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Can anyone tell me if my boyfriend needs to apply for a marriage visitor visa while working in the UK on a relevant civilian employee of NATO forces?
I was told by someone online that two visas can’t run at the same time and because his already got a visa which entitles him to do his US government job here in the UK for 5 years he won’t need a marriage visitor visa. Is that true?

  • Does this answer your question? Can a non-UK citizen marry in the UK on a visitor visa? – DavidRecallsMonica Dec 18 '21 at 18:06
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    Thanks but not the same situation. Americans don’t need a visa to visit the uk.they can stay here for up to 6 mo this without one. If they intend to visit and get married then they require a marriage visitor visa. Thanks anyhow –  Dec 18 '21 at 18:12
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    @dmj1010 Please note the second sentence of the referenced question and answer. The question you posed here is answered there: without a marriage visa, a visitor intending to marry in the UK must notify the Home Office, which may — or may not — approve the marriage. – DavidRecallsMonica Dec 18 '21 at 18:40
  • If he’s got leave to remain in the UK for 5 years, he is not a visitor. The info in your question is confusing, please clarify his Immigration status – Traveller Dec 18 '21 at 18:47
  • I wonder if Expatriates SE is the right place to ask, or maybe Law SE. The boyfriend has some sort of residency under the relevant Status of Forces Agreement, so the usual visitor rules need not apply. – o.m. Dec 18 '21 at 18:53
  • I recommend asking on our [expatriates.se] site, because this amounts to "Can someone marry on a resident visa?", and people there will know more about resident visas. If you ask it can probably be migrated to there. – DJClayworth Dec 18 '21 at 18:58
  • Please check whether your boyfriend, as a Nato employee, is under immigration control at all. There are some groups of people who don't need and who can't get a UK visa: UK citizens obviously, and certain embassy employees and Nato employees. – gnasher729 Dec 20 '21 at 21:05
  • @gnasher729 I thought of that, and I found a guidance document online that says very explicitly that "relevant civilian employees" of NATO forces are indeed subject to immigration control. (While those who are exempt from immigration control don't get visas, they can get an "exempt vignette.") – phoog Dec 21 '21 at 17:34

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Your boyfriend is not a "visitor" in immigration law, so he doesn't need and should not seek a marriage visitor visa. He ought to be able to marry you while present in the UK in his current status. The procedure is the same as for someone who entered on a regular visitor visa (or who entered without a visa because they're exempt). This procedure is described at https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships:

If you do not have a marriage visitor visa or family visa

You can still give notice of your intention to get married or form a civil partnership but the immigration authorities at the Home Office will be told.

The Home Office might:

  • ask questions about you and your relationship - if this happens you may need to wait up to 70 days before getting married or forming a civil partnership
  • decide not to approve your notice - if this happens you cannot get married or form a civil partnership in the UK
phoog
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  • I read the text, and it seems you don’t need a marriage visa if you applied for settled status, whether your application was accepted or not. At least that’s what it says. Probably not what they mean. – gnasher729 Dec 21 '21 at 14:56
  • @gnasher729 I think it probably is what they mean, since someone with a pending application for settled status is in an unusual position. But settled status is not relevant to US citizens unless they are the family member of someone who has or is eligible for settled status, and there's no reason to think that this is the case here. – phoog Dec 21 '21 at 17:32