Getting Married on a UK ETA in 2026? Why You Need a Marriage Visa

You cannot legally marry or form a civil partnership in the UK on an ETA. Getting married requires a Marriage Visitor visa, even for a quick ceremony with no plan to stay. The ETA is a visitor permission: it lets you attend someone else’s wedding, but it does not allow you to be the one getting married. Picking the wrong document can stop a ceremony before it starts. Below is who needs which route in 2026, and why the £20 authorisation is only ever for guests.

TL;DR: Attending a wedding? An ETA is fine: £20 for two years of visits. Marrying or forming a civil partnership yourself? You need a marriage visa instead, whether or not you intend to settle. If you plan to live with a UK spouse afterwards, that is a separate family route. Match your purpose to the document before you book.

Quick Facts: weddings and the ETA	Detail
Attend a wedding as a guest on an ETA?	Yes — a permitted visit
Marry or form a civil partnership on an ETA?	No — needs a marriage visa
ETA fee (guests)	£20 (since 8 April 2026)
Marriage Visitor visa length	Up to 6 months
Planning to settle?	A family visa, not an ETA

Confirm your route on the gov.uk visa checker, and read the marriage rules on the Marriage Visitor visa pages. Our ETA or visa decision guide helps you place your own plan.

Can you get married in the UK on an ETA?

No. Tying the knot in Britain — whether a full wedding or a register-office ceremony — calls for a dedicated marriage visa, and the rule holds even when the couple lives abroad and leaves straight after. The ETA, like any visitor permission, expressly excludes marrying or giving notice of marriage. It is a guest’s document, not a couple’s.

A short ceremony with no plan to settle still needs a visa, because immigration law treats marrying in the UK as a regulated act in its own right. The visitor rules list what a visit allows, and marrying is not on that list. The same applies to civil partnerships and to giving formal notice at a register office.

So if either partner is the one marrying, start with the marriage route, never an ETA. The official checker confirms which visa fits. Allow more lead time than you would for an instant authorisation.

Attending a wedding as a guest on an ETA

If you are flying in for someone else’s wedding, whether as a guest, best man, bridesmaid or parent of the couple, an ETA covers you. Attending a ceremony and reception counts as an ordinary social visit, which is exactly what the authorisation is for, and you can stay for up to six months.

That covers nearly everyone in the room. Relatives flying over for a niece’s wedding, friends crossing the Atlantic for a reception, a band’s overseas guests — all travel as visitors. The £20 authorisation, valid two years for multiple entries, even lets you return for an anniversary later without reapplying. Families travelling together should note each person needs their own; our guide for families and children covers how that works for younger guests.

Your role at the wedding	Right document
Guest, best man, bridesmaid	ETA (£20, online)
Marrying in the UK	Marriage Visitor visa
Civil partnership in the UK	Marriage visa
Moving in with a UK spouse	Family visa

Important: Do not enter as a guest on an ETA intending to quietly marry while you are here. Register offices require proof of immigration status, and an attempt to marry without the right visa can be refused and reported. The marriage route exists precisely so the ceremony can go ahead lawfully.

The marriage visa: the route to marry in Britain

This visa is purpose-built for couples who want to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK and then leave. It lasts up to six months, lets you complete the ceremony and the legal notice, and does not require you to stay afterwards. Crucially, it is needed even when neither partner intends to live in Britain.

Take a typical scenario: a couple from abroad choose a Cotswolds venue, with no plan to relocate. Two ETAs would not be enough, even if both already qualify as visitors — marrying in the UK puts them on the marriage route. Their overseas guests, by contrast, can travel on the £20 authorisation. One wedding, two completely different documents depending on whether you say “I do” or just clap. Plan the lead time accordingly, and check current waits against our timing guide.

Marrying versus settling: where a family visa comes in

There is a third scenario that catches couples out. If you marry a British or settled partner and intend to live in the UK together, the marriage route is not enough — that is a family visa, a longer and more involved application. The marriage route covers the ceremony and a prompt departure; settling needs the separate spouse or partner route.

