UK Spouse Visa Cost 2026: Every Fee You'll Pay

The UK spouse visa is one of the most expensive family immigration routes in the world. The headline application fee is just the start — by the time you factor in the Immigration Health Surcharge, biometrics, English language tests, and TB screening, the baseline cost of a first application from outside the UK sits comfortably above £5,000. The fees went up again in April 2026. Here is the complete breakdown.

Application Fees (April 2026 Rates)

The Home Office increased its fee schedule effective 8 April 2026:

These fees are per applicant. If you are including dependent children, each child pays the same fee. The entry clearance fee rose from £1,938; the leave to remain fee from £1,321; the ILR fee from £3,029.

There are no refunds if the application is refused. Both the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge are forfeited on refusal.

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

The IHS gives the applicant access to the NHS for the duration of their visa. It is mandatory and must be paid in full upfront when submitting the application.

• Adult rate: £1,035 per year
• Child rate (under 18): £776 per year

Because the initial out-of-country visa is granted for 33 months (2.75 years), the Home Office rounds up to three full years of IHS:

• Adult IHS for initial entry clearance: £3,105
• Child IHS for initial entry clearance: £2,328

For an in-country extension (30 months exactly), the IHS total is:

• Adult: £2,587.50
• Child: £1,940

Priority and Super Priority Processing

Standard processing times are approximately 12 weeks for out-of-country applications and 8 weeks for in-country applications. You can pay to expedite:

• Priority Service: £500 — targets 30 working days for out-of-country; 5 working days for in-country applications
• Super Priority Service: £1,000 — targets a decision by the next working day; primarily available for in-country UKVCAS appointments

Priority services are not guarantees. The Home Office refunds the priority fee if they fail to meet the target, but not the main application fee.

Other Costs to Budget For

Beyond the main fees, most applicants also incur:

• English language test (SELT): £150–£250 depending on the provider and level (A1 for initial entry, A2 for extension)
• Tuberculosis test: £50–£100 at an approved clinic (required for applicants from over 100 listed countries, including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Philippines, Thailand)
• Biometric enrollment: £19.20 (at a UKVCAS or Visa Application Centre appointment)
• Document translations: Variable — any document not in English or Welsh requires a certified professional translation. Budget £50–£150 per document for complex documents such as foreign marriage certificates
• Courier and VAC service fees: VFS Global and TLScontact charge additional service fees at overseas Visa Application Centres, typically £50–£150

Total Cost: The 5-Year Route to ILR

For a single adult applicant taking the standard 5-year route without priority services:

This excludes language tests, TB screening, translations, and biometrics. With those included, a realistic all-in figure is closer to £13,000–£14,000 for a single adult applicant over five years.

The 10-Year Route Costs Significantly More

If you are placed on the 10-year exceptional circumstances route — typically because you do not meet the £29,000 income threshold but qualify under Article 8 — settlement requires four 30-month extensions before ILR eligibility:

The 10-year route costs roughly £8,000 more than the standard route — a strong financial reason to meet the income requirement upfront.

Why the Cost of a Refusal Is So High

A refused application means you lose the full application fee and the IHS payment. For an initial out-of-country application, that is £5,169 in forfeited fees before you can start again. This is why couples spend significant sums on professional help or detailed guides before submitting — the cost of getting it wrong once exceeds the cost of preparation many times over.

If you want to understand the full eligibility requirements and financial evidence rules before paying these fees, the UK Spouse/Partner Visa Guide walks through everything you need to get the application right the first time.