UK Spouse Visa 2026: Requirements, Cost & How to Apply

If you're reading this, you've probably just got married or you're about to. Someone has also probably warned you that the spouse visa is "a lot of paperwork". They're not wrong. But it isn't mysterious. The Home Office wants to see the same handful of things from every couple. Once you know what they are, the whole thing turns into a checklist instead of a guessing game.

We translate documents for spouse visa applications every week, so we see a lot of these files before they go in. This is the guide we wish every couple read before they started.

Quick note on wording: the Home Office calls the person already in the UK the sponsor and the person coming over the applicant. Here we'll mostly say "you" for the applicant and "your partner" for the sponsor.

The UK spouse visa at a glance

Who it's for: The husband, wife or civil partner of a British or Irish citizen, or of someone settled in the UK
Minimum income: £29,000 a year, or enough cash savings to make up the gap
English: CEFR level A1 speaking and listening for your first visa
Visa fee: £2,064 from outside the UK, £1,407 from inside
Health surcharge: £3,105 for a 2 year 9 month visa
Decision time: Usually 12 weeks from outside the UK, 8 weeks from inside
How long it lasts: 2 years 9 months, then a 2 year 6 month extension, then settlement after 5 years

Checked on GOV.UK on 6 October 2026. Fees usually change in April, so check again on the day you pay.

Who Can Apply for a UK Spouse Visa?

Your partner needs to be British or Irish, or have settled status in the UK (indefinite leave to remain, or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). A few other groups can sponsor too, such as people with refugee or humanitarian protection status, and people with pre-settled status who arrived before 1 January 2021.

Then the relationship itself has to tick these boxes:

You're both 18 or over.
You're legally married, or in a civil partnership, that the UK recognises.
You've met in person.
Any previous marriage or civil partnership either of you had has legally ended.
You plan to live together permanently in the UK.

The phrase you'll see everywhere is "genuine and subsisting". It sounds intimidating, but caseworkers aren't judging your love story. They want evidence a stranger can follow: how you met, that you've spent time together, that you stay in touch, and that you have real plans. Holiday photos help a little. A dated trail of flights, visits and messages helps more. If you've lived together, joint bills and a shared tenancy say it better than anything (our guide to translating utility bills as cohabitation evidence covers that).

Not married yet, or not married at all?

If you're engaged, the fiancé(e) visa gives you 6 months in the UK to marry, and then you switch to the spouse visa from inside the country. Our guide to getting married in the UK as a foreigner walks through that route.

If you've lived together for at least 2 years but aren't married, look at the unmarried partner route. A civil partnership registered abroad has its own quirks, covered in our civil partnership guide.

The Financial Requirement: £29,000

Since 11 April 2024, couples usually need to show an income of at least £29,000 a year before tax. If you're applying from outside the UK, it's normally your partner's UK income that does the heavy lifting. Your own overseas salary generally won't count until you're working here. Income from things like rent or a pension can come from either of you.

Short of the full amount? Cash savings can fill the gap. Anything above the first £16,000 counts, divided by 2.5 for a first visa. Savings on their own meet the rule at £88,500. The money must have been held for at least six months.

Honestly, the number people get wrong isn't the £29,000. It's the timing. If your partner has been in their job for less than six months, the evidence rules change and you'll usually need a full year of earnings instead. Two exceptions worth knowing about: if your partner gets certain disability or carer's benefits, a different maintenance test applies. And if you're extending a visa first granted before 11 April 2024, the old £18,600 threshold still applies.

The detail of which payslips, letters and statements prove which kind of income is in our Appendix FM financial requirement guide. If any of that evidence is in another language, see foreign payslip translation and bank statement translation.

The English Language Requirement

For your first spouse visa you need to pass an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) at CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening. That's basic, everyday English: introducing yourself, answering simple questions. Most people are more nervous about it than they need to be.

The bar goes up as you go. You'll need A2 when you extend, and B1 when you apply to settle after five years. The Home Office has also said it plans to raise the requirement to B2 on some routes, so have a look at our ILR B2 English guide if settlement is a few years off for you.

