Spouse visa UK: requirements and applying

Our fixed fee	£1,000 plus VAT (if applicable)
Home Office application fee	£2,064 applying from outside the UK £1,407 applying from inside the UK
Immigration health surcharge	£3,105 from outside the UK (33-month visa) £2,587.50 inside the UK (30-month visa)
Priority service (optional)	£500 priority, where offered £1,000 super priority (UK applications)

A UK spouse visa lets the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen, or of a person settled in the UK, live here with them. It is granted for 33 months when you apply from abroad (30 months from inside the UK), carries the right to work and study, and leads to settlement after five years on the route.

The application turns on evidence. Most refusals are not about eligibility; they are about a payslip that does not match a bank statement, a tenancy agreement in the wrong name, or a relationship file that shows a wedding but not a life together. We prepare the application so that each requirement is proved in the form the caseworker expects.

Who can apply for a spouse visa

You are married to, or in a civil partnership with, a British citizen, a person with indefinite leave to remain or settled status, a person with pre-settled status, or a refugee or person with humanitarian protection.
The marriage or civil partnership is recognised in UK law. A religious ceremony with no civil registration, or a proxy marriage not valid where it took place, may not count.
You are both 18 or over, have met in person, and intend to live together permanently in the UK.
Any previous marriage or relationship has broken down permanently.

The financial requirement

Most new applicants need the sponsor (the British or settled partner) to earn at least £29,000 a year before tax, or to hold enough cash savings to make up the gap. If you were already on the partner or fiancé route before 11 April 2024, the old £18,600 threshold still applies when you extend. Income can come from a job, self-employment, a pension, rent or savings, and each source has its own rules on the documents you must send. Our guides to the financial requirement and the savings route set out the figures and the evidence.

In short, there are four ways to meet it.

Income of £29,000 a year. This is the sponsor's income, or the couple's combined income if the applicant already works in the UK.
Savings. Cash savings above £16,000, held for six months, can make up a shortfall or meet the whole requirement on their own (£88,500 with no income).
Sponsor on certain benefits. If your partner receives Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance or another listed benefit, the £29,000 rule does not apply. You show "adequate maintenance" instead: income after housing costs at least equal to what a family of your size would receive on Income Support.
Exceptional circumstances. If the money still falls short, the Home Office must consider whether refusal would have unjustifiably harsh consequences for you, your partner or a child, and can count support from family or the applicant's job prospects. A grant on this basis is on the 10-year route to settlement.

The financial requirement in full

English language

You must pass an approved speaking and listening test at CEFR level A1 for the first visa, A2 at the extension and B1 for settlement, or hold a degree taught in English (confirmed by Ecctis), or be a national of a majority English-speaking country. People aged 65 or over, or with a long-term condition that prevents them meeting the requirement, are exempt.

Accommodation

You need somewhere to live that is yours to use, owned or rented or provided by family, with enough rooms that it is not overcrowded under the Housing Act standard. A tenancy agreement or title deed, a letter from the owner where you will live with family, and a short property inspection report where the home is shared, are the usual evidence.

Tuberculosis test

If you are applying from a country on the Home Office list of countries where a TB test is needed, you need a TB certificate from an approved clinic, issued within six months of the application.

Documents

Passports for both of you, and the sponsor's proof of status.
Marriage or civil partnership certificate, with a certified translation if it is not in English.
Relationship evidence over the life of the relationship: photographs, travel, messages, joint commitments, visits.
Financial evidence for the category you rely on: payslips and matching bank statements, an employer letter, tax returns and accounts for the self-employed, or savings statements covering six months.
Accommodation evidence.
English test certificate or exemption evidence.
TB certificate where required.
Previous immigration history, including any refusals, overstays or removals, which must be declared.

This is not a complete list. What you need depends on your circumstances, and the documents vary from case to case. Your solicitor will tell you exactly what applies to you.

How to apply

We assess your eligibility and tell you if anything needs fixing before you apply.
We send you a document list for your case and check each item as it comes in.
We complete the online application, write the covering letter and compile the evidence bundle.
You pay the Home Office fee and the health surcharge and attend a biometrics appointment (a visa application centre abroad, or UKVCAS in the UK; many UK applicants can use the smartphone app instead).
We submit, track the application and deal with any Home Office request.

Fees and timescales

The Home Office fee is £2,064 from abroad and £1,407 from inside the UK (figures for 2026). The immigration health surcharge is £1,035 a year, paid in full for the whole visa: £3,105 on a 33-month visa, £2,587.50 on 30 months. Standard processing is up to 12 weeks from abroad and up to 8 weeks in the UK; priority (£500) and super priority (£1,000, UK only) services are available at most centres. Our fee for preparing the application is fixed and quoted before you instruct us: see our fees.

What you can do on a spouse visa

Work for any employer or yourself, study, use the NHS (you have paid the surcharge), and travel. You cannot claim most public funds. Keep the relationship evidence going from day one: you will need it again at the extension.

Questions people ask

Can I apply from inside the UK?

Yes, if you are here with permission of more than six months and not as a visitor, and you are not in breach of the rules. Visitors must leave and apply from abroad. If your current permission has expired, take advice before applying; it may still be possible on human rights grounds.

My sponsor's income is just under £29,000. What can we do?

Add savings (the shortfall times two and a half, plus £16,000), add a second income source in the same category, wait until six months of a higher salary have accrued, or, if the sponsor receives a listed disability or carer's benefit, rely on adequate maintenance instead. We work out which route gives the strongest case.

What happens if the application is refused?

Most spouse visa refusals carry a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal on human rights grounds, with a deadline of 14 days from inside the UK or 28 days from abroad, counted from when you receive the decision. Reapplying is sometimes faster than appealing. See refusals and appeals.

How long before I can settle?

Five years on the route, made up of the first visa and one extension, then indefinite leave to remain. See extension and ILR.