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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.

People searching for the cost of a UK spouse visa usually find one headline number and then discover three or four more later. The Home Office application fee is only part of the bill. The immigration health surcharge (IHS) is paid at the same time and is often bigger than the extension fee. English tests, a tuberculosis test in some countries, translations and the settlement application add to it.

This page sets out each cost using the Home Office fee table dated 8 October 2026 and the GOV.UK family visa and healthcare surcharge pages, all read on 9 October 2026. It then adds up three worked totals: the first visa from outside the UK, the extension from inside the UK, and the whole route to settlement. It explains how the fees work. It does not tell you which application to make, and fees can change, so check the amount on the application form on the day you pay.

"Partner or spouse visa" here means the partner route under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules: spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner of at least two years, and fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner. The same fee applies to all of them.

The application fee

GOV.UK's family visa page gives the cost of joining a partner, parent or child as:

  • £2,064 if you apply outside the UK
  • £1,407 if you apply inside the UK (to extend or switch)

The Home Office fee table, dated 8 October 2026, lists the outside-UK fee as "Route to Settlement" at £2,064 and the inside-UK fee as "Leave to remain – Other" at £1,407. The table shows a change of £0 (0%) on every row against the fees in force since 8 April 2026, so nothing moved on 8 October.

The fee is per person. GOV.UK says each dependant added to your application costs £2,064 from outside the UK or £1,407 from inside it. In a partner application the usual dependants are children who are under 18 when the application is made (or were under 18 when first granted leave) and who do not live an independent life.

The same fee applies whether you are applying as a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner. It also applies to the fiancé(e) visa, which grants 6 months, but see the IHS section below because the surcharge works differently there.

Two other application routes sit in the same fee table and are easy to confuse with the partner fee. An adult dependent relative applying to be cared for by a family member pays £3,635 from outside the UK (£452 if the sponsor has temporary protection status). That is a different route with different rules, and it is not covered here.

The immigration health surcharge

Most people applying for a visa of more than 6 months from outside the UK, or for any length of time from inside the UK, pay the IHS when they apply. GOV.UK says you pay it online by debit or credit card as part of the application and you receive an IHS reference number to use in the visa form. You still pay if you have private medical insurance.

The yearly rate is £1,035 for most adults. GOV.UK's family visa page turns that into the amounts for the lengths of permission this route grants:

  • £3,105 per adult for a visa of 2 years 9 months (a first grant from outside the UK)
  • £2,587.50 per adult for 2 years 6 months (an extension or switch inside the UK)
  • £5,175 per adult for 5 years

For each child under 18 the yearly rate is £776, and the family visa page gives £2,328 for 2 years 9 months, £1,940 for 2 years 6 months and £3,880 for 5 years.

The IHS is worked out from the length of permission you are given, so the figure on your own application may differ from these examples if you are given a different period. The fiancé(e) visa is a good example. It grants 6 months. GOV.UK's healthcare page says you do not pay the surcharge if you are applying from outside the UK for a visa of 6 months or less. After you marry, the extension is a normal inside-UK application with its own fee and surcharge.

Settlement works the other way round. The IHS page lists people applying for indefinite leave to enter or remain as exempt, but adds that you must pay if you apply for ILR and are only given limited leave.

Refunds are covered on the same page. You get a full IHS refund if your visa application is refused or if you withdraw it before a decision, and a partial refund if you are given less time than you asked for. The refund goes back to the card used. The page does not deal with the application fee itself, so check the Home Office guidance before paying if that matters to you.

Worked totals: first visa, extension and settlement

The table below uses only the fees above. Each figure is for one adult applicant and assumes the standard length of permission GOV.UK gives for the route.

First visa from outside the UK

  • Application fee: £2,064
  • IHS for 2 years 9 months: £3,105
  • Total: £5,169

Extension from inside the UK, usually after about 2.5 years

  • Application fee: £1,407
  • IHS for 2 years 6 months: £2,587.50
  • Total: £3,994.50

Settlement (indefinite leave to remain)

  • Application fee: £3,226 (the fee table's "Indefinite leave to remain – main applicant and dependants" row)
  • IHS: nil if you are given indefinite leave
  • Total: £3,226

Adding the three gives £12,389.50 for one adult going from first visa to settlement on a standard five-year path with one extension. That is before any English test, medical test, translation, travel or adviser costs, and before any optional fast-track service.

For a child included in the first application the arithmetic is £2,064 plus £2,328 (the under-18 IHS for 2 years 9 months), a total of £4,392. An applicant with two children applying together from outside the UK on those figures would pay £5,169 for the adult plus £8,784 for the two children, a total of £13,953 at the first stage alone. The partner already in the UK, if British or settled, pays nothing towards the application.

Many families ask whether they can spread the cost. The Home Office does not offer instalments, and the IHS has to be paid by card when you apply. GOV.UK suggests telling your bank that a large amount is about to leave your account, because otherwise it might cancel the payment.

Costs outside the Home Office fee table

Several costs sit outside the Home Office fee table, and you can only find them by working through the application requirements. GOV.UK's information page for family visas lists what you must provide, and some items cost money.