You don't need to take a test if you're a national of a majority English-speaking country (Australia, Canada or the USA, for example), if you're 65 or over, if a medical condition stops you, or if you have a degree that was taught in English. If your degree comes from a non-English-speaking country, you'll need confirmation that it was taught in English, plus certified translations of any certificates that aren't in English.

The Accommodation Requirement

You need somewhere to live in the UK that's big enough for you and anyone coming with you, that you can pay for without public funds, and that won't be overcrowded. In practice that means a tenancy agreement or mortgage statement, plus a letter from the owner if you're moving in with family. A room in your in-laws' house is fine as long as the numbers work. If your housing papers are from abroad, our tenancy agreement translation guide explains what to do.

How Much Does a UK Spouse Visa Cost in 2026?

This is the part that makes most couples wince. The application fee is only half the story, because you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for the whole visa up front.

Cost	Amount	Good to know
Visa fee (applying from outside the UK)	£2,064	Per person, including any dependants
Visa fee (applying from inside the UK)	£1,407	Only if you're allowed to switch in-country
Immigration Health Surcharge	£3,105	£1,035 a year for a 2 year 9 month visa, paid up front
Super priority (inside the UK)	£1,000	Optional, for a faster decision
English test (A1 SELT)	Varies	Depends on the provider and country
Certified translations	From £17.99 per page	Only for documents not in English or Welsh

Applying from outside the UK, the visa fee plus the surcharge comes to £5,169 before you've booked an English test or translated anything. It's worth putting that number in your budget early rather than finding out at the payment screen.

How Long Does a Spouse Visa Take?

From outside the UK, the Home Office usually decides within 12 weeks. From inside the UK, it's usually 8 weeks if you meet all the requirements. If you're relying on exceptional circumstances because you don't meet them all, expect something closer to 12 months.

Inside the UK you can pay £1,000 for super priority. Outside the UK, priority options depend on the country you apply from, so check with your visa application centre. One practical tip: book your identity appointment as soon as you've applied. In some countries the appointment slots, not the Home Office, are the real wait.

How to Apply, Step by Step

Check you both qualify

Run through the relationship, money, English and housing rules below before you spend a penny. If one of them is shaky, it's better to know now.

Gather your evidence

Passports, marriage certificate, proof of income, proof of your relationship, your English test result and your housing documents. Start with whatever takes longest to get hold of, which is usually six months of bank statements.

Get anything not in English translated

Every document that isn't in English or Welsh needs a full certified translation. Do this once your evidence is final, so you aren't paying to translate a statement you later replace.

Apply online on GOV.UK

Fill in the form and pay the visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Use names exactly as they appear in your passport.

Prove your identity

Depending on where you are and what passport you hold, that means a visa application centre appointment for fingerprints and a photo, or the UK Immigration: ID Check app.

Upload your documents and wait

Upload the originals and translations together, each translation next to the document it belongs to. Then wait for the decision letter and follow what it tells you to do next.

Spouse Visa Documents Checklist

Every couple's file looks a little different, but most include:

Both passports (and any previous passports showing your travel together)
Your marriage or civil partnership certificate
Divorce or death certificates for any previous marriages
Evidence of your relationship: messages, visits, flights, photos, joint bills
Your partner's payslips, employer letter and bank statements, or proof of savings
Your English test certificate, or proof that you're exempt
A tenancy agreement, mortgage statement or letter from the property owner
A tuberculosis (TB) test certificate, if you're applying from a country on the TB list

Which of these need translating?

Anything that isn't in English or Welsh. Each one needs a full certified translation that confirms it's accurate and gives the date, the translator's full name and signature, and their contact details. Machine translations and translations you do yourself won't be accepted.

For most couples that means the marriage certificate, maybe a birth or divorce certificate, and sometimes a stack of foreign bank statements. Our spouse visa translation checklist goes document by document, and the marriage certificate guide covers Nikah Nama, Hindu and Chinese certificates.

