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Fiancé visa UK: cost, rules and switching after

A fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa lasts up to 6 months, costs £2,064 and does not allow work or study. The couple must marry or form a civil partnership in the UK within that time, and the holder then applies to extend as a partner.

The fiancé(e) visa is part of the same family route as the spouse visa, but it behaves differently in four ways: it is short, it carries a ban on work and study, it comes with a TB-test rule that other six-month visas do not have, and it ends in a second application. Couples tend to underestimate the second application, which has its own fee, its own financial test and a settlement clock that does not count the months spent as a fiancé(e).

This guide sets out what the Rules and GOV.UK say about the fiancé(e) route: who qualifies, the cost, the TB and English requirements, what the 6 months allow, the notice and ceremony rules in England and Wales, and what happens at the extension. Everything was read on 9 October 2026. It describes the rules and does not say whether a particular couple meets them or what route they should use.

What the fiancé(e) route is

Appendix FM treats a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner as a "partner" (GEN.1.2(iii)). To qualify for entry clearance the applicant must, among other things, be "seeking entry to the UK to enable their marriage or civil partnership to take place in the United Kingdom" (E-ECP.2.8). GOV.UK puts it as: you must prove you are a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner and "will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving".

The other partner-route relationship requirements apply too. Both people must be 18 or over (E-ECP.2.2 and 2.3), must not be within the prohibited degree of relationship, must have met in person (E-ECP.2.5), must have a genuine and subsisting relationship (E-ECP.2.6) and must intend to live together permanently in the UK (E-ECP.2.10). The partner in the UK must be a British citizen, settled, have protection status, or one of the other statuses listed in E-ECP.2.1.

Two further requirements are specific to this route. Under E-ECP.2.9(ii), neither person can be "married to, or in a civil partnership with, another person at the date of application", and any previous relationship of either person must have broken down permanently (E-ECP.2.9(i)). GOV.UK adds that you must prove "any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended". FM-SE paragraphs 23, 25 and 26 say how: a decree absolute or final order for a divorce in England and Wales, a decree of divorce in Scotland, a final order for a dissolved civil partnership, and for events abroad "a reasonable equivalent ... valid under the law in force in the relevant country".

What it costs

GOV.UK's family visa page gives the cost of joining a partner as £2,064 for an application made outside the UK, per person. The 8 October 2026 Home Office fee table shows the family route to settlement fee at £2,064 with no change from the previous table.

The Immigration Health Surcharge is the part that surprises people. GOV.UK's surcharge page says that you do not need to pay it "if you're applying from outside the UK for 6 months or less" and lists "visa for 6 months or less from outside the UK" among the exemptions. A fiancé(e) entry clearance is granted for a period "not exceeding 6 months" (D-ECP.1.1), so the surcharge is not normally part of this first application. It is part of the next one: the extension as a partner, covered below.

Other costs sit around the visa rather than in it: the TB test if one is needed, an English language test if the applicant has not proved English another way, certified translations, the notice of marriage and the ceremony fee. In England and Wales GOV.UK gives the registrar's fee as £62 at a register office and £114.50 at a registered religious building, with other approved premises varying.

Faster processing may be offered at application. GOV.UK says a family visa application made from outside the UK usually takes 30 working days under the £500 priority service, against the standard 12 weeks it gives for a decision outside the UK.

TB test, English and money

TB test. GOV.UK's TB page states that a person coming to the UK for less than 6 months will still need a TB test if applying "for a family visa as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner". The test is needed if the applicant has lived in one of the listed countries for 6 months or more and was living there, or in another listed country, in the last 6 months. The test must be from a clinic approved by the Home Office; the certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray. This differs from visitor and other short visas, where the six-month length means no test. The country-specific pages for Pakistan and India are covered in our nationality guides.

English. E-ECP.4.1 applies to fiancé(e) applicants as it does to spouses. The applicant provides specified evidence that they are a national of a listed majority English-speaking country (GEN.1.6), have passed a speaking-and-listening test at CEFR level A1 or above with an approved provider, hold a UK degree or an overseas one assessed as equivalent and taught in English, or are exempt (age 65 or over, a disabling condition, or exceptional circumstances). FM-SE paragraph 32A confirms the English provisions apply to "fiancé(e), proposed civil partner, spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner".

Money and housing. The financial requirement in E-ECP.3.1 is the one for any partner entry clearance: a specified gross annual income of at least £29,000, or savings of £16,000 plus 2.5 times the shortfall, or the benefits route in E-ECP.3.3. E-ECP.3.4 adds adequate accommodation without recourse to public funds that is not overcrowded and does not contravene public health regulations. Our guides to the £29,000 requirement and to using savings explain each.

