Marriage in 'Philippines or England'

[RickyR]

For the technicalties of visa's (fiance vs spouse) and also for any legal complications, is their any benefit of getting married in the UK rather then the Philippines?

[aromulus]

For the technicalties of visa's (fiance vs spouse) and also for any legal complications, is their any benefit of getting married in the UK rather then the Philippines?


No apparent benefit at all, from my point of view.

Marriage in the Philippines is also cheaper and saves the hassle and hardship of having to fork out for fiancee visa.:omg:

Besides, I reckon that a spouse visa, provided all documentation is correct, is slightly easier to obtain.

[darren-b]

No apparent benefit at all, from my point of view.

Marriage in the Philippines is also cheaper and saves the hassle and hardship of having to fork out for fiancee visa.:omg:

Besides, I reckon that a spouse visa, provided all documentation is correct, is slightly easier to obtain.

The one benefit of getting married in the UK is that it does allow you to live together for up to 6 months in the UK before you get married (ie experience real life together in the cold weather in the UK). If though you have managed to get a visitor visa it would not be an advantage.

[RickyR]

It looks a lot cheaper and easier to marry in the Philippines, bring the family out. Marvie's been to the uk 3 times on a visit visa, and is sort of 50/50 as to living in the UK. Personally I hate the weather in the UK, and think its a country that is slowly going downhill. I also worry that because I work away for around 6 - 8 months a year, so she'd be pretty lonely being in the UK.

The only reason that we would spend time in the UK is to obtain a British Passport for her, to make it easier travelling and coming out to sail with me. But I think it's 3 years she has to spend in the UK for that?

The only thing i'm concerned about was whether any legal issues might occur affecting it, and whether its more difficulty obtaining a spouse visa or a fiance visa.

In the meantime i'm back out for two months in the Philippines in June and July, and again in September/October (I get suckered with a 350 pound return flight via 'Manchester, London, Dubai, Brunei, Manila, Cebu' and seemingly the entire world though, whilst she enjoys business class on BA using my air miles! What we do for love eh?)

[darren-b]

The only reason that we would spend time in the UK is to obtain a British Passport for her, to make it easier travelling and coming out to sail with me. But I think it's 3 years she has to spend in the UK for that?

It's currently 3 years, and she would have to spend a reasonable proportion of those 3 years in the UK. This though may change.




The only thing i'm concerned about was whether any legal issues might occur affecting it, and whether its more difficulty obtaining a spouse visa or a fiance visa.

Don't think there's any legal issues and some people claim it's easier to get a spouse visa, but we had no problems getting a fiancee visa.

[scott&ligaya]

(I get suckered with a 350 pound return flight via 'Manchester, London, Dubai, Brunei, Manila, Cebu' and seemingly the entire world though, whilst she enjoys business class on BA using my air miles! What we do for love eh?)[/QUOTE]

Oh so I am not the only one who "suffers for my honey" although I do feel sorrow for the others who paid business and then have to put up with a 13month old baby... only kidding he is our little prince and sleeps most of the journey. well he has up until now

[Mrs.JMajor]

If your concern getting her british passport,then she willll have to stay in the uk 3 years or m0re,
Fiancee visa and spouse visa are almost the same,since youre IN on the forum,you should not have difficulties gathering necessary documents for application
Really cheap marrying in the phil if it is simple,go civil wedding then bring them at eat all you can 299.00 per head ,we been there many times,i love it sooo cheap per head 299.php
here china diner £15.00,

http://www.thunderbirdresorts.com/info/en/development.aspx
buffet style was superb,

http://www.thunderbirdresorts.com/philippines/

[joebloggs]

another difference is on a spouse visa your wife could work straight away..

while on a fiancée visa, she would have to wait until your married and have FLR ..

[aposhark]

For the technicalties of visa's (fiance vs spouse) and also for any legal complications, is their any benefit of getting married in the UK rather then the Philippines?

Slightly off-topic but worthwhile to mention.
A foreigner getting married in a church in the Phils can be more difficult than a civil wedding.
I have read that some foreigners seem to have obstacles put in their paths, so they give up and have a civil wedding.
So, if you are very religious, bear this in mind.

[aromulus]

Slightly off-topic but worthwhile to mention.
A foreigner getting married in a church in the Phils can be more difficult than a civil wedding.
I have read that some foreigners seem to have obstacles put in their paths, so they give up and have a civil wedding.
So, if you are very religious, bear this in mind.

It is probably the Catholic Church's Matrimonial Tribunal that has to release a certificate after investigating the white guy's divorce.
When I first made enquiries, here in Wales, the priest was adamant that I had to have it to be able to re-marry in Church. :NoNo:
It would have taken six-12 months for the investigation and they would have expected a "substantial donation"
http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=2472&highlight=matrimonial+tribunal

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=1856&highlight=matrimonial+tribunal

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=2717&highlight=matrimonial+tribunal

So we opted for Civil Wedding.:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Arthur Little]

Yes, I would tend to agree with the views of others on here. Best go for a civil wedding in the PHILIPPINES - less expensive - and, the registry office is quicker in releasing the marriage documents for NSO verification than the Church, from what I hear. Then, once everything is "cut and dried" visa-wise, the CFO requirements complied with and your beloved is safely ensconced in the UK, you might want to approach your local priest, vicar or minister for a religious blessing in the company of friends and relatives who, by virtue of the distance involved, were prevented from being present at the first ceremony.