Our certified translations start at £17.99 per page and are delivered as a PDF within 24 hours, ready to upload with your application. If your deadline is closer than that, there's a same-day option at £29.99 per page.

Why Spouse Visas Get Refused (and How to Avoid It)

These are the problems we spot most often when files land on our desk. None of them is about whether the couple is genuine. They're about paperwork that doesn't quite tell the story on its own.

Names that don't match from one document to the next

Muhammad on the passport, Mohammed on the marriage certificate, Mohd on the bank statement. A human can see it's the same person. A caseworker has to be shown. Ask your translator to follow your passport spelling, and add a short explanation letter if the original documents disagree.

Translating only the "important" pages

Couples often send us page one of a bank statement or the front of a certificate to save money. UKVI wants the whole document translated, including the stamps, the back page and the small print. A partial translation is one of the easiest ways to get a request for more information.

Income that doesn't add up

Payslips that don't match the money landing in the bank, or a gross salary quoted where the net figure is shown. The caseworker will try to match every payslip to a deposit, so check that yourself before you submit.

A previous marriage with no paperwork

If either of you has been married before, you need to prove that marriage ended, usually with a divorce decree or a death certificate. People forget this surprisingly often, especially when the divorce was years ago.

Applying a few weeks too early

Savings need to have been held for the full six months. Most employed sponsors need six months with their current employer. Applying a fortnight early can sink an otherwise perfect application.

On the names point, our guide to name changes and mismatched spellings explains how to deal with it before it becomes a question. If either of you is divorced, see divorce certificate translation.

What Happens After You Get the Visa

A first spouse visa from outside the UK lasts 2 years and 9 months. Before it runs out you extend for another 2 years and 6 months, and this time you'll need the A2 English level. After five years on the route you can usually apply for indefinite leave to remain, and British citizenship after that.

Hold on to your certified translations. If the original document hasn't changed, the same translation can often be used again at extension and settlement. Settlement rules are being reviewed in 2026, so check the current guidance when you get close. Our ILR documents guide covers what changes at that stage.

Spouse Visa FAQs

How long does a UK spouse visa take in 2026?

If you apply from outside the UK, the Home Office usually decides within 12 weeks. If you apply from inside the UK and meet all the requirements, it is usually 8 weeks. Applications that rely on exceptional circumstances can take around 12 months.

How much does a UK spouse visa cost in 2026?

The visa fee is £2,064 from outside the UK or £1,407 from inside the UK. On top of that you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is £3,105 for a 2 year 9 month visa. From outside the UK that comes to £5,169 before English test and translation costs.

Can I work on a UK spouse visa?

Yes. A spouse visa lets you work and study in the UK. You cannot usually claim public funds such as most benefits.

What if my partner earns less than £29,000?

Cash savings above £16,000 can make up the gap. For a first visa, the amount above £16,000 is divided by 2.5 and added to the income. Savings alone can meet the requirement at £88,500. If your partner gets certain disability or carer's benefits, a different maintenance test applies instead.

Can I switch to a spouse visa from a visitor visa in the UK?

No. You cannot switch into the partner route from inside the UK if you are here as a visitor. In most cases you need to go home and apply from there.

Do my spouse visa translations need to be notarised?

No. UKVI accepts a certified translation that confirms it is accurate, gives the date, and shows the translator's full name, signature and contact details. Notarisation is extra cost you do not need unless an authority asks for it in writing.

Can I translate my own marriage certificate?

Not for a visa. UKVI needs the translation to come from an independent translator or translation company, even if you are fluent in both languages.

If my spouse visa is refused, can I apply again?

Yes. A refusal does not stop you reapplying once you have fixed the problem. Partner refusals often come with a right of appeal too. Read the refusal letter closely, and think about speaking to a regulated immigration adviser before you decide which way to go.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. If your situation is complicated (a previous refusal, an overstay, or income that doesn't fit a standard category), speak to a regulated immigration adviser.