Hi all , First post here , so I,m sorry if you have heard this question a million times over.. I did search honest..... OK here go,s .. We have managed to maintain a long distance relationship for around 3yrs now ( lord knows how) And have decided to take the plunge and marry. She is a US citizen & me a British citizen. We plan to marry in the US & return to live in the UK , due to me being lucky enough to have a well paid job here & I have two young daughters from my first marriage , who,ll miss thier daddy. There are NO plans to return to live in the US for at least the next 5 years. So my question is.. Is there any special visa I need to get to marry in the US , even tho we aint staying there ? May sound like a dumb question but I dont want any hiccups along the way.. Many thanks..

Smudge.

Do you have a visa for her to return and live in the UK?

no you dont need any visa to get married in the US , you can enter on the VWP and get married , as long as you dont stay past your 90days you dont need a visa, however , as AmerLisa pointed out, you will need a settlement visa for your wife to come live in the UK

No, assuming you're eligible to use the Visa Waiver Program and have or obtain a valid ESTA, you won't need a visa to visit the US to marry. You should bring evidence of your strong ties to the UK (letter from employer confirming your job, house/flat mortgage or rental details) with you in case you are asked for them at US immigration (but don't volunteer this if not asked). You should also research any residence requirements for the state where you'll be marrying.

You will need to get your new wife a visa to return with you to the UK of course, unless she happens to have an EU dual-citizenship up her sleeve. This may not be as unlikely as you may think - lots of Americans with Irish ancestry for instance qualify for Irish citizenship and often don't know it.

You don't need a visa to marry in the US, if you are eligible to travel under the VWP.

Great TY for all your swift replys. I been coming & going to the US a while now on the ESTA without any dramas at immigration. Your answers are kinda what I thought but wanted to double check.. as we all know how beaurcracy likes to throw spanners in the works

RE my missus , she WILL have to apply to live in the UK unless she claims a Swedish passport which shes entitled to due close blood relatives (apparently). I was speaking to an American at work just last week who told me when he married a UKC in the US.. he just travelled here as a visitor then applyed in retrospect for leave to remain and 3 yrs later was naturalised as a UKC. That was a fair few years ago now & I expect its all changed. The UKBA website does not give any help of when she should apply for her visa. Do you think itsa good thing to get it before we wed or just turn up as a visitor & then apply ? any ideas ?.

Thx ,

Smudge.

if she had a swedish passport then she would not need a visa to enter and live in the UK , but if she doesnt have the passport then you would need a settlement visa to live in the UK with you, she cannot enter the UK as a tourist and then change status , the visa has to be applied for in her country of origin.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/vi...ly-outside-uk/
here is the relevant page on the UKBA website that has the details of the visa

If I were her I'd definitely get the Swedish passport as soon as. (It won't affect her US citizenship at all if she's worried about that as Sweden now allows dual citizenship). it means she won't need a visa to enter the UK as your wife and can work (and even vote in local / EU elections) without any extra paperwork from day one. My wife is a dual US / Irish citizen and having an Irish passport meant she just flew in and that was that.

Don't do what your american friend claims he did.

If she doesn't receive the Swedish passport, she should apply and receive a UK settlement visa prior to leaving the US. She may be able to do this during your US visit, depending on how well planned everything is, and then you can enter the UK together. That's what my (UK) husband and I did.

Yeah, passport is much cheaper than the settlement visa and probably much less hassle.

The turning up whilst a tourist is something that ended years ago.

Well TY all once again. Having just now spoke to her she is gonna look into gaining a Swedish passport. If that fails we have to apply for a spousal visa which TBH , should,nt be a problem ( expensive pain in the butt yes ) but should,nt be a problem. There was one thing we noticed on the UKBA site that is about supporting documents. Since she will resign from her job in the US & will be traveling here effectivly unemployed it mentioned that she may need supporting financial documents from myself for her application. What are those ? a bank statement , several months of wage slips or even a letter from my employer confirming my salary. I,m over for Thanksgiving next month so I,ll bring them with me so we can get the ball rolling. I can more than enough support her here & she need not work again as my wife.. but she wants to work again & I respect that 100%, infact encourage it as she dont know many people here outside my family & close circle of freinds. LMAO how a random "Hello" in a bar 3 yrs ago has changed our lives. Thx,

Smudge.

If she doesn't get a Swedish passport, then check out www.uk-yankee.com for the finer points of applying for her visa to come to you in the UK.