How old can the marriage certificate be, is 3-4 months good enough?
I'm trying to help my parents get UK visitor visa from a non-EU country (Serbia) so they can visit me for one week in London.
I've asked them to provide a marriage certificate, since my mom is unemployed. They got it 3 months ago, however, I wasn't able to collect all the documents in the meantime, so they'll be applying for VISA in a few weeks.
Should all documents be at most 3 months old? How about the marriage certificate?
Edit: To clarify, my parents have been married for more than 25 years, it's just the document that is more than 3 months old. I guess my question was if the document needs to be less than 3 months old or it's not important in this case.
Best Answer
For applicants in the situation you describe, i.e., visiting their children in the UK, there are no specific requirements as to the age of ANY supporting evidence. The 3 months thing is something that probably vectored from the PBS side where there are rigid age requirements. Best practices, on the other hand, informs us that more credibility is granted to applicants who do their best to make sure their evidence is recent. PLAB applicants, for example, are required to submit an invitation to sit the exam and naturally such invitations have an implicit time fuse on them.
Nobody expects a marriage certificate to be of any specific age, it can be from yesterday. I have even seen a case where the marriage certificate was less than 4 hours old (and the applicant was successful).
Should all documents be at most 3 months old?
There is no specific age limitation for evidence unless it is specified when filling out the application (PLAB applicants) or mentioned in the guidance. In the general sense, it should be recent in order to establish credibility, but again, it's not a stated requirement.
How about the marriage certificate?
A marriage certificate can be any age. Having said that, note that they are entitled to look beyond the formal document to be satisfied that the marriage is genuine and subsisting. So you would advise your parents to include the relevant evidence in addition to their marriage certificate. These are things like joint bank accounts, joint tenancies, and things that a bona fide couple would be expected to have (there are no "trick questions", but knowing what they will look for can be very helpful).
To clarify my question, they have been married for more than 25 years, but the document is 3 months old.
It's unusual, and a sentence or two explaining the situation might be helpful, but there's nothing in itself to cause a refusal. It's more important to establish that the marriage is genuine and a certificate only accomplishes a part of that.
Pictures about "How old can the marriage certificate be, is 3-4 months good enough?"
How long after wedding do you get marriage certificate UK?
If you marry in a Church of England church you will sign a marriage document. After the ceremony you have 21 days to get the signed schedule or document to the registration service. This is the responsibility of the clergy or authorised person at the church, but they may ask you to arrange it.When should the marriage be registered in India?
It is noteworthy that the date and time of the marriage given by the marriage registrar for a marriage under the Hindu Marriage act, 1955 is approximately 15-30 days after submission of the form. Furthermore, in the case of the Special Marriage Act,1954, it is approximately 60 days.Is marriage certificate important in India?
A marriage certificate is an important document to have for married couples in India. It serves as the legal proof of marriage between two individuals. Getting their marriage registered and having a marriage certificate is necessary for married couples in order to avail a number of services/facilities in the country.How do I get my marriage certificate UK?
You need to register on the General Register Office ( GRO ) website to get a copy of a birth, adoption, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate in England and Wales. You can use this service to research your family tree.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Andrea Piacquadio, RODNAE Productions, Kelly, Nicola Barts