Almost approved K1 - can get married outside US?

[pushbrk 13,447]

I do believe she can not leave the US until she has her AP in hand.

Of course, she can leave. The problem is getting back in.

[MapleLeafBaby 1]

We toyed with the same ideas... we wanted 'tropical' beach... but all options were, Florida, California or Hawaii... started pricing it out and Hawaii is so expensive and commercial... so we opted to stay close to home, get married up at the shore in NJ and wait for AP to Honeymoon

Good luck

[Ed+Cindy 1]

Why not just have a quick civil wedding to satisfy AOS and once you have the AP, leave the country for the religious/social/family wedding (though technically not a real 'wedding' ceremony, it could be more of a renewal of voes and family&friends reception, since you are legally married already)

[EZgoing378 0]

If it were I, the day after she got there I would drive to the nearest civil court and get a courtroom special. That takes care of everything legal. She is married in the US. Don't think of it as a wedding, rather a pre-wedding formality. Then.............????????????

[Brit Abroad 166]

Do you have to have a witness present or do the people at the office act as a witness?

Thanks in advance

Few sites I found aren't 100% accurate (at least, not according to my personal experience) ... but they are:-

http://www.usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/hawaii/

http://www.tropicalvacationstravel.com/wed_requirements.htm

We didn't have a witness when we applied for the marriage license (which is $60 CASH, btw), but we needed two for our religious ceremony. Generally, I believe you only need one for the marriage itself.

If you opt for a celebrant to do a beach or location wedding for you, very often they can help with a photographer and witness (sometimes one person fulfils both functions) and assist you with flowers/music/attire etc.

[ThaitoUSA 15]

I do not know of any flights to Saint Thomas USVI that stop in other islands, besides Puerto Rico. Our normal flights from Baltimore-Washington International or Dulles usually lay over in NC. As far as the doomsday prophets who ask "What if you were forced to land on another island?" e.g. Dominican Republic, it would still not be an issue as we would not be entering port, rather just landing.

Perhaps it would be prudent to mention that once in US Virgin Islands, the beneficiary should not travel off island e.g. British Virgin Islands.

As an aside, my parents live on St. John and ICE now regularly checks the papers of people traveling between there and St. Thomas on the ferry. An acquaintance got picked up with expired papers and the last I heard he was in a federal penitentiary in Puerto Rico. With the large number of Chinese illegal immigrants coming through the USVI, I am going to be sure my fiancée has her passport at all times!

Edited April 11, 2009 by ThaitoUSA

[rebeccajo 14]

Do you have to have a witness present or do the people at the office act as a witness?

Thanks in advance

Few sites I found aren't 100% accurate (at least, not according to my personal experience) ... but they are:-

http://www.usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/hawaii/

http://www.tropicalvacationstravel.com/wed_requirements.htm

We didn't have a witness when we applied for the marriage license (which is $60 CASH, btw), but we needed two for our religious ceremony. Generally, I believe you only need one for the marriage itself.

If you opt for a celebrant to do a beach or location wedding for you, very often they can help with a photographer and witness (sometimes one person fulfils both functions) and assist you with flowers/music/attire etc.

It's always best to ring up the authority in the county in which you intend to marry. "Marriage Law" websites (similar to most "law" websites) are frequently erroneous.

Tropical locations for a wedding? The US is a big country - it's not necessary to leave its borders to find a beach for a romantic wedding. For those not wishing to travel as far as Florida, consider coastal North Carolina and South Carolina.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I do not know of any flights to Saint Thomas USVI that stop in other islands, besides Puerto Rico. Our normal flights from Baltimore-Washington International or Dulles usually lay over in NC. As far as the doomsday prophets who ask "What if you were forced to land on another island?" e.g. Dominican Republic, it would still not be an issue as we would not be entering port, rather just landing.

Perhaps it would be prudent to mention that once in US Virgin Islands, the beneficiary should not travel off island e.g. British Virgin Islands.

As an aside, my parents live on St. John and ICE now regularly checks the papers of people traveling between there and St. Thomas on the ferry. An acquaintance got picked up with expired papers and the last I heard he was in a federal penitentiary in Puerto Rico. With the large number of Chinese illegal immigrants coming through the USVI, I am going to be sure my fiancée has her passport at all times!

Not a problem as long as you do not leave the airport, probably can't anyway as she would need a visa to enter that country in all likelihood.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Do you have to have a witness present or do the people at the office act as a witness?

Thanks in advance

Few sites I found aren't 100% accurate (at least, not according to my personal experience) ... but they are:-

http://www.usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/hawaii/

http://www.tropicalvacationstravel.com/wed_requirements.htm

We didn't have a witness when we applied for the marriage license (which is $60 CASH, btw), but we needed two for our religious ceremony. Generally, I believe you only need one for the marriage itself.

If you opt for a celebrant to do a beach or location wedding for you, very often they can help with a photographer and witness (sometimes one person fulfils both functions) and assist you with flowers/music/attire etc.

It's always best to ring up the authority in the county in which you intend to marry. "Marriage Law" websites (similar to most "law" websites) are frequently erroneous.

Tropical locations for a wedding? The US is a big country - it's not necessary to leave its borders to find a beach for a romantic wedding. For those not wishing to travel as far as Florida, consider coastal North Carolina and South Carolina.

Or even...Hawaii!

States vary on requirements for marriage. Vermont does not require witnesses, having full faith and trust in their officials to recognize what they do as a marriage. However, it cannot boast any "tropical environs", though, in "the islands" we get less of the white stuff than the higher elevations. Does that count?

[lucyrich 20]

I do believe she can not leave the US until she has her AP in hand.

Of course, she can leave. The problem is getting back in.

Yep, that's the issue. US immigration law doesn't imprison her inside the States. She can leave any time she wants, and the two of you can get married anywhere you want. The only problem will come when you try to re-enter the US.

The K-1 only allows an unmarried person to enter, and only allows entry one time. The only uncomplicated route is to marry while still in the US, and then file for adjustment of status and/or advance parole, and to avoid leaving the US before having either a green card or an advance parole document in hand.

If she enters on a K-1 and then leaves before getting married and either holding the green card or an advance parole document, then she'll have no way to re-enter the US. She'll have to get another visa. You could marry abroad and then file for a K-3 and/or CR-1 visa as a married couple, but that would involve another wait of something like 6-8 months or so. Or you could theoretically remain unmarried and start over and file for another K-1, but that would involve a similar wait to the one you've already been through the first time you got a K-1.

[tysha. 0]

Hi,

Me and my Fiance had also planned to do the same thing when we get our application approved....The thought of getting married in Hawaii sounds amazing! I have a question though....Do you have to have a witness present or do the people at the office act as a witness?

Thanks in advance

My fiance and I are getting married on Maui once our K1 is approved - check out the TONS of Wedding Coordinators available in Hawaii - packages are usually quite reasonable (many basic ones are under $1000!) and there are weddings specifically designed for only the bride and groom so I'm sure you can arrange something with a coordinator to make sure you have a witness.

[Sylvia_n_Joseph 3]

Here is a quiant little place in California to get married

Catalina Island