The distinction is about what happens after the confetti. A couple marrying in Britain and flying home uses the marriage route. A couple marrying and moving in together needs a family visa that allows residence and, in time, settlement. European partners face the same framework, since EU nationals joined the ETA scheme on 2 April 2025 and gained no special marriage rights with it. Confirm eligibility against our eligible countries list and the official checker before you choose.

How a wedding guest applies for a UK ETA

If you are a guest, the application takes about ten to fifteen minutes. You open the official app or website, scan your passport, take a live photo, answer a short set of suitability questions, and pay £20 by card. Most approvals land by email within minutes, though the Home Office allows up to three working days, so file ahead of the date.

1. Use your current passport: the authorisation links to one document, so apply on the passport you will travel on — follow the official application steps.
2. Scan and photograph: the app reads your passport chip and takes a live image to confirm identity.
3. Answer honestly: the questions ask about criminal convictions and any involvement in war crimes, terrorism or extremism, and the Home Office also checks your immigration history — giving false information can lead to refusal.
4. Pay and submit: the £20 card payment finalises it; keep the reference number.
5. File early: a three-working-day buffer absorbs any manual review — see our timing guide.

Weddings run to a fixed date, so sort the paperwork weeks ahead. The fee was £16 from 9 April 2025 (up from £10 before that) and has been £20 since 8 April 2026.

Practical tips for couples and guests on getting married on a UK ETA

Decide your role first, then choose the document. Guests use the £20 authorisation; the couple marrying uses the marriage route; couples settling need a family visa. Sorting this before booking flights or a venue avoids the worst-case outcome — a ceremony blocked because the wrong permission was used to enter the country.

• Guests: apply for the £20 authorisation early — see the timing guide.
• Couples marrying: use the Marriage Visitor visa, even with no plan to stay.
• Couples settling: a family visa, not an ETA, allows you to live together.
• Match the passport: travel on the exact document linked to your approval.
• Allow lead time: a visa takes far longer than an instant ETA — plan weeks ahead.

Get the roles straight and the day runs smoothly: guests breeze in on an authorisation, the couple arrives on the right visa, and nobody learns the rules at the register office door.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get married in the UK on an ETA in 2026?

No. Getting married on a UK ETA is not allowed — the authorisation is a visitor permission that excludes marrying or forming a civil partnership. You need a Marriage Visitor visa, even if you plan to leave straight after the ceremony. The ETA only covers attending someone’s wedding as a guest.

Can I attend a friend’s wedding on an ETA?

Yes. Travelling to celebrate someone else’s wedding is an ordinary social visit, fully covered by a £20 ETA for stays of up to six months. Guests, best men, bridesmaids, and family of the couple all use the authorisation, provided they are not the ones marrying.

Why do I need a Marriage Visitor visa instead of an ETA?

Because UK law treats marrying or forming a civil partnership as a regulated act that a visitor permission does not cover, even for a short, no-settlement ceremony. That visa is assessed by a caseworker and allows the ceremony, while the ETA is strictly for visiting.

What if we want to live in the UK after marrying?

Then you need a family visa, not the marriage route or an ETA. The marriage route covers the ceremony and a prompt departure; settling with a British or settled partner requires the longer spouse or partner application that permits residence and, eventually, settlement.

How long does an ETA take for a wedding guest?

Most guest applications are approved within minutes, though the Home Office allows up to three working days. Because weddings fall on fixed dates, apply at least three days ahead — ideally a couple of weeks — so an application sent to manual review never threatens the trip.

Does a renewed passport affect my ETA?

Yes. The authorisation links to one specific passport. If you renew the passport before the wedding, the old approval stops working, and you apply again on the new document. Always travel on the passport tied to your authorisation, or an airline may stop you at the gate.

Whether you are the one marrying or simply there to celebrate, getting married on a UK ETA is the question that decides everything: guests travel on the £20 authorisation, couples marrying use the marriage visa, and anyone settling needs a family route. Match the document to the role, and the wedding day stays about the wedding.

Last updated: 19 October 2026 — based on GOV.UK visitor and Marriage Visitor visa guidance.