UK Partner and Spouse Visa 2026: Requirements, Costs and Documents

Who this route may concern

• A spouse or civil partner of a qualifying person in the UK.
• An unmarried partner who meets the current relationship requirements.
• A fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner uses related but different rules and permission conditions.
• Both partners must normally be 18 or over and intend to live together permanently in the UK.

Status of the partner in the UK

The official route lists the statuses that can support a partner application.

• British or Irish citizenship.
• Settled status, indefinite leave to remain or another accepted form of permanent residence.
• Qualifying pre-settled status under the published conditions.
• Protection status or another specifically listed status.
• The applicant should confirm the exact sponsor category on GOV.UK before selecting a form.

Relationship and living together

• Evidence must support the relationship category being used.
• The couple must intend to live together permanently in the UK after applying.
• Previous relationships normally need to have permanently ended.
• The form may ask about how the couple met, contact, cohabitation, marriage or civil partnership and future plans.
• The application-generated checklist remains the final document list.

Financial requirement

• The usual published minimum income requirement is currently £29,000 a year.
• Specified disability or carer benefits can lead to an adequate-maintenance assessment instead of the usual minimum income threshold.
• A person extending with the same partner after first applying before 11 April 2024 can fall under transitional financial rules.
• Permitted income and savings calculations have detailed evidence periods and document rules.
• Complex income, self-employment, savings or exceptional circumstances require the official guidance or authorised advice.

English-language requirement

• English may be proved through an approved test, an accepted qualification or nationality where the published rules allow.
• The first partner application generally requires at least CEFR level A1 speaking and listening when a test is used.
• An extension can require a higher level depending on what was previously demonstrated.
• Age, health and other published exemptions can apply.

Documents commonly considered

Not every item applies to every application.

• Current passport and relevant previous travel or immigration documents.
• Evidence of the partner's qualifying UK status.
• Marriage, civil-partnership or qualifying-partner evidence.
• Financial documents in the precise form and period required by the selected income category.
• English-language evidence where required.
• Accommodation, TB-test, translation and child documents where applicable.

Applying outside or inside the UK

• An applicant outside the UK uses the official outside-UK family application.
• An eligible applicant inside the UK uses the in-country application before current permission expires.
• Visitors and several short-term categories normally cannot switch inside the UK.
• GOV.UK currently states a usual 12-week decision time outside the UK and 8 weeks inside the UK where the financial and English requirements are met.
• Faster services are offered only where available in the official application.

Published costs

• The current family fee for joining a partner, parent or child is £2,064 outside the UK or £1,407 inside the UK.
• Each dependant added normally pays the relevant application fee.
• The Immigration Health Surcharge is normally additional.
• Biometric, commercial appointment, translation and optional faster-service charges can be separate.
• Always verify the payable amount in the official application before payment.

After approval

• A successful applicant receives an eVisa and must follow the decision instructions for a UKVI account.
• Partner permission normally permits work and study, subject to the conditions shown in the decision.
• Settlement timing depends on the route granted and continuous qualifying residence.
• Fiancé or proposed civil-partner permission has different work, study and extension conditions.