UK Fiancé Visa Cost 2026

The Home Office application fee for a UK fiancé visa increased to £2,064 on 8 April 2026, up from the previous figure of £1,938. That is the largest single cost, but it is not the only one. This page sets out every fee you may need to pay — mandatory, conditional and optional — so you can budget accurately before submitting your application.

Unlike the UK spouse visa, no Immigration Health Surcharge is payable on the initial fiancé visa. The visa is granted for exactly 6 months, and the IHS only applies to visas granted for periods exceeding 6 months. This distinction alone saves applicants over £500 compared to applying directly for a spouse visa from overseas.

Fee update — 8 April 2026: The Home Office raised the fiancé visa application fee from £1,938 to £2,064 with effect from 8 April 2026. All fees on this page reflect that change. Fees are non-refundable even if an application is refused. Always confirm the current fee on gov.uk before paying.

Complete UK Fiancé Visa Fee Breakdown 2026

The table below lists every cost category. Mandatory fees apply to all applicants. Conditional fees depend on your country of origin and individual circumstances. Optional fees are your choice.

Fee	Amount	Status	Notes
Home Office application fee Entry clearance from outside the UK	£2,064	Mandatory	From 8 April 2026. Non-refundable if refused or withdrawn.
Biometric enrolment Fingerprints & digital photo at a visa application centre	£19.20	Mandatory	Payable at your biometric appointment. May vary slightly by country.
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)	£0	Not required	Not payable on the fiancé visa. IHS applies only to visas over 6 months. You will pay IHS when switching to a spouse visa after marriage — currently £1,035 per person per year.
Priority service Faster decision processing	+£500	Optional	Targets a decision within ~30 working days vs the standard ~12 weeks. Available in most countries where VFS Global or TLS Contact operate.
English language test (A1 CEFR) SELT approved provider	£150–£200	Conditional	Required unless you hold a degree taught in English, are a national of a majority English-speaking country, or are exempt on age or medical grounds.
Tuberculosis (TB) test certificate Approved clinic	£65–£110	Conditional	Required if you are from a listed TB country and have been present there for 6+ months, or in the 6 months before applying.
Document translation Per non-English document	£50–£150	Conditional	All documents not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified professional translation.
Visa application centre service fee VFS Global / TLS Contact	£35–£100	Conditional	Some VACs charge additional fees for document scanning, courier return, or premium lounge services. Varies significantly by country.
Immigration legal advice IAA-regulated firm	Varies	Optional	JPS Immigration offers fixed-fee representation. Professional advice significantly reduces the risk of refusal. Free assessment available.
Estimated minimum total (mandatory fees only)	~£2,083		Add ~£500 for priority, £150–£200 for English test, and legal fees on top.

The Home Office Application Fee: £2,064

The application fee is the largest and most significant cost. It is payable online when you submit your application through the UKVI portal and covers the cost of the Home Office assessing your application — reviewing documents, conducting background checks and reaching a decision. It does not guarantee approval and is not refunded if your application is refused.

The fee applies per applicant. If dependent children are included in the application, each dependant pays their own separate fee.

No Immigration Health Surcharge on the Fiancé Visa

One of the most important cost differences between the fiancé visa and the spouse visa is that no Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is payable on the fiancé visa at the application stage. The IHS is a mandatory fee that gives visa holders access to the NHS and is charged at £1,035 per person per year. Because it only applies to visas granted for periods exceeding 6 months, and the fiancé visa has a maximum validity of exactly 6 months, the IHS does not apply.

When you subsequently apply to switch to a spouse visa after your marriage or civil partnership, the IHS becomes payable. For an initial 33-month spouse visa, the total IHS payment is £3,105. This upfront cost must be paid in full at the point of application and cannot be paid in instalments. For a full breakdown of what the spouse visa costs in total, see our UK spouse visa cost 2026 guide.

Priority Service: An Extra £500

The standard processing time for a UK fiancé visa is approximately 12 weeks from the date of your biometric appointment. For couples with a fixed wedding date or a time-sensitive situation, a priority service is available for an additional £500, targeting a decision within approximately 30 working days.

Priority service is not available in all countries and cannot be added after an application has been submitted. It does not guarantee a specific decision date — it moves the application to the front of the queue at each processing stage. We recommend applying at least 12–16 weeks before a planned ceremony date, even when using the priority service.

