The church

Hi there

I'm new And been lurking on here awhile. I was just curious to know. When getting married through the CoE do you still need a visa or is there a way to bypass that?

My bf and I are still looking through all our options and lookin' for the cheapest and easiest way

-AmyMarie

You still need a visa. And in a lot churches, one of you needs to reside in the church's parish...or have some kind of connection to the parish. Then Banns are read and if there are no objections then you can get married in the church. Most churches will have some kind of fee, so I doubt it would be cheaper than a registry office.

Having a basic wedding in a CofE church is more expensive than a basic wedding at a registry office, by about £200.

http://www.yourchurchwedding.org/your-wedding/the-cost-of-church-weddings.aspx

When DH and I were planning our church wedding we were told we had to apply for a common license as banns can't be used for foreign nationals (it seems karrit had a different experience though?) You have to apply for this by writing to the Bishop of the Diocese.

"Common Licence

If your marriage is taking place too soon for Banns to be read, or one of the people marrying is a foreign national, then a Common Licence application may be appropriate for you. It is granted in the name of the Bishop of the Diocese you are marrying in, and he has discretion whether or not to grant it. In order to obtain such a Licence, one of you must have had his or her usual residence within the parish or district of the church in which the marriage is to due to take place, during fifteen days immediately preceding the application, or must have had his or her usual place of worship at the church.

Common Licences can only be granted for marriage to take place within the Diocese, and are only valid for three months. Application should be made to a surrogate for granting marriage licences in the Diocese, or to the Diocesan Registrar. The fee for a Common Licence is around £100"


In the end we changed our wedding to a blessing after getting married in the US so didn't need to do that but I agree with the others, a church wedding definitely isnt cheaper or easier than a registry office wedding!

Emmylou, I didn't get married in a CofE, just was reporting what I see as the procedure at my church, but your info reinforces the fact that getting in married in a church is not an easier or simpler method.

Good luck Kismet89!

My DH and I were married a year ago in the Church of England, All Saints Highbrook in West Sussex.  We applied for a common license....DH had not lived in that parish for many years but it was a very simple and not a costly procedure for us as his family supplied the stone that they built the church with back in 1884.  Many, many of his ancestors are buried in the church yard, his mother was married there and he was christened there etc......so guess what I am saying is it really depends on the circumstances and who you know.....for us it was easier to go this route for marriage but you have to decide what is best for you and what works as far as the cost.  Ours did not cost very much, around £250.00 as the vicar knew the family well.  Anyway sorry for hijacking your thread...just wanted to let you know of our experience....Good luck in your journey towards wedded bliss!!!!!!   

There's no way to enter the UK without a visa. The  General Visitor (tourist) visa stamp you get when you come to visit is still a visa. On the General Visitor visa you can't get married or register to marry:

from http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visitingtheuk/visitors/eligibility/

ou must also show that, during your visit, you do not intend to:
take employment, produce goods or provide services, including the selling of goods or services directo to members of the public;
undertake a course of study;
marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership;
carry out the activities of a business visitor, a sports visitor or an entertainer visitor; or
receive private medical treatment.

The Church of England thing had to do with the Certificate of Approval (CoA) which is now defunct. People who were here on a visa other than General Visitor or one that granted specific permission to marry (Marriage Visitor Visa or Fiancé(e) Visa) had to fill out a CoA, requesting permission to get married. The exception to this was if you were having a CoE wedding. 

Your options are to:

A) get married in the US, apply for and get a Spousal Visa, move to the UK

B) apply for and get a Marriage Visitor Visa, get married in the UK, return to the US, apply for and get a Spousal Visa, move to the UK

C) apply for and get a Fiancée Visa, move to the UK, get married, apply for and get Further Leave to Remain (Married) Visa.

D) apply for and get a work or school related visa, move to the UK, get married, apply for and get FLR(M).

"A" is usually the cheapest/easiest.  "C" is very expensive as the Fiancé(e) Visa costs about as much as a Spousal or FLR(M) Visas. As for "B", the MVV isn't terribly expensive but you have to factor in airfare, though I suppose option "A" has the same airfare costs, only it'll be your fiancé for two of the three flights. "D" really has nothing to do with getting married and is becoming increasingly difficult, but if you're not ready to get married right away and can afford tuition, a Tier 4 (student) visa is probably your best bet.

As for the ceremony itself, a registrar (UK) or courthouse (US) wedding is probably the least expensive option.