A UK family visa allows a foreign national to live with their spouse, partner or future spouse in the UK, provided that person is a British citizen or has permanent status in the country. The main conditions are a genuine relationship, a combined income of at least £29,000 a year and a basic level of English. After 5 years on this visa, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain and then for British citizenship.
Key takeaways
- You can apply for a spouse or partner visa from outside the UK and, in many cases, from inside the UK on another visa.
- The first visa is granted for up to 2 years and 9 months and then extended.
- In 2026 the application fee is £2,064 from outside the UK and £1,407 from inside the UK, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
- A fiancé visa lasts 6 months and does not allow you to work.
- A Marriage Visitor visa does not lead to settlement and cannot be extended.
- Time spent on a fiancé visa does not count towards the 5 years needed for ILR.
What is a UK family visa and which categories exist
A family visa is the general name for the immigration categories that let foreign nationals live in the UK with a family member for more than 6 months. This page covers the routes for couples: spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners and engaged couples. The UK-based partner must be a British or Irish citizen, have indefinite leave to remain (ILR), settled status or another status listed in the GOV.UK guidance for partners and spouses.
Within the partner route there are four distinct situations, and the choice between them shapes almost everything else — where you apply, what you can do in the UK and how long it takes to settle:
| Category | Who it is for | Length | Work | Route to ILR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse or civil partner visa | Marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK | Up to 2 years 9 months, extendable | Allowed | Yes, after 5 years |
| Unmarried partner visa | A relationship akin to marriage lasting at least 2 years | Up to 2 years 9 months, extendable | Allowed | Yes, after 5 years |
| Fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner visa | Marriage or civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arrival | 6 months | Not allowed | After switching to a spouse visa |
| Marriage Visitor visa | A ceremony in the UK without relocating | Up to 6 months | Not allowed | No |
The category you choose determines not only the documents you need, but also whether you can switch status without leaving the country and when the clock towards settlement starts. Choosing the wrong route is one of the most common reasons couples lose time and money, so it is worth deciding on the category before gathering evidence, based on where you plan to live and when you intend to marry.
Whichever category you choose, the Home Office checks the same core conditions for every applicant. Below is a summary of the requirements for a UK spouse or partner visa; each of them is explained in more detail further down the page.
Core requirements for a UK spouse or partner visa
- Both partners aged 18 or over on the date of the application
- British citizenship or settled status of the UK-based partner
- Marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK, or 2 years together
- Genuine and subsisting relationship supported by documents
- Combined income of at least £29,000 a year or sufficient savings
- English language ability of at least level A1 for the first visa
- Intention to live together permanently in the UK
Each requirement is assessed on documents, not on the applicant’s word. The Home Office cross-checks the application form, the financial evidence and the relationship history, so inconsistencies — for example in the dates you started living together or in your addresses — can lead to further requests or a refusal.
If you cannot meet every requirement
The rules allow for exceptions. Even if a couple does not meet the income or English language requirement, an application may still succeed where a refusal would breach the right to family life. GOV.UK sets out two such situations:
- you have a child in the UK who is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years, and it would be unreasonable for them to leave;
- refusing you entry or requiring you to leave the UK would breach your human rights.
In these cases the route to settlement is usually longer: if you do not meet the financial requirements, the earliest you can apply to settle is after 10 years. Arguments based on the right to family life need separate legal preparation — find out more on the page about the right to private and family life.
Financial requirement: a combined income of £29,000 a year
Couples applying for a partner visa for the first time must show a combined income of at least £29,000 a year. This is known as the minimum income requirement and has applied since 11 April 2024. The threshold is the same for couples with and without children: no additional amount is required for children on a first application.
If you first applied as a partner — including as a fiancé — before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner, the previous threshold of £18,600 a year still applies. On top of that you need £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each additional child who is not a British or Irish citizen and does not have permanent status, although the total never needs to exceed £29,000. All the conditions are set out on the GOV.UK page on financial requirements.
If your income falls short, savings can be used instead of, or in addition to, income. The minimum income requirement does not apply if the UK-based partner receives one of the disability or carer’s benefits listed in the rules — in that case you only need to show that the family can support and accommodate itself without relying on additional public funds.
Income is proved with documents such as bank statements, payslips, an employment contract, an employer’s letter and tax records from HMRC, and for the self-employed and business owners, the company’s financial accounts. Which sources count and the period the evidence must cover depend on the type of income, which is why the financial section is the most frequent reason for refusal: income that is sufficient on paper will not be counted if the documents do not cover the right period or are not in the required format. You also need to show that the family will have adequate accommodation in the UK, whether owned or rented.
