Getting Married In The Us On A Tourist Visa

[cheapcharlie]

My girlfriend of 6 years and I are planning our first trip to the USA this winter and now my family suggested we get married while there to save another trip for a wedding.

She has a tourist visa and we're thinking of a simple ceremony in Las Vegas. Our future 10 year plan does not include relocating / immigrating to the US.

Just wondering if anybody has gotten married in the US while on a tourist visa and is it a legal marriage?

[jrincon17]

its legal in the us , are you a u.s. citizen ?

My girlfriend of 6 years and I are planning our first trip to the USA this winter and now my family suggested we get married while there to save another trip for a wedding.

She has a tourist visa and we're thinking of a simple ceremony in Las Vegas. Our future 10 year plan does not include relocating / immigrating to the US.

Just wondering if anybody has gotten married in the US while on a tourist visa and is it a legal marriage?

[cheapcharlie]

its legal in the us , are you a u.s. citizen ?

My girlfriend of 6 years and I are planning our first trip to the USA this winter and now my family suggested we get married while there to save another trip for a wedding.

She has a tourist visa and we're thinking of a simple ceremony in Las Vegas. Our future 10 year plan does not include relocating / immigrating to the US.

Just wondering if anybody has gotten married in the US while on a tourist visa and is it a legal marriage?

Yes I'm a US citzen.

[jumnien]

its legal in the us , are you a u.s. citizen ?

My girlfriend of 6 years and I are planning our first trip to the USA this winter and now my family suggested we get married while there to save another trip for a wedding.

She has a tourist visa and we're thinking of a simple ceremony in Las Vegas. Our future 10 year plan does not include relocating / immigrating to the US.

Just wondering if anybody has gotten married in the US while on a tourist visa and is it a legal marriage?

Yes I'm a US citzen.

I met a guy yesterday at the US embassy who did the same thing. Big mistake! Now they are being forced to dissolve the US marriage ( a lot of paperwork and time) and then re-marry in Thailand. The US considers it a lie not to have gotten a fiance visa up front and won't let her re-enter the US now on her tourist visa or pursue a green card. I don't claim to be an expert in this, but ask the embassy first; this guy and his "wife" are in a heck of a pickle. Why not get married in Thailand first and have your ceremony in the US or just get a fiance visa?

[cheapcharlie]

its legal in the us , are you a u.s. citizen ?

My girlfriend of 6 years and I are planning our first trip to the USA this winter and now my family suggested we get married while there to save another trip for a wedding.

She has a tourist visa and we're thinking of a simple ceremony in Las Vegas. Our future 10 year plan does not include relocating / immigrating to the US.

Just wondering if anybody has gotten married in the US while on a tourist visa and is it a legal marriage?

Yes I'm a US citzen.

I met a guy yesterday at the US embassy who did the same thing. Big mistake! Now they are being forced to dissolve the US marriage ( a lot of paperwork and time) and then re-marry in Thailand. The US considers it a lie not to have gotten a fiance visa up front and won't let her re-enter the US now on her tourist visa or pursue a green card. I don't claim to be an expert in this, but ask the embassy first; this guy and his "wife" are in a heck of a pickle. Why not get married in Thailand first and have your ceremony in the US or just get a fiance visa?

Wow! Thanks for that information! I think maybe we'll just have a ceremony (not a legal marriage) and then come back and do the proper paperwork.

The problem is if we get married before traveling, then she'll have to apply for another type of visa, right?

[Thanyaburi Mac]

My girlfriend of 6 years and I are planning our first trip to the USA this winter and now my family suggested we get married while there to save another trip for a wedding.

She has a tourist visa and we're thinking of a simple ceremony in Las Vegas. Our future 10 year plan does not include relocating / immigrating to the US.

Just wondering if anybody has gotten married in the US while on a tourist visa and is it a legal marriage?

Hey, Cheap Charlie," I say "not a problem!!"

My now wife had a 10-year tourist visa, issued in 1995, when we visited Oregon in 1999. Went down to the Clackamas Country Courthouse and got the marriage license, no problem. Three day wait then in to see a judge for the ceremony, this during the judge's lunch hour for which we'd made an appointment with her clerk. Judge briefly interviewed us both, said to the now wife that "your English isn't all that great, is it OK if I do the short ceremony," to which I replied, "fine with us." Judge then asked if we were sure we wanted to do this, to which I said, "might as well, we've been practicing for eight years!" That sort of broke up the judge. Did the deed, signed the paperwork, fini. She kept her maiden name for her Thai ID card and passport, still does.

Only semi-minor problem came up in 2005 when we applied for another B1/B2 visa for the now wife. Remember, the presumption in U.S. immigration law is that the alien is an intending immigrant so if requesting a tourist visa s/he must establish to the satisfaction of the interviewing ConOff that they have sufficient ties to the home country that they'll be returning. The interview went pretty well with 95% of the Qs directed at me. Needed to satisfy the ConOff that we were coming back, not just trying to beat the regular immigration queue of filing an I-130 for immigrant processing, a perhaps 6-month process. The wife owns the house, one of our cars, I've been on the retirement extension since 1998, have several magazines subscriptions from the U.S. with our home address, Social Security info comes here, as do notices from a mutual fund and my retirement folks. She got the new 10-year visa fine.

I say go for it!!

