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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.

The partner visa rules are the same whatever the applicant's nationality, but the practical steps around the application are not. India is on the UK's tuberculosis test list, has a long list of approved clinics across many cities, and is not among the countries whose nationals are exempt from the English requirement. Those three facts shape the preparation more than any difference in the rules themselves.

This guide covers the India-specific parts of a UK spouse (partner) visa application made from India. It uses GOV.UK's family visa pages, the India TB clinic page (updated 21 September 2026), the secure English test pages and Appendix FM and FM-SE of the Immigration Rules. The £29,000 financial requirement, the savings route and settlement have their own guides and are not repeated in full. Everything was read on 9 October 2026. It explains the rules and does not say whether any couple meets them.

The fee, the surcharge and what else to budget for

For a family visa applied for outside the UK, GOV.UK gives the cost of joining a partner as £2,064 per person. The Immigration Health Surcharge is added: for an adult, £3,105 for 2 years and 9 months (the period of a first partner grant, which is "up to 2 years and 9 months"), or £5,175 for 5 years. For a child under 18 it is £2,328 for 2 years and 9 months. For one adult applying for the standard 33-month grant, the Home Office charges come to £5,169.

The Home Office fee table dated 8 October 2026 shows the family route to settlement fee at £2,064, unchanged from the previous table, so the figure should hold until the next fee update. GOV.UK also lists a fee waiver for people who cannot pay because they cannot afford housing or essential living costs, or where the fee would harm a child's wellbeing.

Other costs depend on the case: the TB test, an English test if the applicant has not proved English another way, certified translations of documents not in English or Welsh, and optional faster processing. GOV.UK's faster-decision page lists a £500 priority service and says family visa applications from outside the UK usually take 30 working days under it, if it is offered, against the standard 12 weeks for a decision outside the UK. GOV.UK advises letting your bank know that a large payment is coming, "otherwise it might cancel your payment".

The TB test: India is on the list

GOV.UK's TB page says you need a tuberculosis test if all of these apply: you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more, you have lived in a listed country for 6 months or more, and you were living there, or in another listed country, within the last 6 months. India is on the list. The test turns on where the applicant has lived, not on nationality. Someone who holds an Indian passport but has lived outside the listed countries throughout the past six months does not meet that condition; someone of another nationality who has lived in India does.

Children: GOV.UK says all children must see a clinician who decides whether a chest x-ray is needed, and children under 11 will not normally have one. The adult test is a chest x-ray, followed by a sputum sample only if the x-ray is unclear. A clear result gives a certificate valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray, so its date relative to the application matters. The test must be at a Home Office-approved clinic: "We will not accept a TB test certificate from a clinic we have not approved."

The India page, updated 21 September 2026, lists approved clinics in these places: Bangalore, Bathinda (Punjab), Chandigarh and Mohali, Chennai, Coimbatore, Goa, Gujarat, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kerala, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi and Noida, and Pune. Each entry gives the clinic's address and contact details, and most give opening hours and fees. If a city is not on that list, the page is the place to check for the nearest clinic.

Fees vary by clinic and age. Across the listing the amounts range from INR 1,000 to INR 3,700, with many clinics charging the same for children and adults and others charging less for those under 11. For example, one Bangalore hospital lists INR 2,000 (under 11) and INR 3,700 (11 and over), a Bathinda hospital INR 3,000 for both, and a Chennai clinic INR 2,200 for both. Fees change, so use the current GOV.UK page.

The page says to contact an approved clinic to book and "make it clear you need the test for a UK visa application". What to bring: the passport you are using for the application and valid photo ID such as a national ID card; the fee; and, if you have had tuberculosis or another lung disease, details of previous screening and, if possible, medical notes and x-ray results. The TB test still applies to a fiancé(e) visa of under 6 months.

English: India is not on the exempt list

Under E-ECP.4.1, a partner applicant meets the English requirement by being a national of a country in paragraph GEN.1.6, passing a speaking-and-listening test at CEFR level A1 or above with an approved provider, holding a qualifying degree, or being exempt (age 65 or over, a condition that prevents it, or exceptional circumstances).

The GEN.1.6 list names Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA. India is not on it, so nationality alone does not meet E-ECP.4.1(a). Whether English is the language of a person's education is a separate question, answered through the degree route.

  • Test. The test must be a secure English language test on the Home Office approved list. For applicants outside the UK, GOV.UK names the providers as PSI Services (UK) Ltd, the IELTS SELT Consortium, LANGUAGECERT and Pearson. The test must be taken at an approved test location and awarded in the two years before the application (FM-SE paragraph 27). The list of approved test centres outside the UK is published as a spreadsheet on GOV.UK.
  • UK degree. A degree-level qualification awarded by a UK institution, including one studied outside the UK, only needs the degree certificate.
  • Degree from outside the UK. If the degree was taught in English but not awarded by a UK institution, GOV.UK says to apply for an Ecctis assessment, which gives a code confirming equivalence to a UK bachelor's degree or higher and teaching in English. FM-SE paragraph 32 lists the countries in which a qualification is assumed to have been taught in English; India is not on that list, so an Indian degree needs the Ecctis confirmation.

If English was proved in an earlier successful visa application, it may not have to be proved again. The A2 step comes later, at the extension after 2.5 years, covered in our spouse visa English guide.

Documents: certificates, translations and where you do the biometrics

GOV.UK's list of what to provide for an application from outside the UK includes: all names and the date of birth, a current passport, the photo page and any visa or entry stamps from previous passports, details of earlier immigration applications and any criminal convictions, a National Insurance number if there is one, "your parents' date of birth and nationality", TB test results if required, and a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh.

