Civil Partnership with US girlfriend for marriage visa UK

[Atlanta2Cardiff]

Hi all,

I’m new to this forum but I was hoping for some help as I’ve been going in circles for some information.

First a short backstory:
My girlfriend and I met 3 years ago and have been together for the last 2.5 years, I live in Wales (born and raised) and she is from Atlanta, Georgia. For the last 2 years we have been back and forth every 2 months or so visiting each other. In January she came over to Bristol to study abroad on a 6 study visa - our plan is for her to move over here permanently in the summer.

We have decided that we are going to get a civil partnership as we would prefer to get married a few years down the line and she will live here with me on a marriage visa. We have bought a house for us to move into at the end of June and fulfil all of the criteria, I understand that the most common issue is the salary to sponsor your partner but I earn over the requirement so that won’t be a problem.

I’m wondering if anyone knows where we can get a civil partnership that we don’t need a visa to do it. I know that we can get a fiancé visa for her to come to the UK and for us to do it here however I know that will require her going back home for up to 12 weeks and it’s very expensive. Ideally we’re looking to go to another country where we can get the civil partnership without having to get a fiancé visa or anything like that. The biggest struggle that I’m finding so far is:
Countries that accept civil partnership between a heterosexual couple
Countries that allow a civil partnership between two visitors
Countries that allow a civil partnership without a fiance visa (or similar)
A civil partnership that will stand for the marriage visa

I found this on the gov page as is a little concerning:
Your marriage or civil partnership will be recognised in the UK if both of the following apply:
you followed the correct process in the country where you got married
it would be allowed under UK law

Also if we were able to get a civil partnership abroad would she then be able to enter the UK on a visitor and apply for a marriage visa while she is over here?

Any help or advise would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks,

[seagul]

Also if we were able to get a civil partnership abroad would she then be able to enter the UK on a visitor and apply for a marriage visa while she is over here?

Any help or advise would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks,

No. For spouse visa she will have to apply from back home because visitor cannot switch into any other visa without leaving UK.

[OJRICHARDS]

I am on the same position. The only difference is that I will be in UK on Student Visa (Tier 4). If we get married in the US, can I apply for a marriage or switch from Student visa to marriage visa while in the UK?

[seagul]

I am on the same position. The only difference is that I will be in UK on Student Visa (Tier 4). If we get married in the US, can I apply for a marriage or switch from Student visa to marriage visa while in the UK?

Yes you can because tier 4 visa allows switching into spouse visa from UK

[indi]

We have decided that we are going to get a civil partnership as we would prefer to get married a few years down the line and she will live here with me on a marriage visa.

Couple of things.

Do you realise that a civil partnership and a marriage are to all intents and purposes exactly the same thing?

You almost certainly won't be able to convert an opposite-sex CP into a marriage at a later date. The only reason that you can convert a same-sex CP into a marriage, is because of the period where a CP was the only option for a same-sex couple who wanted to formalise their relationship. It would have been unfair, and probably unlawful, to prevent couples who would have opted for a marriage if they had had the chance from converting to one. That will never have been the case for opposite-sex couples, so there is no need for a conversion process.

Wanting to get married (to the same person) is not a legally-valid reason for the dissolution of a CP. Meaning that once you're in a CP, you're committed to it. This explains the "probably unlawful" bit from my previous paragraph.

Countries that accept civil partnership between a heterosexual couple

I found this on the gov page as is a little concerning:
Your marriage or civil partnership will be recognised in the UK if both of the following apply:
you followed the correct process in the country where you got married
it would be allowed under UK law

I'm not 100%, but I think the two highlighted bits above make you having a CP outside of the UK a waste of time.