15 day wait for wedding license?

Hi again,

I just realised that we will have to wait 15 days for the wedding license after we are married in May.  However Richard has to be back to work a week after the wedding so that does not work for us.  Is this true?  Is there anyway to get around it?  Should we just go to the registry in Guildford and marry there?  Not tell anyone?  Is it legal to then get married again in the US with another certificate?  Would it be worth going to another country and doing it?  Going to Paris and doing it there, then to the US embassy?  Please help!!!!

Thanks so much!

If you marry here then you're married and you wouldn't and shouldn't marry again with another license.  Perhaps the best way would be to marry at the registry office in the UK and then do your wedding at home like planned.  You then have your marriage certificate and will be able to get your spousal visa, you can have the best of both worlds, your fiance can go back to work on schedule and everyone's happy.  Just a thought.  

Hope it works out for you!

Thank you Elle, good advise.  I guess we can just pretend to marry again without the license, and no one would have to know!

My husband & I got married in a registry office in England. The minimum time our office would allow (and methinks it is universal) is 2 weeks from when you ask to ceremony date, because they "post" your intention to marry for 2 weeks, or something like that. ANYWAY, once you're married you're married, and we walked away with the license. Then went back to America a few months later and had the big wedding show, but it was just a vow renewal ceremony. But we did vows, rings, flower girls... the whole 9 yards. Both weddings were really lovely, and a registry wedding can be really, really nice.

My Fiance seems to think I need a valid fiance visa to do this, or they will throw me out?  Is that right?  Or did he get that wrong. I think he called the home office in the UK for that info.  If it's wrong, do I get my visa in the UK after we are married here, or back in the US when I go back?  I'm so confused and so frustrated.  

My Fiance seems to think I need a valid fiance visa to do this, or they will throw me out?  Is that right?  Or did he get that wrong. I think he called the home office in the UK for that info.  If it's wrong, do I get my visa in the UK after we are married here, or back in the US when I go back?  I'm so confused and so frustrated.  

You can get married in the UK without the fiance visa and they will not throw you out until your visitor's visa expires.  Once you're married though you must go back to the US to get your spousal visa.  This is something that has recently changed.  It used to be you could marry here without the fiance visa and still go to the Home Office and get your spousal visa.  Not so anymore.  So you will still need to go back to the US if anything to get your visa.  

You've gotten some sound advice already.  But just to comment on the Paris idea - they have a 1 month residency requirement!

You can get married in the UK without the fiance visa and they will not throw you out until your visitor's visa expires.  Once you're married though you must go back to the US to get your spousal visa.  This is something that has recently changed.  It used to be you could marry here without the fiance visa and still go to the Home Office and get your spousal visa.  Not so anymore.  So you will still need to go back to the US if anything to get your visa.

Oh Elle, thank you!  Richard and I were up late trying to figure this all out!  We ended up deciding that he would come back with me in Feb, get married then I would wait for the certificate for two weeks and he would come back again to go to the Embassy in NY.  This saves a lot of time and $$$$.  

How long though do I need to wait for the wedding license in the UK to arrive back to us so I can plan my trip back to the US around that?

Peedal, thanks for the 1 month tip.  There is no way I will be doing that

Thanks everybody, this is such help to us!

I'll tell you what happened to us, maybe it'll help.

We got our marriage license the day before our wedding but it took them 12 days to certify it after the wedding and you must have a certified wedding certificate to apply for the visa.  We had to leave within the week for the UK so I just came in as a tourist (was pissing myself at passport control, she kept asking me a TON of questions.) It didn't affect my getting a visa when we applied in person one month later. They did ask why we didn't get the visa in the states, we simply said we didn't realize we needed one. (acting dumb makes them feel more powerful).  

In the UK you have to go to the registry office for where you live and register your intent to marry.  Then 2 weeks later you go back and pick up your 'permission slip' to give to the registrar who performs the ceremony.  The certificate they give you after the ceremony is the one you need for the visa - we requested two copies (you need to do that when you schedule the ceremony so they have a heads up!) just for safety's sake.

Ashley,  Thanks so much!  Could you not work till after you got the spouse visa?  How long ago was this?  Did you go to NY to get the Visa?  How much trouble did they give in NY?

Ashley,  Thanks so much!  Could you not work till after you got the spouse visa?  How long ago was this?  Did you go to NY to get the Visa?  How much trouble did they give in NY?

Yeah, I couldn't work till I had my visa but after I got it I went looking for work the next day. I got my visa a month after we moved here but only because we couldn't be bothered to go to Croydon right away and doing it by post wasn't appealing to us.

I got my visa in Croydon (suburb of London). We waited 2 hours to get into the building and 6 hours waiting to hear our number called. 15 minutes after that I was walking away with my fancy visa stamp.

In the UK you have to go to the registry office for where you live and register your intent to marry. Then 2 weeks later you go back and pick up your 'permission slip' to give to the registrar who performs the ceremony. The certificate they give you after the ceremony is the one you need for the visa - we requested two copies (you need to do that when you schedule the ceremony so they have a heads up!) just for safety's sake

Peedal, can you marry right after you get the permission slip, or do you need to schedule that as well?

Yeah, I couldn't work till I had my visa but after I got it I went looking for work the next day. I got my visa a month after we moved here but only because we couldn't be bothered to go to Croydon right away and doing it by post wasn't appealing to us.

I got my visa in Croydon (suburb of London). We waited 2 hours to get into the building and 6 hours waiting to hear our number called. 15 minutes after that I was walking away with my fancy visa stamp

Ashley, you were able to apply here?  I didn't think you could do that?  Was this a while ago, or this year?

Ashley, you were able to apply here?  I didn't think you could do that?  Was this a while ago, or this year?

It was little more than a year ago. Mind you, what we did was technically illegal since I came to the country under false pretenses and lied to the passport control about it. But they weren't going to break up a married couple by refusing me my visa.

You can get your visa in the UK, it's not recommended, but it is possible. It was a last option for us (we had every intention of applying in L.A.) and one we had to make at the very last minute. You still have some time to prepare.  

Thanks Ashley, I guess we will try the legal way then.