Mac

[lopburi3]

Although you will probably not be in the situation of the person mentioned in post 4 (now trying to emigrant to US) you never know and she may well be asked by immigration on entry if she plans to marry (or at least the purpose of her trip) and if lies it could have repercussions later. The tourist visa to avoid immigrant visa check is a very big issue and I would not want to get caught up in it for no reason.

On another level it's your wife's wedding and it should be here I would think.

[easymoney]

My girlfriend of 6 years and I are planning our first trip to the USA this winter and now my family suggested we get married while there to save another trip for a wedding.

She has a tourist visa and we're thinking of a simple ceremony in Las Vegas. Our future 10 year plan does not include relocating / immigrating to the US.

Just wondering if anybody has gotten married in the US while on a tourist visa and is it a legal marriage?

Perfectly legal. Just did it in May and now wife ready to immigrate to states in December.

Actually you could have her stay and put in a I-130 and when notification of receipt put in I-129f k3 visa . she just stays til embassy time. In your situation You might apply for regular immigration and if you have lived 3 straight years i Thailand after you return apply accross the street at the Homeland Security(Immigration) if not apply states. I say that in as much you may want to secure her a green card as they are getting whacky unless you are and wife latino. Doesn't mean you have to immigrat just visit yearly first two years and then every two years there after. Things are a changing

The jest though it is perfectly to marry on a tourist visa

[thaihome]

There is no issue with getting married while in the US on tourist visa. It becomse an issue when a change of status is applied for based on the marriage while still in US. As the spouse of US citizen is automatically eligible for green card (provided she meets the requirements), most of the change of statuses are approved. It just pisses of the BCIS and consulates when it happens. If there is no intent to stay, there is no problem getting married.

As far the person in post #4 I am sure there was much more to the storey then simply getting married on a tourist visa

TH

[Axel]

Well, we got married in the US, both non-citizens. Got the marriage certificate and endorsed that by the US-Consulate.

[cheapcharlie]

Thanks to everyone for your replies, but just to play it safe, we will go to the States and have a "Commitment Ceremony".

Which means it looks just like a regular wedding without the legal documents being filed. When we return we'll go the the embassy and do the standard I-130 when we decide to return.

But like I said before, our 10 year plan doesn't include emigrating.

Thanks again, everyone.

Charlie

[waime]

Thanks to everyone for your replies, but just to play it safe, we will go to the States and have a "Commitment Ceremony".

Which means it looks just like a regular wedding without the legal documents being filed. When we return we'll go the the embassy and do the standard I-130 when we decide to return.

But like I said before, our 10 year plan doesn't include emigrating.

Thanks again, everyone.

Charlie

[Mahout Angrit]

Thanks to everyone for your replies, but just to play it safe, we will go to the States and have a "Commitment Ceremony".

Which means it looks just like a regular wedding without the legal documents being filed. When we return we'll go the the embassy and do the standard I-130 when we decide to return.

But like I said before, our 10 year plan doesn't include emigrating.

Thanks again, everyone.

Charlie

There are advantages to having a marriage certificate from overseas without certifying your marriage in Thailand. I have never found disadvantages (but I wasn't married in USA).

If you will live in Thailand, it doesn't do a Thai lady any favours to have a foreign name on her ID card, I would suggest if you can work it to marry in USA and leave the lady as single with her maiden name in Thailand then do it.

[sbk]

It is no longer a requirement that a wife take her husband's family name.

You can get married in Thailand and your wife still keep her own family name.

[llso]

its legal in the us , are you a u.s. citizen ?

My girlfriend of 6 years and I are planning our first trip to the USA this winter and now my family suggested we get married while there to save another trip for a wedding.

She has a tourist visa and we're thinking of a simple ceremony in Las Vegas. Our future 10 year plan does not include relocating / immigrating to the US.

Just wondering if anybody has gotten married in the US while on a tourist visa and is it a legal marriage?

Yes I'm a US citzen.

I met a guy yesterday at the US embassy who did the same thing. Big mistake! Now they are being forced to dissolve the US marriage ( a lot of paperwork and time) and then re-marry in Thailand. The US considers it a lie not to have gotten a fiance visa up front and won't let her re-enter the US now on her tourist visa or pursue a green card. I don't claim to be an expert in this, but ask the embassy first; this guy and his "wife" are in a heck of a pickle. Why not get married in Thailand first and have your ceremony in the US or just get a fiance visa?

Wow! Thanks for that information! I think maybe we'll just have a ceremony (not a legal marriage) and then come back and do the proper paperwork.

The problem is if we get married before traveling, then she'll have to apply for another type of visa, right?

Don't do it,

When I suggested the same to my immigration attorney he said it is considered fraud.

LL

[thaihome]

...If you will live in Thailand, it doesn't do a Thai lady any favours to have a foreign name on her ID card, I would suggest if you can work it to marry in USA and leave the lady as single with her maiden name in Thailand then do it.

The urban myth just won't go away. Had a guy, very smart knowledgeable guy, tell me today him and his wife were buying some land today and were going to register in her son's name since she had a farang surname she couldn't own land.

At about 4:00 PM today, land registered in her name....

Besides, if you are really paranoid, as some else stated, she can keep her maiden name on ID. My wife as had my name on ID card for over 6 years, 4 of which we have lived in Thailand, can't think of a single time it has been to her disadvantage.

TH