What the 6 months allow and do not allow

D-ECP.1.1 grants a fiancé(e) entry clearance "for a period not exceeding 6 months, and subject to a prohibition on employment and a condition of no recourse to public funds". GOV.UK repeats the work and study ban: "You cannot work or study in the UK during your engagement."

That has a financial consequence for the period itself. Because the holder cannot work, the household relies on the partner's income and on savings for six months, and the Rules for the later extension still require the £29,000 level to be met from specified sources.

The 6 months also run whether or not the wedding has happened. The Home Office guidance notes that a spouse or civil partner can re-enter the UK after a honeymoon abroad "during the remaining validity of their entry clearance as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner" if they can satisfy the Immigration Officer, with the marriage certificate, that they intend to regularise their status as a spouse within the remaining validity. Leaving and returning is a separate matter from the visa's end date.

Giving notice and holding the ceremony (England and Wales)

The timetable is the main practical risk. GOV.UK's marriage guidance for England and Wales says:

  • You must sign a legal statement of intent at your local register office, known as "giving notice", at least 29 days before the ceremony. GOV.UK's example: notice on 1 May means the earliest ceremony is 30 May.
  • You must hold the ceremony within 12 months of giving notice.
  • You usually need an appointment and must have lived in that registration district for the past 7 days.
  • If one of you is from outside the UK or Ireland (with limited exceptions such as settled status), you must give notice together at a register office in the district where at least one of you lives.
  • You cannot give notice, marry or form a civil partnership on a Standard Visitor visa. If you give notice without the right visa, the Home Office is told. It "might ask questions about you and your relationship", in which case "you may need to wait up to 70 days", or decide not to approve the notice.

Counted from a first-day notice appointment, a ceremony at 29 days leaves most of the 6 months, but a referral for further questions can push the earliest date to 70 days. Documents for the notice include the venue details, proof of address, passports or UK birth certificates, a passport photo for each, proof of immigration status and, if previously married, proof the earlier marriage ended. Civil ceremonies need at least 2 witnesses. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different notice rules, which this guide does not cover.

After the wedding: extending as a partner

GOV.UK says: "After you marry or become civil partners, you'll need to apply to extend your stay in the UK. If your application is approved, you'll have the right to work or study." This is a leave to remain application under E-LTRP, made inside the UK. GOV.UK gives the in-UK fee as £1,407, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, which for 2 years and 6 months is £2,587.50 for an adult.

Points that catch couples out:

  • The financial threshold is £29,000 again. The lower £18,600 transitional level applies only to people whose first application, including as a fiancé(e), was made before 11 April 2024 (E-LTRP.3.5). A fiancé(e) application made now is a first application after that date, so E-LTRP.3.1 is the paragraph the extension is read against.
  • English is only re-tested if it was not met before. E-LTRP.4.1 asks for evidence of English from an applicant who has not met the requirement in an earlier partner or parent application. The step up to A2 in speaking and listening comes later, at the further extension after 30 months as a partner (E-LTRP.4.1A).
  • The partner clock starts at the extension. D-ECP.1.1 and GOV.UK say time as a fiancé(e) does not count: "Any period of entry clearance or limited leave as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner does not count towards the continuous period of leave as a partner required for settlement" (caseworker guidance). The earliest settlement is 60 months of continuous partner leave.
  • If the wedding has not happened. E-LTRP.1.11 allows a person in the UK with fiancé(e) leave to apply where the marriage did not take place in that period if there is "good reason why and evidence that it will take place within the next 6 months". The grant is for up to 6 months, with a work ban (D-LTRP.1.1).
  • A new engagement is not a new route. E-LTRP.1.12 says a partner cannot be a fiancé(e) unless the applicant was granted entry clearance as that person's fiancé(e). GOV.UK says an unmarried partner who becomes engaged should apply to extend with the same status they hold.

An application made before the fiancé(e) permission expires keeps the person's leave alive under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 while it is decided; see our section 3C guide.

Worked examples (illustrative)

Example 1: a six-month timetable. An applicant arrives on 1 March with a visa valid to 1 September. Notice is given at the register office on 5 March. The earliest ceremony under the 29-day rule is 3 April. If the Home Office asks questions, the delay can run to 70 days, to 14 May. Either way the ceremony falls inside the visa, and the extension application can be made after it.

Example 2: income from the partner only. The UK partner earns £31,000 in a salaried job that meets the FM-SE evidence rules, so the E-ECP.3.1(a) requirement is met from the partner's income alone. During the six months the applicant cannot add to household income because work is prohibited. Whether the household can also meet accommodation and maintenance without public funds is part of the application.

Example 3: the TB rule. A person lives in a country on the GOV.UK TB list and applies for a fiancé(e) visa. The six-month length does not remove the test: GOV.UK names this route as one where the test still applies. A person who has lived for the past 12 months in a country that is not on the list does not meet the test condition, because the rule turns on where the applicant has lived, not on nationality.

