Notice to registry office??

I guess I really don't have my stuff together.  I'm totally lost. 

My plan was to have a reception over here on 11 March 2006, move to UK late March, and get married in a registry office over there on 5 April 2006.

This whole giving notice to a registry office, can it be done if I haven't entered the country yet?  As in:
can I apply for a visa
get the visa
give notice to a regitsry office
have my reception in the states
move to the UK
and then get married in the registry office,

In that order??

From the posts I'm reading it sounds as though you have to have entered the country through your visa before you can declare your intent to marry to the registry office!!  We'll only have, at most, 2 weeks, between my entering the country the getting married.  If you need to declare after entry is it possible to declare intent in such a short time??

Larissa...

Both of you must have lived in a registration district for at least seven days (one week) immediately before giving notice at the register office.  In giving notice, you need to show documentation to confirm your name, age, marital status and nationality.  You will also need some proof of address in the registration district -- such as a utility bill or bank statement, etc in your name.

After giving notice you must wait a further 15 days before the marriage can take place e.g. if notice is given on July 1, the earliest the marriage may take place is on July 17.

The only way I can figure to do things in the order you've stated & on those time frames -- would be to get your fiancee' visa & move over here ahead of time...get yourself set up ahead of time with the registry office...fly back to the States for your reception there...then come back to the UK in time for the marriage over here.  Either that, or push your time frame on the April date out a ways...'cause you'll need to move here, have residence here for at least 7 days prior to giving notice & including time enough to receive an accepted piece of mail in your name, then you need to wait 15 days after giving notice before you are permitted to marry.

Here are some links that may help:

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en/home/news/press_releases/getting_married_in/new_rules_for_getting.html

http://www.islington.gov.uk/Community/birthsdeathsandmarriages/marriages/civilceremonies.asp

http://www.oultwood.com/localgov/uk/london.php

Carolyn B

Is there any particular reason why you have to move to the UK just two weeks before your wedding? Can you come earlier, or have the wedding later?

Here's our plan:

I'm coming to the UK May 1-11.  We will go to the registrar's office on May 9 to give notice of our intent to marry and pay the fees.  Laws have changed recently so that only certain registrar's offices are equipped to deal with foreign fiance(e)s.  In our case, the closest registrar is in Carlisle, though the ceremony will be performed by the registrar in the district of our venue.  The registrar in Carlisle told me that proof of residence (such as a hotel bill, or letter from the landlord) is required to demonstrate that I will have been in residence in the same place for 7 days.

I'm coming back to the states on May 11 to attend my sister's college graduation (among other things) and then will return to the UK on May 24.  Our wedding is May 30.

I would recommend you call the registrar's office in the district in which you're marrying and they should be able to advise you further (you need to find out if they'll be available to perform the ceremony on your chosen date, for starters).  If that district is not one which handles fiance(e) visas, they will tell you which office you need to contact so you can set up a date with them on which to give your notice.  Everyone in both offices I've spoken to has been friendly and helpful, so you shouldn't have any problems getting it sorted out.   I would recommend getting your visa before your American reception, then leaving as soon afterwards as you can to have adequate time to give notice and get settled in wherever you'll be living.

Here's our plan:

I'm coming to the UK May 1-11.  We will go to the registrar's office on May 9 to give notice of our intent to marry and pay the fees.  Laws have changed recently so that only certain registrar's offices are equipped to deal with foreign fiance(e)s.  In our case, the closest registrar is in Carlisle, though the ceremony will be performed by the registrar in the district of our venue.  The registrar in Carlisle told me that proof of residence (such as a hotel bill, or letter from the landlord) is required to demonstrate that I will have been in residence in the same place for 7 days.

I'm coming back to the states on May 11 to attend my sister's college graduation (among other things) and then will return to the UK on May 24.  Our wedding is May 30.

How did you know the date of your wedding when you posted this in March?? The Leeds register office is telling us we cannot set a provisional date until AFTER we give notice.So, I wouldn't have a date til then, and I 'd like to work soon, so how do I know dates will be available on short notice???


I dont understand how they expect you to not set a date until you come over!!

Oh, and they told him the website is wrong-that even though it says you can set a provisional date before notice, you can't.

Can anyone help, please???!!

Larissa, at least you have your stuff together.  I came over last March planning on giving notice to find out that we just missed the deadline before all these new laws came into action.  I was unable to give notice because I didn't have my fiancee visa yet because I had no idea I needed it.  We got married in June and I had to graduate college and move over to England about a week after that so I could have enough time to give notice.  Even then the registrar just overlooked the fact that I just got off the plane the night before, but thats cause he felt bad about the time we saw him in March...