Hi everybody

Hi what a good site this is so much information should make life easier. I have started seeing a very caring beautiful lady from the Philippines. I have booked my flights to go and spend a couple of weeks with her and her family on the 13th May.
If we carry on the way things are going we would like to look at getting married and Debs settling in the UK with me. Looking at some of the conversations on here this could be a long process but I guess this will prove that if the love is strong we will make it. I have a couple of questions (to be fair I have hundreds but don’t want to push my look )

1. If we got married in the Philippines roughly how much would it cost ( I know that like saying how long is a piece of string) and what would we need in place for this to happen and how long do we need to be seeing each other for it to be deemed a proper relationship
2. when we look at Debs coming to live in the UK I know there is lots of evidence we need to produce to back us up. Again roughly how long does this process take and what cost

thank you in advance for any help / advice
Nigel

Hi Nigel and welcome to British Filipino, the process of getting married in the Philippines is outlined in the thread below;

http://www.british-filipino.com/ind...he-philippines-and-settlement-in-the-uk.9718/

Once you are married you will have to apply for a spouse visa, see the details below;

http://www.british-filipino.com/ind...r-a-partner-spouse-visa-under-new-rules.5740/

The cost of the visa is around £1000 and on top of that you will have to pay the new NHS surcharge (£200 each year of visa) which comes into effect in the next few days I believe;

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-announces-health-surcharge

The visa process can take up to three months from submission.

Good luck

Yes. It can look a little daunting. But many of us have been through all that. It is do-able, for sure.

Hi Nigel,
Timmers is right on the visa cost.
It is all of the other expenses that are hard to quantify not knowing the cut of your jib, so to speak.

Some things to consider:
How many times will you fly out there at £600-£700 a go?
I did three times 1) meet 2) take her to Manila to submit visa 3) to bring her back to UK with honeymoon in Thailand.
I met my wife in Feb one year then she arrived May the next with spousal visa in her Filipino passport.

How splendid will your church or civil wedding and reception be?

Will the wedding rings be £30 each or £300 each?

How much will you spend on Pasulabong (gifts for her family every visit).

I think you could do it all in a year and for £10,000.

Analogy - This is so hard to guess as you may like a glass of water for zilch or £300 bottles of champagne.

Here is my thoughts and a few tips for first visit that I learnt after my first for my second visit

Use Jeepneys rather than taxis much more fun, you see more, and far cheaper.
Live like the locals do as much as you can ie in diet
Never wear flash or expensive gear out
Try the local foods they are cheap wholesome and superb and the range of fish you can taste is staggering
Always smile but not grin if that makes sense
learn a few simple phrases like salamat=Thank you, Paki= please, ang pagkain masarap=that tastes good oh and mahal
kita=I love you
Learn how to great elders like her parents there is a traditional way to greet,ask Debs to explain it to you,
I learnt to be very respectful of the culture and the people it is the most amazing place and so diverse
never carry loads of cash and keep small amounts in various pockets and bags never get out large wads of notes

I am sure others can add more

Flights I have found soar in price if you travel on or around public holidays but there are some great deals to be had if you book early in advance and use the internet I am going this time with Southern China Airline one stopover hotel provided on stopover cost £470 from Heathrow

I am due to marry on the 25th of this month and have all the info ready for a visa submission once we are married, the info and help the guys on here have given has been immense and accurate.

All I would add is as you do your info gathering keep checking it and checking it

Good Luck to you both

hello nigel hump. interesting name.---attitude or habit ?

I have started seeing a very caring beautiful lady

seeing-? -but not actually seen here yet ?

caring ? that remains to be seen.

wish you luck.

I costed out our wedding a year or so ago. It wasnt expensive. My wife didnt expect anything lavish. I paid £200 for someone to sort the marriage ceremony out and bypass the requirement of the councilling. Treated the family etc to a visit to a hot spring resort in Batangas, had a good wedding reception at Island Cove, Cavite and had a 5 day honeymoon in Boracay in a good hotel.

I wish I could remember the costs but cannot. But it was, all in all inexpensive compared to back here in the UK.

The flight out there was by far the most expensive component.

Thanks for the info, some gentle reading is called for

Thanks for advice guess we will have to decide the way forward

Thank you

That's where we all started, lots of reading and lots of planning, I assure you that it will get easier as you progress, remember that you have the option to marry in the UK, whether you are married or not makes little difference regarding the UK settlement visa.

Good luck and enjoy your time in the Philippines next month.

Make sure you report back and give us your opinion on the Philippines

Thanks for the advise makes sense and good luck with the wedding and visa

Thanks I guess its looking at the pros and cons of the different ways to get to the end result. I will report back I'm on a big count down thanks

Thanks I will remember that and thank you for your words of support

We kept all major receipts while I was in the Philippines as proof of being there. Air tickets, hotel receipts etc etc. They went into my wifes visa application as additional evidence.