UK Child Family Visa 2026: Requirements, Documents and Costs
General UK Child family visa information covering children born inside or outside the UK, age, parent status, documents, fees and application pathways.
Reviewed 17 August 2026 · Verify current requirements on GOV.UK before applying
Identify the child's situation
- A child may apply with a parent, separately to join a parent, or to extend existing family permission.
- The route differs for a child born in the UK and a child born outside the UK.
- A child may not need this route if a parent is settled; check whether settlement or citizenship applies instead.
- A child linked to a work or Student visa holder normally uses that route's dependant rules, not the Family visa route.
Age and family-life conditions
- A child under 18 must normally live with the parent unless living away in full-time education.
- The child must not be married or in a civil partnership.
- An applicant aged 18 or over can normally continue only where family permission began before age 18 and the published in-country conditions are met.
- The child must not be living an independent life.
Parent and care arrangements
- Eligibility depends on the status and route of the parent or parents.
- Where a parent applies as a partner, the person they are joining is normally the child's other parent.
- Where a parent applies as a parent, sole parental responsibility or other specified conditions can matter.
- Serious family reasons and care arrangements are fact-sensitive and require the official guidance or authorised advice.
Documents commonly considered
- Child's passport or accepted travel document.
- Full birth certificate or other parent-child relationship evidence.
- Parent's passport, status and application reference.
- Evidence of living arrangements, care and parental responsibility where relevant.
- Financial evidence linked to the parent's route.
- TB certificate, consent and certified translations where required.
Inside and outside applications
- A child outside the UK uses the application linked to the parent's status and application type.
- A child already in the UK uses the relevant in-country family form where permitted.
- An application should be made before existing permission expires.
- GOV.UK currently gives a usual 12-week outside-UK and 8-week inside-UK decision time, with longer periods for some 10-year-route cases.
Costs and permission
- The current family fee for joining a partner, parent or child is £2,064 outside the UK or £1,407 inside the UK.
- Each child normally has a separate application charge where applicable.
- The Immigration Health Surcharge normally applies in addition to the fee.
- Permission generally follows the relevant parent's family route and stated expiry conditions.
- The official application calculates the final charges.
Frequently asked questions
Can a child aged 18 or over make a first Child family visa application?+
The ordinary rules are different for adults. GOV.UK states that an applicant aged 18 or over can normally continue only where their family permission started before they were 18 and they are applying from inside the UK under the relevant conditions.
Does a UK-born child automatically become British?+
Not always. Citizenship depends on the parents' status and other circumstances at birth. Check the separate GOV.UK citizenship guidance before making that assumption.
Does each child need an application?+
A child may be included with a parent's family application or apply separately where the route permits. The correct form depends on the parent's application and status.