Foreign nationals seeking to live in the United Kingdom through marriage must meet specific immigration requirements, with some relationships failing to qualify for permission to enter, remain or settle in the country.
The UK Home Office assesses applications based on factors including the legal validity of the marriage, the genuineness of the relationship, the couple’s ages and whether previous relationships have ended.
According to the UK government’s Immigration Rules, Appendix Relationship with Partner, applicants must satisfy the relevant requirements before they can qualify for permission to live in the UK as a spouse or partner.
Although the government does not publish an official list of nine prohibited marriage types, the following nine circumstances may prevent a marriage-based application from qualifying or lead to refusal.
1. Sham marriages
Marriages entered into primarily to circumvent UK immigration controls, without a genuine relationship between the parties, can lead to the refusal or cancellation of immigration permission.
The Home Office investigates suspected sham marriages and may refuse an application where it considers, on the balance of probabilities, that an applicant has knowingly participated in such an arrangement.
Its official guidance on sham marriages explains how immigration applications involving suspected marriages of convenience are assessed.
2. Marriages that are not legally recognised
A marriage may fail to qualify for immigration purposes if it is not legally valid under the law of the country where it took place.
Under the UK Immigration Rules, applicants relying on a marriage or civil partnership must demonstrate that it is recognised by law in the country where the ceremony occurred.
A marriage certificate may serve as evidence, but the underlying marriage must be legally valid. The Home Office may examine the circumstances where questions arise about its validity.
3. Marriages involving people below the required age
Both partners must be at least 18 years old on the date of an application under the relevant partner rules.
Applications that fail this age requirement may not qualify for permission through the spouse or partner route.
The requirement is set out in the UK government’s Immigration Rules on relationships with partners.
4. Marriages involving closely related partners
UK immigration rules require that partners must not be so closely related that marriage or a civil partnership between them would be prohibited under the applicable UK marriage laws.
Consequently, a relationship involving partners within prohibited degrees of kinship may not qualify for a spouse or partner visa.
The rules refer to the relevant marriage legislation applicable in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
5. Polygamous or polyandrous marriages that fail immigration conditions
Polygamous marriages involve a person having more than one spouse at the same time, while polyandrous marriages involve a person having multiple husbands.
The UK does not permit polygamous marriages to be contracted under its domestic marriage laws. However, certain marriages lawfully conducted in countries where polygamy is permitted may be recognised in limited circumstances.
Under the Immigration Rules, a person in a polygamous or polyandrous marriage may rely on that relationship for a partner application only if the specified conditions are satisfied. These include restrictions on whether another spouse is seeking or has already received certain forms of UK immigration permission or settlement.
Therefore, an additional spouse may be ineligible for permission through the same polygamous relationship even where the marriage was legally conducted abroad.
6. Marriages where a previous relationship has not permanently ended
Applicants and their partners must generally demonstrate that any previous marriage, civil partnership or qualifying durable relationship has permanently broken down.
Someone who remains legally married to another person, without the previous relationship having ended in a way recognised by law, may encounter difficulties qualifying for a new spouse visa.
The Home Office assesses whether the earlier relationship has permanently ended, taking account of the applicable legal requirements and any relevant exception.
7. Marriages where the couple have never met in person
Under the relevant partner immigration rules, applicants must have met their partner in person and demonstrate that their relationship is genuine and continuing.
A relationship conducted exclusively online, without the partners ever meeting physically, would therefore fail the in-person requirement for this route.
Couples who met online but subsequently met in person are not automatically disqualified. They must still satisfy the other applicable requirements.
8. Marriages that are not genuine or continuing
A legally registered marriage does not automatically guarantee permission to live in the UK.
The Home Office requires applicants to demonstrate that their relationship is genuine and subsisting, meaning it is real and continuing rather than existing solely on paper.
Immigration officials may consider the evidence provided by the couple when assessing the relationship. Where the requirement is not met, an application may be refused.
A couple living apart temporarily is not automatically disqualified; the circumstances and available evidence must be assessed.
9. Marriages conducted without the required immigration permission
Foreign nationals who intend to marry in the UK must follow the applicable immigration and registration procedures.
According to the UK government’s guidance on marriages involving people from outside the UK or Ireland, a person who requires permission to enter the country to marry must obtain the appropriate visa.
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