Relationships that exist in the contemporary globalised world tend to transcend national boundaries. Individuals can either remarry overseas or spend their life in another country, or even divorce abroad. But as they are visiting again or migrating back to the UK, concerns always arise about whether their foreign marriage or divorce is to be considered as legal under UK laws. This is crucial because knowledge of such rules would safeguard your rights in respect to property, money and children.
To certify a foreign marriage in the UK, it has to satisfy some legal requirements. Generally, the marriage must:
Saying good, an example would be that should a marriage be carried out in Pakistan where the local legal provisions were adhered to, this would most probably be accepted in the UK, given the provisions both were in a legal position to get married. Yet, in case the marriage would have been invalid in the UK law, such as one of the parties was underage or married elsewhere, it might not be legitimatized.
The official documents should be kept, like the marriage certificate, translations (where applicable) and any evidence of the ceremony. These documents will be a prerequisite for processing immigration applications, property rights, inheritance claims or divorce cases in the UK.
Such recognition of foreign divorces will be based on the place and manner of acquisition of the divorce. In the UK law, divorces are differentiated as being acquired by an official legal procedure as opposed to religious or informal acquisition.
The UK will normally recognise a foreign divorce provided that:
But the divorces granted under other legal systems, like some religious ones (e.g. talaq), are granted abroad by other legal systems without the role of the judiciary. may not necessarily be recognised in the UK. This may lead to troubles in the process of remarriage and overcoming the financial and custody problems.
The legalization of foreign marriages and divorces has an impact on a number of critical matters:
The cross-border marital recognition might be a complicated matter. Lawyers can assist in making sure your foreign divorce or marriage conforms to UK law and also assist in submitting the paperwork to be recognised. They are also able to represent you before the court in case of a disagreement on marital status or rights.
In case you were married or divorced abroad and as to whether you are legally in a good position within the UK, it is necessary to engage in professional legal consultation to ensure that your interests are not jeopardised and that you do not have to encounter any trouble in the future.
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