Finding a regulated adviser

Because the route has a hard end date and a second application, couples often ask a regulated adviser to check the timetable (notice, ceremony, extension) and the evidence. GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser, and only IAA-registered advisers, solicitors and barristers may give immigration advice in England and Wales.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

How much is a fiancé visa for the UK?

GOV.UK gives £2,064 for a family visa applied for outside the UK. The healthcare surcharge is not payable for a visa of 6 months or less applied for from outside the UK, but the extension as a partner after the wedding costs £1,407 plus the surcharge.

How long is a UK fiancé visa valid?

Up to 6 months. Appendix FM paragraph D-ECP.1.1 grants entry clearance for a period not exceeding 6 months, and the couple must marry or form a civil partnership in the UK in that time.

Can I work on a UK fiancé visa?

No. D-ECP.1.1 attaches a prohibition on employment and GOV.UK says you cannot work or study during your engagement. After you marry and your extension as a partner is approved, you have the right to work or study.

Do I need a TB test for a fiancé visa?

If you have lived in a country on the GOV.UK TB list for 6 months or more and were living there in the last 6 months, yes. GOV.UK says a TB test is still needed for a visa of under 6 months if you apply as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner.

Does time on a fiancé visa count towards settlement?

No. Settlement as a partner needs 60 months of continuous partner leave, and time as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner is excluded under D-ECP.1.1 and GOV.UK's guidance.

How long before the wedding do you have to give notice in England?

At least 29 days before the ceremony, and the ceremony must be held within 12 months of giving notice. If the Home Office asks questions about the notice, GOV.UK says you may need to wait up to 70 days.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • UK spouse visa cost in 2026: the application fee, the health surcharge and what else you pay — A partner or spouse visa costs £2,064 if you apply from outside the UK and £1,407 if you apply from inside it, plus the immigration health surcharge (£3,105 for the first 2 years 9 months from outside the UK, £2,587.50 for an extension). Settlement (ILR) is a separate £3,226. These are the 8 October 2026 fees and are per person.
  • Spouse visa financial requirement: how the £29,000 minimum income works — For a first partner application, the Immigration Rules require specified gross income of at least £29,000 a year, or cash savings of £16,000 plus 2.5 times any shortfall. A lower £18,600 figure applies only to people who first applied before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner. Loans, benefits such as Universal Credit and property equity do not count.
  • Using savings for a spouse visa: the £16,000 rule — Under Appendix FM, cash savings can replace some or all of the £29,000 income requirement, but not pound for pound. The Rules ask for £16,000 plus 2.5 times the gap between your income and £29,000, held in cash for the 6 months before you apply.
  • Spouse visa English requirement: A1, A2 and B1 explained — Partner applicants must show English at CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening for the first visa, and A2 at the extension after 30 months if A1 was used before. You can meet it by nationality of a listed country, a degree taught in English, or an approved SELT taken within two years. People aged 65 or over, and some with disabilities, are exempt.
  • Spouse visa extension after 2.5 years: how the FLR(M) application works — The partner visa is granted in two blocks of about 2.5 years. The extension (GOV.UK's FLR(M) online application) costs £1,407 plus £2,587.50 health surcharge per adult, and you can apply any time before your permission expires. Most people must meet the financial requirement again, show you still live together, and prove English at A2 if A1 was used last time.
  • Unmarried partner visa: the 2-year rule — An unmarried partner can apply under Appendix FM if the couple have been in a relationship similar to marriage for at least 2 years before the application date. Home Office guidance says the 2 years do not need to have been spent living together, but the financial, English and other partner requirements still apply.
  • UK spouse visa from Pakistan: costs and TB test — A partner applying from Pakistan pays £2,064 plus a £3,105 healthcare surcharge for a 2-year-9-month visa, and normally needs a TB certificate from a Home Office-approved clinic in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi or Mirpur. Pakistan is not on the list of countries whose nationals are exempt from the English requirement.
  • UK spouse visa from India: costs and TB test — A partner applying from India pays £2,064 plus a £3,105 healthcare surcharge for a 2-year-9-month visa, and normally needs a TB certificate from one of the Home Office-approved clinics listed for India. India is not on the list of countries whose nationals are exempt from the English requirement.
  • Section 3C leave: your status while a decision is pending — If you apply to extend or change your UK leave before it expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends that leave on the same conditions until the application is decided, and while an appeal or administrative review is possible or pending. It does not apply to late or invalid applications, and it ends if you leave the UK.
  • How to check a UK immigration adviser is registered — In the UK only a "qualified person" may give immigration advice: an IAA-registered adviser, a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive, or someone working under their supervision. Ask for the regulator and registration number, then check it yourself on the IAA Adviser Register or the SRA Solicitors Register.