English language requirements at each stage
For your first partner visa application you must prove English at level A1 or above on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). You can do this by passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) with an approved provider or by holding a bachelor’s degree or higher taught in English. If your degree was awarded outside the UK, you will need an assessment from Ecctis.
The requirement rises as you progress. When you extend after 2.5 years, applicants who passed at A1 must pass at least A2 in speaking and listening. For settlement you need B1, and if you passed B1 at the outset you can reuse that result for your ILR application, provided the certificate has not been withdrawn by the provider. Full details are in the GOV.UK section on knowledge of English.
You are exempt if you are over 65, if a physical or mental condition prevents you from meeting the requirement, or if you are a national of certain majority English-speaking countries, such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The UK government has announced plans to raise the English language standard for settlement and to extend the standard qualifying period for ILR. At the time of writing, final rules for partners of British citizens have not been published, so the requirements in force on your application date should be checked before each stage.
Documents and evidence of your relationship
The Home Office must be satisfied that the relationship is genuine and that you intend to live together. Evidence should come from a government body, bank, landlord, utility provider or medical professional, confirm your relationship and be less than 4 years old. Suitable examples include:
- a marriage or civil partnership certificate;
- a tenancy agreement, utility bills or Council Tax bills for a shared address;
- statements from a joint bank account, or statements confirming a shared address;
- a letter from your doctor or dentist confirming that you live at the same address.
If you do not have this kind of evidence, other documents may be accepted — for example, letters confirming you are both on the electoral register at the same address, or a one-off bill for home repairs. Photographs, messages and travel tickets help to show the history of your relationship but generally do not replace official documents.
What else you will need for the application
- a valid passport and details of previous passports and visas;
- proof of your partner’s status — a British passport, eVisa or settled status;
- financial documents covering the required period;
- an English test result or confirmation of your degree;
- a tuberculosis test certificate if you are applying from a country where one is required;
- details of any criminal convictions and previous immigration applications.
Documents in other languages must be translated into English with confirmation of the translation’s accuracy. Once the application is approved, you receive an eVisa — a digital record of your immigration status that has replaced biometric residence permits (BRPs). You access it through a UKVI account and use a share code to prove your status to employers or landlords.
Family visa support
End-to-end preparation of your spouse or fiancé visa application
Eligibility and risks
Review of your relationship, income and visa history in advance
Financial evidence
Checking income and documents against the Appendix FM rules
Relationship evidence
Selecting documents that prove your shared life and history together
Submission and support
Online form, biometrics booking and replies to Home Office requests
UK visa for unmarried partners
The UK Immigration Rules recognise relationships outside marriage if they are similar to a marriage or civil partnership. The key condition is that you have been in the relationship for at least 2 years on the date you apply. Couples usually show that they live together, but if you cannot live together because of work, study in different places or cultural reasons, you can prove an ongoing commitment in other ways.
In that case the Home Office expects evidence that you:
- communicate with each other regularly;
- support each other financially;
- care for any children you have together;
- spend time together as a couple, for example on holidays or at events.
The other requirements — income, English, accommodation and the intention to live together in the UK — are the same as for spouses. The length of the first visa, the extension rules and the 5-year route to settlement are identical too.
If a couple intends to marry in the UK itself rather than before travelling, the fiancé visa is usually the route to consider instead of the partner visa.
UK fiancé, fiancée and proposed civil partner visa
A fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner visa is granted for 6 months to those who intend to marry or register a civil partnership in the UK. You can only apply from outside the UK, and the fee is the same as for a spouse visa applied for from abroad — £2,064.
In addition to the general requirements on your partner’s status, income and English, you need to show that:
- you will marry or form a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving;
- any previous marriages or civil partnerships of both partners have ended;
- you have met in person and intend to live together in the UK.
You cannot work or study on a fiancé visa. After the wedding you apply for a spouse visa without leaving the UK, and you gain the right to work and study once that application is approved. Timing matters too: the 6 months on a fiancé visa do not count towards the 5 years required for ILR. If you are able to marry before moving, applying straight for a spouse visa can save one application fee and time on the route to settlement.