Personally, I feel the fiance(e) route is a waste of both time and money for the reasons Joe Bloggs has given.

[darren-b]

Personally, I feel the fiance(e) route is a waste of both time and money for the reasons Joe Bloggs has given.

Oddly we paid less in visa fees taking the fiancee route than several friends who went through the spouse visa route at about the same time because they delayed their journey to the UK for more than 30 days and had to apply for FLR. Though as the original settlement visa is twice the price (we only paid £260 for the fiancee visa) and the spouse visa is 27 months it wouldn't be the case now.

Personally I didn't want to get married in the Philippines then have to return to the UK on my own knowing it would be several months before we could live together as man and wife. The fact that my fiancee/wife couldn't work straightaway was irrelevant as I wanted her to have time to get use to her new 'home' before starting work.

[MarBell379]

For me this is also influenced by the amount of time I can get off work. Having booked a 3 week trip to Philippines already, I would have to wait until next year to get enough time to get married in Philippines without rushing around organising and then flying back the day after.
A fiancee Visa for us will work better, giving us more time in the Uk to get everything sorted without panic. We can then fly to Philippines next year and have plenty of time for a blessing ceremony and celebration in a more relaxed fashion.

[joebloggs]

Oddly we paid less in visa fees taking the fiancee route than several friends who went through the spouse visa route at about the same time because they delayed their journey to the UK for more than 30 days and had to apply for FLR. Though as the original settlement visa is twice the price (we only paid £260 for the fiancee visa) and the spouse visa is 27 months it wouldn't be the case now.

Personally I didn't want to get married in the Philippines then have to return to the UK on my own knowing it would be several months before we could live together as man and wife. The fact that my fiancee/wife couldn't work straightaway was irrelevant as I wanted her to have time to get use to her new 'home' before starting work.

fiancee visa route not less for most people, as settlement visa > flr > ilr
spouse visa route settlement visa >ilr

cheaper to get married in the phils if you don't take your uk family :D, give your lady a big wedding in the phils with all her family and friends there, and have something smaller in the uk for your family.

you still have to wait near enough the same time for a fiancee visa or spouse visa.

[Piamed]

(I get suckered with a 350 pound return flight via 'Manchester, London, Dubai, Brunei, Manila, Cebu' and seemingly the entire world though, whilst she enjoys business class on BA using my air miles! What we do for love eh?)

Oh so I am not the only one who "suffers for my honey" although I do feel sorrow for the others who paid business and then have to put up with a 13month old baby... only kidding he is our little prince and sleeps most of the journey. well he has up until now[/QUOTE]I was wondering the same thing when we travel with Marikit at 4 months old. I can't even remember where the bassinet will be fixed. Marikit now has a plane ticket, I bought it when she was 2 days old :)

[RickyR]

Seriously swayed towards marrying in the Philippines, maybe can get a group discount for 10 family members from the UK to come and be enlightened by Cebu!

[RickyR]

Plus thats what 'she' wants, and I always lose arguments.

[lbechner]

Only one caution. If you marry in the Philippines and it doesn't work out for you two you can't get a divorce. If you marry in the UK you could if you have to. Also, I suggest either way, get a prenup. Sounds like you've been back and forth here enough to know that her family will expect some financial support from you.

You could stay in the Philippines and have a fancy wedding if you want, but don't expect it to be cheap like most are saying. A friend of mine just got married again here in a fancy civil wedding and it cost him 500K pesos. Her family was poor and he paid for it all. Of course he wanted to give her the best of everything but it took a big chunk of his savings. He was working here in my office in Makati when he got married making a fair amount of money at the time. Then the economy went to hell and we all lost our jobs. He's now working in Libya and she's with her family as they lost their condo and everything. Yet, he is sill trying to support her and her family. :doh

Good luck!

[trader dave]

500k :doh must be mad my fiancee is very poor and she would not want to be social like that :Brick: i think the logic is dont over stretch yourself rich foregner :NoNo:

i think theres a new thread there how much did yr philippine wedding cost :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[aromulus]

i think theres a new thread there how much did yr philippine wedding cost :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Very extensive thread about it already in archives...:omg:


http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=152

[aromulus]

Only one caution. If you marry in the Philippines and it doesn't work out for you two you can't get a divorce.