Marriage evidence. FM-SE paragraph 22 asks for a valid marriage certificate recognised under UK law for a UK marriage. For a marriage elsewhere, paragraph 26 asks for "a reasonable equivalent ... valid under the law in force in the relevant country". The Rules do not name the document for India, and this guide does not say which one it will be in any case. If the partner or applicant was previously married, paragraphs 23 to 26 govern the evidence that the earlier marriage ended.

Translations. Paragraph 1(j) of FM-SE requires the original document and a full translation that is dated, confirms it is an accurate translation, gives the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company, and includes their contact details. That applies to documents in Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati or any other language that is not English or Welsh.

Bank and money documents. Statements must meet FM-SE paragraph 1(a): from an acceptable institution, in the right name or names, covering the specified period, either on official bank stationery or electronic statements accompanied by a bank letter confirming they are authentic or stamped on every page. Evidence for a period that ends on the date of application must be dated within 28 days of the application. Income converted from foreign currency is converted at the rate in Appendix Finance. For an entry clearance application, E-ECP.3.2 counts the UK partner's employment and self-employment income and certain other income of both people; our £29,000 guide covers it.

Biometrics. After applying, the applicant attends an appointment to give fingerprints and a photo. GOV.UK warns that "the visa application centre could be in another country", so travel and time should be allowed.

What the Rules require of the relationship

The relationship requirements are the same for every nationality, but they are where many applications are examined most closely, so they are worth reading in full. Appendix FM requires that both people are 18 or over (E-ECP.2.2, 2.3), that they are not within the prohibited degree of relationship (2.4), that they "must have met in person" (2.5), that the relationship is "genuine and subsisting" (2.6), that any marriage is valid (2.7), that any earlier relationship has "broken down permanently" (2.9) and that they "intend to live together permanently in the UK" (2.10).

GOV.UK adds the evidence expected: documents from the government, a bank, landlord, utility provider or medical professional that confirm the relationship and are less than 4 years old, such as tenancy agreements, bills, joint bank statements or a letter from a doctor. For couples who do not live together, it asks for evidence of ongoing commitment: regular communication, financial support, care of any children together and time together as a couple. The online form asks how the couple met, how often they see each other and what they pay for together.

The partner in the UK must be a British or Irish citizen, settled in the UK, or hold one of the statuses in E-ECP.2.1. The financial requirement (E-ECP.3.1), accommodation requirement (E-ECP.3.4) and, for the applicant, the English requirement all have to be met.

Timeline and what follows

GOV.UK says that for an application outside the UK "you'll usually get a decision within 12 weeks". An approved applicant receives an eVisa, and the decision letter says whether the endorsement is standard or non-standard. The initial grant is up to 2 years and 9 months, with no recourse to public funds, and the holder can work and study.

The earliest settlement application is after 5 continuous years on a family visa as a partner, and time on other visas does not count. If the financial requirement was not met and the grant is on Article 8 grounds, GOV.UK says the earliest settlement is after 10 years.

A refused application has limited remedies and short deadlines; our guide to a refused spouse visa sets out when an appeal is available, the 28-day outside-UK time limit and the £82 or £144 fee, and why Appendix AR does not cover Appendix FM refusals.

Worked examples (illustrative)

Example 1: Home Office and clinic costs. One adult from India applies for a 33-month partner grant. The fee is £2,064 and the surcharge £3,105, so £5,169 is payable to the Home Office. A clinic charging INR 2,500 for the TB test adds that amount in rupees on the day. A speaking-and-listening test fee, if one is needed, is set by the test provider and is not on GOV.UK.

Example 2: a degree. An applicant holds a bachelor's degree from an Indian university taught in English. FM-SE paragraph 31 asks for the certificate and, because the award is from outside the UK, a document from the qualification and language assessments provider confirming the degree meets the UK standard and was taught in English to level A1 or above. India is not among the countries in paragraph 32 that are assumed to teach in English, so that document is part of the evidence.

Example 3: where the applicant has lived. An Indian national left India eight months ago and has since lived in a country that is not on the GOV.UK TB list. The condition asks whether the applicant lived in a listed country for 6 months or more and was living in a listed country within the last 6 months. On those facts the second limb is not met, because the rule turns on residence and not on the passport. The application service asks the relevant questions, and the TB page sets out the rule.

Finding a regulated adviser

Some couples ask a regulated adviser to review the evidence, translations and timeline before applying from India. GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser. 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 does a UK spouse visa cost from India?

GOV.UK gives £2,064 for an application made outside the UK, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £3,105 for an adult for 2 years and 9 months, which is £5,169 for one adult. The TB test, any English test and translations are extra.

Do I need a TB test for a UK spouse visa from India?

India is on GOV.UK's TB list. You need the test if you are coming to the UK 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. It must be done at a Home Office-approved clinic and the certificate is valid for 6 months from the x-ray date.

How much does the UK TB test cost in India?

Fees are set by each approved clinic. The GOV.UK listing for India, updated 21 September 2026, shows amounts from INR 1,000 to INR 3,700 depending on the clinic and whether the person is under 11. Check the current page before booking.

Do Indian nationals need to prove English for a UK spouse visa?

India is not on the list of majority English-speaking countries in Appendix FM paragraph GEN.1.6. English must be shown by an approved speaking-and-listening test at level A1 or above, a UK degree, an Ecctis-confirmed degree taught in English, or an exemption such as being 65 or over.

How long does a UK spouse visa take from India?

GOV.UK says that if you apply outside the UK you will usually get a decision within 12 weeks. A £500 priority service may be offered, under which GOV.UK says family visa applications from outside the UK usually take 30 working 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.
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