Travelling on a Fiance Visa

[BATS]

If you are successful in obtaining a fiance visa do you have to travel on it immediately or could you wait 2/3 months before travelling on it? I am aware that it is only valid for 6 months but would it be possible to come over 2 months before your wedding was taking place?

[John]

No problem with that plan.

Just don't leave it too late! It takes over 3 weeks to complete the legal formalities in the UK before a marriage can take place .... so no one should ever leave it to the sixth month of validity of the fiancé(e) visa before travelling to the UK.

But coming to the UK in the third or fourth month of validity will not tend to cause a problem. Just get a move on as soon as you arrive.

[BATS]

Thanks very much for your quick response John. We are submitting my Fiances visa application in February but are not planning on getting married until June so if for some reason we got an answer in February he probably would not come over until mid April. I just didnt want him to get into any sort of trouble for not travelling as soon as it was issued!

Thanks again

[John]

In that case be aware that you can request that the start date of the visa is delayed ... for up to 3 months. For example, whilst the visa might be approved say 1st February it might, at your request, have a start date of say 1st April .... and accordingly an end date of say 1st October.

A word of warning .... if you request a delayed start like that ... you cannot change it later. For example, using the above "facts", if there is later a desire to travel to the UK mid-March ... well impossible to do that without submitting another application!

Nevertheless this feature is useful, especially where you know the person certainly will not travel before a known date or has to give say one month notice to their current employer, and will not give that notice until the visa is actually in the passport.