About to start visa - lots of questions

Yay! Completely new question!

So on the online application i disclosed my 3 "criminal history" points.  they were all very minor, and one was only an arrest with the charges eventually being dropped, but i put it on there anyway.  problem was getting documentation of each, since they were some time ago. please tell me if this will suffice:

1- 2005 - ticket for non-payment of fare: was fined. the only supporting documents i could find of this (i called the police station and courts and they couldn't find records there) was a pdf of case details from one of those background check websites.

2- 2010 - charged/convicted of 2 misdemeanors: given 2 suspended sentences. i have a pdf the superior court documents of this.

3- 2011 - charged with vending (lemonade) without a permit: charges dropped. downloaded a pdf of the court docket from the DC courts website.

is that enough documentation, and where in my stack of supporting docs should these go?

new question:

if i get my visa, my plan is to fly from portland, oregon to paris, france (this avoids a lot of costs/issues regarding bringing my dog).  once i get there, my fiance and our friend are gonna pick up me and the dog, and we'll drive the tunnel (or maybe the ferry) into the UK.  i took a screen shot of the provisional flight details (obviously not buying a ticket yet), and in the extra space on the page i typed up my full travel plans, which included coming in from france via the tunnel or ferry.  is this ok? 


unrelated: we found a letter from his housing association that transferred the rental status of the flat from his father's name to my fiance's after his father died this summer.  that and a letter from the landlord is fine, right?

new question:

if i get my visa, my plan is to fly from portland, oregon to paris, france (this avoids a lot of costs/issues regarding bringing my dog).  once i get there, my fiance and our friend are gonna pick up me and the dog, and we'll drive the tunnel (or maybe the ferry) into the UK.  i took a screen shot of the provisional flight details (obviously not buying a ticket yet), and in the extra space on the page i typed up my full travel plans, which included coming in from france via the tunnel or ferry.  is this ok? 

I wouldn't go into that much detail. Just put a sentence in your letter emphasising the date you wish the visa to start from.

.unrelated: we found a letter from his housing association that transferred the rental status of the flat from his father's name to my fiance's after his father died this summer.  that and a letter from the landlord is fine, right?

I would include the original tenancy agreement too to complete the picture.

I wouldn't go into that much detail. Just put a sentence in your letter emphasising the date you wish the visa to start from.

I would include the original tenancy agreement too to complete the picture.

Okay, I just thought I needed to make some kind of comment on why my provisional travel plans were arriving in Paris, not the UK.  Won't that be an issue? 

We don't actually have the original tenancy agreement.  It was in a stack of papers that went to the solicitor during the investigation of his father's suicide.

Okay, I just thought I needed to make some kind of comment on why my provisional travel plans were arriving in Paris, not the UK.  Won't that be an issue? 

We don't actually have the original tenancy agreement.  It was in a stack of papers that went to the solicitor during the investigation of his father's suicide.

Provisional travel plans are not a required part of the application, it's just something some people mention if they want to emphasise their intended travel date.

I would contact the solicitor then, to have him return the document.

Should I include copies of my birth certificate, legal name change certificate, and adoption papers?  I've had 3 different last names, so I had to list those on the form, but there is no option to choose "my mom was so pissed off at my dad for leaving she legally changed my name to my grandma's"... i went with "other".  Also, there is no explanation as to why that isn't my name anymore (I was adopted a few years later).

Should I include copies of my birth certificate, legal name change certificate, and adoption papers?  I've had 3 different last names, so I had to list those on the form, but there is no option to choose "my mom was so pissed off at my dad for leaving she legally changed my name to my grandma's"... i went with "other".  Also, there is no explanation as to why that isn't my name anymore (I was adopted a few years later).

If none of the prior names have appeared on any passports you have held, I would not include any of that information.  Birth certificates are not required and should not be submitted. 

Provisional travel plans are not a required part of the application, it's just something some people mention if they want to emphasise their intended travel date.

So what kind of proof can I give as intended travel date? 
I mean, the truth of it is, I want to get back in time for the Isle of Wight Festival, as that is where my fiance and i met last year.  It happens near the end of June, and I need to have my dog adjust to his new dog sitter for a few weeks before we go

You don’t need to give any proof of travel date.

If you want, you can just add in a line in the cover letter to say the reason why you want to be in the UK on that date.