UK family visa costs and processing times
The cost of a family visa is made up of the application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), the English test, translations and, if needed, a faster decision service. Current government fees are published on the GOV.UK family visa page; the table below summarises them for 2026.
| Application | Fee | IHS per adult | Length or status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse or partner visa — applying from outside the UK | £2,064 | £3,105 | 2 years 9 months |
| Spouse or partner visa — applying from inside the UK | £1,407 | £2,587.50 | 2 years 6 months |
| Fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner visa | £2,064 | Confirmed when you apply | 6 months |
| Marriage Visitor visa | £135 | Not payable | Up to 6 months |
| Indefinite leave to remain | £3,226 | Not payable | Permanent |
| Naturalisation as the spouse of a British citizen | £1,709 + £130 ceremony fee | Not payable | Citizenship |
A separate fee of the same amount is payable for each child included in the application, and the IHS for a child is £2,328 for a 2-year-9-month visa and £1,940 for a 2-year-6-month visa. If you apply from inside the UK, you may be able to pay an extra £1,000 for the super priority service.
The standard processing time for a partner visa is usually 12 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside the UK, provided you meet the income and English requirements. The Home Office publishes these benchmarks on its visa processing times page, but they are not guaranteed: if further documents or an interview are needed, the wait will be longer.
UK Marriage Visitor visa
A Marriage Visitor visa is not a family visa but a visitor category. It is for people who want to get married, register a civil partnership or give notice of a marriage in the UK but do not plan to stay after the ceremony. The ceremony must take place within 6 months of arrival at a venue licensed for this purpose.
The visa costs £135, and a decision is usually made within 3 weeks of your visa centre appointment. You cannot work, study, claim benefits, extend the visa or switch to another category from inside the UK. If the couple decides to live in the UK after the wedding, the spouse visa application has to be made from abroad. All the conditions are on the GOV.UK Marriage Visitor visa page, and short visits for other purposes are covered by the UK Standard Visitor visa.
This is why the choice between a Marriage Visitor visa and a fiancé visa should be made early, based on where the couple intends to live after the ceremony. A Marriage Visitor visa suits a celebration in the UK followed by a return home; a fiancé visa is designed for relocation.
Benefits of applying for a UK family visa with Imperial & Legal
- Assessment of the right visa category before gathering documents
- Review of financial evidence against the Immigration Rules
- Selection of relationship evidence to Home Office standards
- Preparation of a cover letter setting out the legal arguments
- Arrangement of translations and checks for inconsistencies
- Support with the application until the Home Office decision
- Planning for extension, ILR and the citizenship application
How the spouse or fiancé visa process works
The family visa process can be divided into five stages, from the first consultation to extension, settlement and citizenship. The timeframes below are indicative and depend on the couple’s circumstances, how ready the documents are and Home Office workloads.
Consultation and eligibility assessment
Relationship and financial evidence preparation
Family visa application preparation and submission
Home Office decision and relocation to the UK
Visa extension, ILR and British citizenship
Practical scenarios: choosing the right route
The requirements for a family visa are the same for everyone, but each couple’s path depends on where they start. Here are some typical scenarios applicants face.
You met abroad and want to marry in the UK
A fiancé visa fits this situation: after the wedding, you switch to a spouse visa without leaving the UK. If being able to work immediately after the move is important, consider marrying before relocating and applying straight for a spouse visa — that way your time in the UK counts towards settlement from day one.
You are already in the UK on another visa
A foreign national on a work or student visa who is married to a British citizen can, in most cases, switch to a partner visa without leaving the country — provided their current visa was granted for more than 6 months and is not a visitor visa. Switching removes the link to an employer but changes the timeline to settlement, so the decision should take the whole route into account.
Your family includes a child from a previous relationship
Children under 18 are included in the application as dependants, with a separate fee and IHS for each. The Home Office checks who is responsible for the child, so you will need documents on parental responsibility and, as a rule, the position of the other parent. Practical questions about moving with children — schools, healthcare and housing — are covered in the article on moving to the UK with your children.
You have already been refused
A refusal does not close the door for good. Depending on the reasons, it may be possible to reapply with a corrected set of documents or to appeal if the refusal affects your right to family life. The options are explained on the page about UK visa refusals and appeals.
Similar situations have come up in Imperial & Legal’s practice — below are some stories of clients who went through this process.
Client stories on UK family visas
Obtaining a UK Spouse Visa With a Child From the First Marriage
Nargiz is from Uzbekistan. Her upbringing was traditional, but unlike her friends, she had always been progressive about the role of women in family...
Obtaining UK Visa for Unmarried Partners after UK Student Visa Is Not Extended
Esy, a Ghanaian, came to the UK to get a university degree and become a playwright. Since early childhood, Efua Sutherland was her role model, and,...
