Legal marriage or not

[Abandonedforerin]

Just wondering if anyone can help..I married a man in Jordan 15 yrs ago we have now been separated for 3 yrs after he left me for someone else. I have a new partner and we want to get married. Have been told I need to get a divorce and also been told I don't need to as the marriage isn't legal here in the UK. (he also said its not legally recognised). It was not in a mosque or any religious building just a room? Everything was spoken in Arabic. There was a piece of paper also in Arabic that he always had and later destroyed so I've never had a legal marriage certificate. I have contacted the Islamic sharia Council about this and they have advised to take his word for it basically. Has anyone been in a similar situation

Just to add..He came back to live with me in the UK a week after the "marriage"

If the marriage is legal in Jordan it is legal here. That's what you need to find out - and your enquiries need to be in Jordan.

If you draw a blank your divorce suddenly becomes much more expensive - sworn statements about the marriage ceremony, with photographs and such like - instead of a marriage certificate.

@Collaborate thankyou for the reply..thats the thing there is no proof of anything. No photos..we didn't even exchange rings. There was no actual ceremony. I'm at a loss to be honest I've tried everywhere I can for information

Is this something the British Consulate in Jordan could help with? Or even the Foreign Office or your MP? I think you need to contact one of these because they can point you to the right person to advise you.

Don't take the Sharia word. As an aside, is he even allowed to live here since it seems the marriage wasn't really a marriage?

Speak to a specialist in Jordanian marriage law. Describe the ceremony to them. They will be able to advise whether it could have been a wedding.

@INeedAnotherName yes unfortunately..he got all relevant paperwork and visa and travelled back with me to the UK a week later. He is now a British Citizen

Was his visa in any way related to your "marriage"/relationship or was it for some other completely separate reason?

@ForTheSnarkWasABoojumYouSee
Yes it was a spousal visa! We were together another 12 yrs after that so it doesn't point to the fact he's used me for the visa..just really annoying as nothing I can do about it now

I mentioned divorce shortly after splitting up and he said there was no need as the marriage wasn't legal. I don't have any contact with him now due to coercive control/emotional abuse so no way to ask him

Surely if he was granted British citizenship as your spouse then the authorities will have checked that the marriage was legal.

he got all relevant paperwork and visa and travelled back with me to the UK a week later.

Wouldn't be have needed to show proof that you were legally married in order to get a spousal visa?

I would ask the Jordanian Embassy for advice. They will be able to tell you what constitutes a legal marriage in Jordan.

Contact your MP. If they don't know then they will know who to signpost you to.

Sorry I missread, I thought he left you a week after marrying but he came to UK a week after, stayed married for 12 years, separated for a further 3 years. Apologies.

I think if he was able to get a spousal visa, wouldn't that indicate it's a legal marriage in the eyes of the UK immigration department?

I have tried to find out from solicitors and other sources. If it involves a nikkah (unsure what this is) then yes it's looking like it's legally recognised and I will have to find a way of obtaining a marriage certificate and then divorcing him 🙄

If he was granted a spousal visa on teh back of teh documents you provided in support of teh visa application then it is extremely likely that you are in fact legally married to him.

Could you contact your local MP?
If he can't help directly he will be able to make enquiries to the relevant organisations on your behalf
Or see a solicitor in " family law"
Or whoever could advise you
It sounds very difficult

"A solicitor in Jordanian foreign law" rather.

Sorry - Jordanian family law.

If he acquired a spousal visa, then logic dictates it was a legal marriage. they don’t just take peoples word.

Your marriage must be considered legal under UK law otherwise the spousal visa wouldn't have been granted surely?

In which case, I would recommend contacting British Embassy for Jordan and seeing if they can point you in right direction of where to contact to get a copy of marriage certificate. You may need to pay for a translator.

I got married abroad, lost certificate and had to contact the government offices of the country I got married in and fill in some forms to get a copy of the certificate. Thankfully it was an English speaking country which made things much easier.

Try this website. https://portal.jordan.gov.jo/wps/portal/Home/Citizen/CitizenLifeEvent?catId=bf8769dd-e9f4-4b61-9f00-eec26acd4196 scroll down there is a section about marriage certificates. You can click link and then change language to English and register for an account. Hopefully you can request a certificate that way. If not. Try emailing them. Good luck.

I’m wondering if you might be able to get something through a data subject request to U.K. immigration? As your name would be on the marriage certificate which they’d presumably have a record of?

It's a spouse or partner visa, you don't necessarily need to be married to get one. However:

You must be able to prove one of the following:

• you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK
• you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
• you are a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/partner-spouse

So unless you were living together for two years before your marriage then you must have a marriage that has been legally recognised by the home office.

An immigration solicitor could probably help.