Where did you get this piece of erroneous information...??:Erm:

Please read here......


http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=14176&highlight=divorce

[joebloggs]

You could stay in the Philippines and have a fancy wedding if you want, but don't expect it to be cheap like most are saying. A friend of mine just got married again here in a fancy civil wedding and it cost him 500K pesos. Her family was poor and he paid for it all.

average cost of a uk wedding is now over £20,000 (1.4m php)
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641318507

so have a 500k wedding in the phils and something small in the uk, and you would have 2 great days, both families would be happy and you would still save some money :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[MarBell379]

How on earth can the AVERAGE cost of a wedding in the UK be £20,000!!!
I know its not cheap here, but that must be super inflated by movie stars and footballers spending millions!

[aromulus]

How on earth can the AVERAGE cost of a wedding in the UK be £20,000!!!
I know its not cheap here, but that must be super inflated by movie stars and footballers spending millions!


When I was a lowly assistant catering manager at a certain venue in North Wales, many moons ago, I took and managed a booking from start to finish for 200 pax.
Between the wedding lunch, the evening buffet and disco, free bar for 2 hours, flowers arrangements, carriages (taxis really), entertainment licence, and all sorts of other pre-booked extras it came to the total of 12 k. :omg:
All the other stuff, as in cars, wedding in the church, cake, photographer, and all ancillaries were not included and I cannot say what they cost as I don't know.:Erm:

But here is a modest breakdown from googled link.
The Cost
The average UK wedding in 2002 was costed out by weddingguideuk.com as follows:
Bride's wedding ring £200
Groom's wedding ring £150
Wedding dress £700
Headdress and veil £150
Bridal bouquet £75
Shoes and accessories £125
Bride's beauty treatments £75
Bridesmaids' dresses £500
Groom's outfit £150
Flowers (buttonholes, church, etc.) £200
Printing £300
Wedding cars £300 (:icon_lol:)
Civil/church fees £200
Photographs £400
Video £400
Wedding cake £200
Reception venue or marquee £600
Reception decorations £150
Wedding reception £2000 (:icon_lol:)
Evening reception £750 (:icon_lol:)
Drinks £750
Entertainment £500
Bride's going-away outfit £150
Wedding night venue £125
Honeymoon £1500
Wedding insurance £50
Other expenses £300
Total £11,000
http://www.howtobooks.co.uk/family/weddings/costs.asp

I got married in Phil, and the hotel wedding package for us, was less than 500 quid.:xxgrinning--00xx3:
BTW, we invited little over 90 people, nearly 200 turned up....:Erm:

[Florge]

wow!!! and to think my bf was just thinking of spending 5000 pounds.... LOL....

[trader dave]

our bill is 42.000php and 17500 is our week in the resort ,fiancee has arranged everything ok theres only 50 guests [she has no family]:omg: but i expect a few FRIENDS to appear funny that they seemed to appear once we started dating!!!!:NoNo: plastic buan so only a few close friends now, im not kurypot i told her you have everything you want :Rasp: but she still feels its to much money i havent told her how much a wedding could cost in the uk :cwm24::ARsurrender:

[IainBusby]

Sounds like you've been back and forth here enough to know that her family will expect some financial support from you.

This is something you need to discuss before you get married and the more money you throw around now, the more money they will assume you can afford to throw around in the future.


You could stay in the Philippines and have a fancy wedding if you want, but don't expect it to be cheap.

It doesn't have to be expensive unless either you or your bride to be want it to be lavish and showy. My wedding was very hastily arranged for Monday on the previous Friday, as I was due to fly home the following Friday and we had only just managed to get all our legal stuff sorted out. We invited just close family and friends and made some allowance for people who would hear of it and just turn up. We went shopping for wedding clothes and rings on the Saturday, I can't remember how much I spent on that but I'm sure it wasn't a helluva lot or I'm sure I would remember.:Kilt: The reception cost just P250 per head plus P10,000 for a lechon and a wedding cake. On top of that I bought drinks for everyone which again didn't cost that much. Everyone had a good time, had plenty to eat and drink and they all went home happy. :xxgrinning--00xx3:
Iain.

[aposhark]

I got married in Phil, and the hotel wedding package for us, was less than 500 quid.:xxgrinning--00xx3:
BTW, we invited little over 90 people, nearly 200 turned up....:Erm:

Yes ours was that much too.
My wife had PHP 1,500 change when her mum and her discussed everything.
I said "keep it dear, thank you dear for a fantastic day, now can we have a little kiss in private".

Filipino men in the hotels in Cebu and also in Malapascua island told me PHP 35,000 is enough.

[jonbb]

Oddly we paid less in visa fees taking the fiancee route than several friends who went through the spouse visa route at about the same time because they delayed their journey to the UK for more than 30 days and had to apply for FLR. Though as the original settlement visa is twice the price (we only paid £260 for the fiancee visa) and the spouse visa is 27 months it wouldn't be the case now.

Personally I didn't want to get married in the Philippines then have to return to the UK on my own knowing it would be several months before we could live together as man and wife. The fact that my fiancee/wife couldn't work straightaway was irrelevant as I wanted her to have time to get use to her new 'home' before starting work.

hi darren new here, just read your quote was wondering what flr stands for? thanks

[aromulus]

hi darren new here, just read your quote was wondering what flr stands for? thanks

Further Leave to Remain.