to show you have the funds to support yourself on the trip. Good luck!

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