Obtaining a UK Family Visa After Refusal
David is a successful real estate broker from Boston. He started out as an ordinary real estate agent, but since then has grown into a professional who is entrusted with large deals on commercial...
UK Spouse and Civil Partner Visa Refusal: How to Get a Visa and Join Your Spouse in the UK?
Home Office caseworkers are very thorough when it comes to checking each applicant’s documents and...
UK Fiancée/Fiancé Visa: Love Knows No Borders
Love knows no borders, and the citizenship of two loving hearts hardly matters. How can they be together as soon as possible since time and distance often weaken the feelings? There is nothing...
Getting a UK Spouse Visa to Relocate to the UK After Marrying a British Citizen
Emily first met Amid while on holiday in Goa. She was visiting with a friend from the UK, where she is from, to celebrate her graduation with a...
One client, who obtained a spouse visa after meeting her British partner in Kazakhstan, described how her journey began.
When I met Andrew for the first time back in Almaty, my hometown, I felt pity for him. His curiosity was visible but he was struggling because almost no one could speak English. I felt like I needed to help him and showed him my favourite places in the city. Eventually, we felt the chemistry between us. When we made up our minds to spend the rest of our lives together, we asked Imperial & Legal’s immigration advisors for help.
Common mistakes in family visa applications
Most family visa refusals happen not because the couple does not qualify, but because of how eligibility is evidenced. The most common mistakes are:
- Choosing the wrong category. For example, a Marriage Visitor visa instead of a fiancé visa when the couple plans to stay in the UK: you cannot switch from a visitor visa inside the country.
- Financial documents for the wrong period. Income may be sufficient but will not be counted if statements and letters do not cover the required period or contradict each other.
- Weak relationship evidence. Photos and messages without official documents for a shared address rarely satisfy the Home Office.
- Inconsistencies in the form. Different dates for when you met, started living together or moved address raise doubts about the relationship.
- The wrong English test. Only tests on the approved SELT list taken with approved providers are accepted.
- Timing errors. Extending too late, applying for ILR more than 28 days early, or travelling abroad before the ILR decision — which leads to the application being withdrawn.
These mistakes can be prevented before you apply by checking your documents against Home Office criteria and planning the whole route in advance — from the first visa to citizenship.
Indefinite leave to remain after a spouse visa
After 5 continuous years in the UK on a partner visa, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain, also known as settlement. Time on a fiancé visa or on other visas does not count towards these 5 years. You can apply up to 28 days before you reach the required period; if your current visa expires before then, you must extend it first.
To qualify for ILR on the 5-year route, you need to:
- have continued your relationship and lived together since your last visa extension;
- meet the same financial requirement that applied when you got your visa;
- pass the Life in the UK Test on British history, traditions and institutions;
- prove English at level B1 or above in speaking and listening.
The ILR fee is £3,226 per person, and a decision is usually made within 6 months. Until you receive it, you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, or your application will be withdrawn. Those granted a visa on the basis of an exception to the requirements are on a 10-year route. The conditions are set out on the GOV.UK page on ILR for partners, and you can read more about the process on the page about indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
British citizenship for spouses
ILR does not turn into British citizenship automatically: naturalisation has its own requirements and is a separate decision. The spouse or civil partner of a British citizen can apply as soon as they have ILR, without waiting a further 12 months, provided they have lived in the UK for at least 3 years before the application date. If the partner is a settled person rather than a British citizen, the applicant usually needs to live in the UK for 12 months after obtaining their own ILR.
The route for spouses of British citizens requires you to:
- have spent no more than 270 days outside the UK in the 3 years before applying, and no more than 90 days in the last 12 months;
- have been in the UK exactly 3 years before the date the Home Office receives your application;
- prove your knowledge of English and pass the Life in the UK Test;
- meet the good character requirement, with no serious breaches of the law or immigration rules.
The application costs £1,709, plus £130 for the citizenship ceremony, and a decision is usually made within 6 months. Applying for a British passport after naturalisation is a separate step. More on the requirements and options is on the page about British citizenship.
How to prepare for a family visa application
A UK family visa is not a single application but a route spanning several years: the first visa, an extension, settlement and, if you wish, citizenship. At every stage the Home Office checks your relationship, income, English and timing, so decisions made at the start — the category, where you marry and how you evidence your income — affect the whole journey.
Before applying, decide on the right category, gather official evidence of your relationship from the last 4 years, check your financial documents and take your English test. The information on this page is general and does not constitute individual legal advice: the outcome of each application depends on the couple’s circumstances and the rules in force on the date of application. Answers to the most frequently asked questions are below.