  • English language. Unless you are exempt, you need a degree taught in English or a pass in a Secure English Language Test (SELT). The test is set and priced by the provider you choose, not by the Home Office, so look at the provider's own booking page. You will pay again if the extension needs a higher level.
  • Tuberculosis test. GOV.UK says you need a chest X-ray if you are coming for 6 months or more, have lived in a listed country for 6 months or more, and were living there within the last 6 months. Fiancé(e) applicants need the test even though the visa is shorter than 6 months. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the X-ray, and it must come from a Home Office-approved clinic.
  • Translations. Documents not in English or Welsh need a certified translation.
  • Biometrics. You must attend an appointment to give fingerprints and a photograph. From outside the UK, the visa application centre could be in another country, so travel can be a real cost.
  • Documents. Certificates, tax documents and letters from employers can carry their own issue costs in some places.

The fee table also lists optional services outside the UK, including a priority service (£500) and a super priority service (£1,000), and a separate super priority service for applications made inside the UK (£1,000). GOV.UK's family visa page says you may be able to pay an extra £1,000 for super priority if you are applying from the UK, and that this is not available to adults applying to be cared for by a relative. Whether either is offered for your application depends on where you are applying, so check GOV.UK.

Finally, the fee table lists £30 for processing an application that is then rejected as invalid. An application can be rejected for defects such as a missing fee or a wrong form, before anyone decides it on the merits.

If you cannot pay the fee

GOV.UK says you may be able to apply for a fee waiver for the family visa application fee if you cannot pay because:

  • you do not have a place to live and cannot afford one
  • you have a place to live but cannot afford essential living costs such as food or heating
  • you have a very low income and paying the fee would harm your child's wellbeing

The fee waiver is a separate online application, with different versions for people applying outside and inside the UK. For the in-UK form, GOV.UK's FLR(M) page says you must apply for the fee waiver before you make the main application. A waiver covers the application fee. The partner pages do not say it covers the health surcharge, so check the fee waiver guidance on GOV.UK for how the IHS is treated.

GOV.UK also says you can get help with completing the online form if you are not confident with a computer or mobile device or do not have internet access. The service is only for people applying inside the UK, and GOV.UK states plainly that you cannot get immigration advice through it.

The fee is not the only test of affordability in this route. The financial requirement in the Rules concerns annual income or savings, and it is a separate question. The article on the spouse visa financial requirement explains how it works.

How fees change, and what that means for planning

The Home Office publishes its fee table on GOV.UK and updates it when fees change. The table dated 8 October 2026 shows no change from the table dated 8 April 2026. Earlier tables remain on the publication page, so you can compare years.

Three planning points follow from how the route is built.

First, the extension fee and the IHS are paid again about 2.5 years in. If you are budgeting for the whole route, budget for the extension at the time you start.

Second, the settlement application is a separate application with a separate fee. The family visa page says the earliest you can apply for settlement on the partner route is after 5 years of continuous residence on a partner visa. Time as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, and time on other visas, does not count towards the five years.

Third, the IHS depends on the length of permission and the applicant's age. A child who turns 18 between applications moves to the adult rate, so a figure you worked out years ago may be out of date. Check the surcharge on GOV.UK at the time you apply.

The fee does not decide whether an application succeeds. The requirements that do are income or savings, English, the relationship and the evidence. When the stakes include £5,000 or more in fees and surcharge for a first application, people often ask a regulated adviser to check the application before it goes in. An adviser's fee is separate. The article on immigration solicitor costs in the UK explains how those are charged.

Finding a regulated adviser

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

Questions people ask

How much does a UK spouse visa cost in 2026?

Applying from outside the UK costs £2,064 per person plus the immigration health surcharge, which GOV.UK gives as £3,105 per adult for a visa of 2 years 9 months. That is £5,169 for one adult. Fees are from the Home Office table dated 8 October 2026.

How much is the spouse visa extension fee?

Applying from inside the UK costs £1,407 per person plus IHS, which GOV.UK gives as £2,587.50 per adult for 2 years 6 months. That is £3,994.50 for one adult.

Do I pay the health surcharge on a spouse visa?

Usually yes, for a visa of more than 6 months applied for from outside the UK, or for any length from inside the UK. You do not pay it from outside the UK for a visa of 6 months or less, and ILR applicants are exempt unless they are given only limited leave.

How much does the whole route to settlement cost?

For one adult on a standard path, the three Home Office fees and surcharges come to £12,389.50: £5,169 for the first visa, £3,994.50 for one extension and £3,226 for ILR. Tests, translations, travel and adviser fees are extra, and the fee table can change.

Can I get a fee waiver for a spouse visa?

GOV.UK says you may be eligible if you cannot afford a place to live, cannot afford essential living costs, or have a very low income and paying would harm your child's wellbeing. You apply online separately, before the main application if you are applying inside the UK.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 documents: what UKVI asks for, and the rules on how to present them — A UK partner application needs your identity documents, your partner's details, proof of relationship, specified financial evidence (for example 6 months of payslips with bank statements and an employer letter), English evidence, a TB certificate if you are from a listed country, and certified translations. Missing or out-of-date documents are the commonest reason for avoidable refusals.
  • Spouse visa refused: options and deadlines — A refused UK partner (spouse) application is not on the administrative review list. You can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal only if the decision refused a human rights claim, which your decision letter should say; the deadline is 14 days in the UK or 28 days outside it and the fee is £82 or £144. Otherwise the usual step is a new application at £2,064 (outside the UK) or £1,407 (inside), plus the healthcare surcharge.
  • How much does an immigration solicitor cost in the UK? — On the price pages of four SRA-regulated firms read on 9 October 2026, legal fees for a spouse or partner visa application started between £2,000 and £8,000 plus VAT, and hourly rates ran from £175 to £800 plus VAT. Home Office fees and the healthcare surcharge are paid on top.