Marriage Visit Visa Proof of Relationship needed???

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, and saw over on the forums for visajourney that this is the place to ask UK Marriage Visit Visa questions.

My Polish fiance and I will be getting married in Scotland on July 6th, and have planned almost everything for the wedding. We have paid the chauffeur, videographer and photographer deposits, as well as booking a flat in Edinburgh before and after the wedding and a flat in Krakow for our six day honeymoon.

In terms of my package to the UK Border Agency to get the visa, I'll be sending in six months of bank statements, six months of pay stubs, a letter from my boss stating my yearly salary and that I have taken vacation and am expected back at work on a certain date, a letter from my HR department confirming my employment as well, hotel and flat rental booking confirmations, all of our wedding related deposit receipts (videographer, chauffeur etc.), my flight ticket receipt showing my itinerary into Edinburgh, Krakow and back to Chicago and lastly, a copy of my fiance's passport to show she's an EEA Citizen.

In light of this, do these things seem sufficient enough to get the visa, or do I have to show proof that she is my fiance and that we have maintained a long distance relationship over the past 14 months with her? As far as I could tell by reading the UKBA website and other sites, proof of engagement and relationship isn't needed to obtain the visa. However, after reading a thread over on visajourney, I saw that someone got denied for not being able to give proof that her fiance was in fact her fiance. To me this seemed kind of ridiculous, because other than pictures and a receipt for the ring, how exactly do you PROVE someone is your fiance? It just seems rather odd to me and makes no sense at all. So now I'm a little worried about my chances of getting the visa, whereas before I found this out I felt pretty upbeat about it.

With that said, what does everyone think? Can anyone offer any help or advice? Am I just over thinking this and being too worried, or is there in fact a requirement to show that you are in a relationship? Our relationship is long distance and always has been, so showing proof of that is very very hard and I'm getting more and more worried as my application date of April 3rd nears.

Any and all advice and input would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post. Just wanted everyone to know my situation so it could be assessed in the best possible way.

Thank you very much for the help

In light of this, do these things seem sufficient enough to get the visa, or do I have to show proof that she is my fiance and that we have maintained a long distance relationship over the past 14 months with her? As far as I could tell by reading the UKBA website and other sites, proof of engagement and relationship isn't needed to obtain the visa.

No, all you need to show is proof that you have plans to marry in the UK and then all the usual visitor visa evidence (enough money, ties to the US (job/home to return to), an example itinerary of the flight you are planning to book once you have the visa etc.).

You are not applying to live in the UK with your fiance, you are applying for permission to hold a wedding ceremony in the UK... and for that you just need proof that you meet the requirement that you will actually, physically get married.

If you were applying for a fiance visa (to marry a UK citizen and then live in the UK with them afterwards), then yes, you would need proof of relationship (perhaps that is what other people have been refused for), but not for a visit for marriage visa.

After all, you could both be US citizens, having a destination wedding in the UK while you are on vacation... and for that, UKBA wouldn't care what type of relationship you have, just that you have the right visa to allow you to hold a wedding ceremony while you are here.

You would normally then need to show proof of relationship for a spousal visa to live in the UK afterwards, but as you are marrying an EEA citizen, if you will be moving to the UK after the wedding, you don't even need that - for an EEA family permit, you just need your marriage certificate and evidence of your spouse exercising treaty rights in the UK.

No, all you need to show is proof that you have plans to marry in the UK and then all the usual visitor visa evidence (enough money, ties to the US (job/home to return to), an example itinerary of the flight you are planning to book once you have the visa etc.).

You are not applying to live in the UK with your fiance, you are applying for permission to hold a wedding ceremony in the UK... and for that you just need proof that you meet the requirement that you will actually, physically get married.

So do you think that a signed letter from the parish priest in Edinburgh stating our wedding is scheduled to take place on July 6th with the church's seal on it is enough to show we have plans to marry? I'm sending that and all of our deposit receipts for wedding related expenses.

I also read I might need a notarized letter from my fiance stating she's aware of the visa and that she attests to the marriage. Is that true, or just for a fiance visa as well?

Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.