New rules for UK marriages kicking in on 1 Feb 2005

It's a bit earlier than I had expected! 

From the Home Office's site:

From 1 February 2005, those under immigration control wishing to give notice to marry will only be able to do so at a specially-designated register office, which they must attend with their partner. They will also have to meet certain strict new eligibility criteria before their notice to marry is accepted.

It means you'll need a permission voucher from the Home Office to even give notice, and it costs £250. 

The loophole they don't mention is that you can avoid the red-tape and expense completely by marrying within the C of E...

is this legal under EU law, which says that all citizens of Europe must be treated equally?

It's talking about people 'under immigration control' so presumably that does not include EU citizens.   Unbelievably Draconian though.

OK, garry you're the source. Does this mean same-sex couples are saved the moeny as well, since they can't marry?

I'm sorry I have to ask but what exactley is C of E???    And would this appy to couples marrying in the uk but intending to live in another country (ie America?)

I'm sorry I have to ask but what exactley is C of E???   

C of E = Church of England

I guess I'm going to have to look into getting married over here in the States to avoid all of this nonsense. It has gone above and beyond everything that I've read and thought I understood about these rules. I thought if you had the required entry clearance, you wouldn't be forced to go to one of the 'designated' register offices. Nice of them to list where the 76 offices in England and Wales are for everyone to see....oh right, they forgot that part.

Is this an additional expense?  Like, would a couple have to pay £250 for the permission to register PLUS £250 for the fiancee' visa and/or spousal visa?

Is this an additional expense?  Like, would a couple have to pay £250 for the permission to register PLUS £250 for the fiancee' visa and/or spousal visa?

That is exactly what I was wondering! I am afraid if that is so then more and more will choose to simply go to the US and marry to bypass the fiancee' visa and the permission to register fee.

I guess we need Garry to answer that but I took it to mean it is additional.   Considering you can buy a return ticket to the US for about that much if not less, I think a lot of US-UK couples will marry over there.  Heaven knows what they will try and introduce next to try and stuff that up for everyone!

Is this an additional expense?  Like, would a couple have to pay £250 for the permission to register PLUS £250 for the fiancee' visa and/or spousal visa?

According to what Garry wrote earlier (search for 2005 by user garry in the advanced search), it appears that non-EU nationals without a fiance visa wishing to marrying a British citizen (EU too??) will be faced with the additional expense.

If they tack on that extra expense to those with fiance visas, then why get the finance visa in the first place?  The visa is supposed to say "hey, it's okay to marry in the UK".

Um, if you have entry clearance for the purpose of getting married in the UK (i.e. your Fiance(e) Visa) then you don't need the "permission voucher" from the Home Office.

Which means no added expense.

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

When the provisions are introduced, people subject to immigration control will not be able to give notice to marry unless:

they have an entry clearance granted expressly for the purpose of marriage in the UK; or

they have the written permission of the Secretary of State to marry in the UK, in the form of a certificate of approval from the Home Office's Immigration and Nationality Department; or

they fall within a class of persons specified by the Secretary of State.

The key word there would be "or."

ah! Thanks Emily for finding that, makes more sense now.  So bascially it applies to people who don't get a fiance entry clearance. 

What about those of us who are already here with a work permit, thus able to be here legally anyway...will this apply to us as well?

I guess it depends on the classes of persons who are "specified by the Secretary of State."

~~whew~~  I am soooooo glad that my husband and I got married when we did and DIDN'T put it off until next year.  Plus, I just can't imagine NOT being married to him now.

Anyway, are they trying to make it just as difficult as they possibly can?  I mean!  This is bordering on the rediculous now when you consider that, once upon a time, like 3 years ago, a visa didn't cost hardly a thing and one could do everything from within the UK - just come over, get married, and stay.  Anyone see Shadowlands?  It worked that way for years, now it seems like they are trying to make up for lost time by not only making things a wee bit tougher by adding some necessary redtape to see if couples are legit, but trying to make it excruiciatingly hard....making all sorts of hoops that people have to jump through.

Well, like I said, I'm just glad things happened for me when they did....any more redtape would have driven me completely batty!