Marriage advice for UK visa

I am traveling to India in October to get married & would like to know a couple of things.

Do I need to register my marriage in addition to the traditional / religious ceremony so that I can apply for a settlement visa for my wife to come back with me to the UK? If so, can this be done before the Nikkah (traditional / religious) ceremony?

Secondly, I will be arriving in India on the 29th October and returning to the UK on the 19th November. The Nikkah (traditional / religious) ceremony will be taking place on the 4th November & then I am traveling to Delhi for a week. This means that I will not have much time from handing the application in to flying back home (if the application is handed in on Monday 5th Nov). Is there any process that would allow me to launch the application, provisionally, the day I arrive so that I have a better chance of getting an interview date (if needed) before I fly back, giving me the chance to bring my wife back to the UK with me? This is assuming the application is successful, however.

Any advice would be appreciated.

fizz wrote:I am traveling to India in October to get married & would like to know a couple of things.

Do I need to register my marriage in addition to the traditional / religious ceremony so that I can apply for a settlement visa for my wife to come back with me to the UK? If so, can this be done before the Nikkah (traditional / religious) ceremony?

Secondly, I will be arriving in India on the 29th October and returning to the UK on the 19th November. The Nikkah (traditional / religious) ceremony will be taking place on the 4th November & then I am traveling to Delhi for a week. This means that I will not have much time from handing the application in to flying back home (if the application is handed in on Monday 5th Nov). Is there any process that would allow me to launch the application, provisionally, the day I arrive so that I have a better chance of getting an interview date (if needed) before I fly back, giving me the chance to bring my wife back to the UK with me? This is assuming the application is successful, however.

Any advice would be appreciated.

We recently married in Pakistan and had to provide the original Certificate of the Nikkah in Urdu and an English transation, which had to be witnessed and attested & a copy lodged at the local court.
You will need to submit all papers and then allow 12 weeks for the spouse visa application. There is no way around this as far as I know, unless procedure is different in India. I am pretty sure it is the same as in Pakistan though. Unfortunately, you will be facing some time apart and you travelling back to UK while you await outcome of visa.
We are now in this position, as are lots of others on this forum - if you do a search for SPOUSE VISA you should get lots of advice.
Also, maybe someone with direct experience in India can give you more detail.

thanks for the advice, I heard India waiting time is not as long though.