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ok. i just put down the date, then mentioned i'd be willing to go earlier if i was approved before that date, as I'm excited to get back for our anniversary.

and about the name change thing, the question literally says "Have you ever used, or been known by, any other names? This includes a married name, maiden name, name at birth, professional name"

my name at birth was Mestrovich.  Then from age 6-8 it was McLain. After that till now, Steward.  These are easy to explain and prove they aren't previous marriages or dubious... i was a kid.  but if it asks for name at birth and I don't give it, i feel that's uncomfortably sketchy.

wouldn't it be better for me to just add these (i have the forms for my name changes, so documentation is not a problem).

ok. i just put down the date, then mentioned i'd be willing to go earlier if i was approved before that date, as I'm excited to get back for our anniversary.

and about the name change thing, the question literally says "Have you ever used, or been known by, any other names? This includes a married name, maiden name, name at birth, professional name"

my name at birth was Mestrovich.  Then from age 6-8 it was McLain. After that till now, Steward.  These are easy to explain and prove they aren't previous marriages or dubious... i was a kid.  but if it asks for name at birth and I don't give it, i feel that's uncomfortably sketchy.

wouldn't it be better for me to just add these (i have the forms for my name changes, so documentation is not a problem).

Yes, if it asks what the name at birth was, then provide the documentation trail.   

ok. i just put down the date, then mentioned i'd be willing to go earlier if i was approved before that date, as I'm excited to get back for our anniversary.

You should put down the earliest possible date you might wish to enter the UK.

They will start it at the earliest 7 days before the date you put. If the date you put has passed before the visa is issued, it usually will be made valid from about 7 days after they make the decision.

What they WON'T do (usually) is make it valid starting earlier than 7 days before your intended travel date. i.e. if you apply in March and put a date in June, even if the visa is issued in March or April, you still won't be able to travel until June.

if you are issued a visa, how many days do you have from the time you get it to the time you travel?  i'm asking, cause i'm not buying a ticket till i get a visa, and if it's like 5 days, but there isn't an affordable till 9 days later, am i out of luck?

if you are issued a visa, how many days do you have from the time you get it to the time you travel?  i'm asking, cause i'm not buying a ticket till i get a visa, and if it's like 5 days, but there isn't an affordable till 9 days later, am i out of luck?

Let's say your visa is issued for May 10, you have thirty days to get to the U.K. If you were to be issued it for May 10 but receive it May 13, it's still 30 days from the date it is issued not received.

Some people fly in, grab their BRP and fly back to the States to take care of any remaining business.

Ok, about ready to get all my documents in order (minus the biometrics and a few other things, cause i'm still in the UK visiting till the 25th, but plan to apply the moment i get home). so, here is my list, with a few questions:

Application Contents/Cover Letter
(Printed Application <will do at home)
Appendix 2 (Section 3A)
(Biometrics <will do at home)

Applicant Documents:
Current Passport
Previous Passport < i do have a photocopy of it, but i haven't found the original. may have been lost in my home's flood 2 years ago.  can i do anything about that?
2 Passport Photos
Letter About Name Changes
Change of Name Court Document
Amended Birth Certificate (this was a name change when i was 9)
Letter Explaining Criminal Record
Print out of 'Non-Payment of Fare' 2005 Case Info < i don't have the court papers anymore, and i only remembered this cause i did a background check on myself. this is just a print out of the case information. do they need actual court documents? cause the court closed years ago.
Superior Court Case Summary 2011 Conviction (2 misdemeanors - time spent as of 2013)
Court Docket for Arrest 2011 (this case was dismissed. i was never convicted. i felt i should disclose it, so i put it in my letter and included this document, but didn't include it on the visa application online. should i? or should i not include any of it?)
Proof of Relationship Letter
Photos including one in US, one in UK, and of my engagement ring
Facebook Chat/Video Chat Logs (just a few samples)
Airline Flight Itineraries for all our visits
Email To/From Morden Registers Office about booking for wedding in Sept


Sponsor Documents
Declaration of Support
Photo of Passport
Employer Letter
6 Months Pay Stubs
6 Months Bank Statements
Solicitor Letter (explaining the recent large deposit was from inheritance)
Landlord Letter
Transferral of Tenancy Agreement (to my fiance)


I realize some of the stuff is a bit odd.  I had 2 name changes as a child cause my mom got divorced and remarried, and changed my name once in between.  Second, we were worried a large deposit just a few months before my application into my fiances' bank may look like we were funds parking to qualify, which wasn't the case.  And the original tenancy agreement was taken during the police investigation and inquiry of his father's suicide last year, so thats why we only have the transfer of tenancy paper.

So any help with those questions in red, or anything I missed, please let me know!