English Language Test: £150–£200

Most fiancé visa applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency at a minimum of A1 on the CEFR scale in both speaking and listening. This must be evidenced by passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider. Test fees typically fall between £150 and £200 and are paid directly to the test centre. The test is valid for two years from the date it was passed.

You are exempt from the English language requirement if you:

• are a national of a majority English-speaking country (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, and certain Caribbean nations listed in the Immigration Rules)
• hold a degree or academic qualification that was taught and assessed in English
• are aged 65 or over
• have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from meeting the requirement

Tuberculosis Test Certificate: £65–£110

Applicants who are nationals of — or who have spent 6 months or more in — a country listed on the Home Office TB list must provide a certificate from an approved clinic confirming they are free from active pulmonary tuberculosis. The test fee is typically between £65 and £110, varying by clinic and location. A list of approved clinics for each country is published on gov.uk.

Financial Requirement: £29,000 Minimum Income

The financial requirement is not a fee payable to the Home Office — it is an eligibility threshold that the UK-based sponsor must demonstrate they meet. For applications submitted in 2026, the minimum gross annual income is £29,000. For a full explanation of how this threshold works, what income counts, and how savings can be used, see our UK fiancé visa financial requirements 2026 guide.

Using savings to meet the requirement

If the sponsor’s income falls below £29,000, savings can be used to bridge the gap. Only savings above £16,000 count, and they are assessed using the following formula:

Required savings = £16,000 + (annual income shortfall × 2.5)

No income at all: £16,000 + (£29,000 × 2.5) = £88,500 needed in savings

Income of £25,000: £16,000 + (£4,000 × 2.5) = £26,000 needed in savings

Income of £20,000: £16,000 + (£9,000 × 2.5) = £38,500 needed in savings

Savings must have been held in a regulated bank account for at least 6 months before the application date. The Home Office uses the lowest balance during that period, not the balance at the date of application. Savings can be held by the sponsor, the applicant, or jointly.

The Full Cost from Fiancé Visa to Indefinite Leave to Remain

The fiancé visa is the entry point on a longer immigration pathway. At current 2026 Home Office fee rates, the minimum application fees from the fiancé visa through to Indefinite Leave to Remain are as follows:

• Fiancé visa (entry clearance): £2,064
• Switch to spouse visa (FLR(M)): £1,407 application fee + £2,587.50 IHS (30-month visa) = £3,994.50
• Spouse visa extension (FLR(M)): £1,407 application fee + £2,587.50 IHS = £3,994.50
• Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR): £2,885

The minimum Home Office fees alone from entry to settlement amount to approximately £12,938. This figure excludes biometrics, English language tests, the Life in the UK Test, legal fees and other incidentals at each stage. British naturalisation, if pursued after 12 months of ILR, adds a further £1,605 at current rates.

All fees are subject to change. The Home Office has increased fees at every budget cycle in recent years — always verify current amounts on gov.uk before making any payment.

Why All Fees Are Non-Refundable

All Home Office visa application fees are non-refundable. If a fiancé visa application is refused, the full £2,064 application fee is lost along with all associated preparation costs — biometrics, English test, translations, legal advice. A refusal can also affect future applications, since prior refusals must be declared and are scrutinised by caseworkers.

This is why the quality of the application matters as much as eligibility. Meeting the requirements is necessary but not sufficient — the evidence must be presented correctly, in the format required under the Immigration Rules, and in a way that addresses the genuine relationship requirement convincingly. We have seen well-qualified applicants refused because of evidential errors that could have been avoided.

If your application has already been refused, you may have the right to an administrative review or appeal. See our guide to UK fiancé visa refusal reasons for your next steps.

How JPS Immigration Can Help

JPS Immigration is authorised and regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). Under UK law, only IAA-regulated advisers and registered solicitors may legally provide paid immigration advice. Unregulated providers offering immigration services are committing a criminal offence.

Our team is led by advisers who previously worked as UK visa officers and British Diplomatic Service entry clearance officers. That experience gives us a direct understanding of how the Home Office assesses these applications — what the evidence must show, where gaps create doubt, and what a refusal-resistant application looks like. We advise on fiancé visa applications from clients across the UK and internationally, through secure online consultations and remote case management.

We offer a free initial assessment, and a case management approach that ensures nothing is missed before submission. Start your free assessment here or call us on +44 (0) 333 577 0034.

Jay SudraIAA-Regulated Immigration Adviser & Founder, JPS Immigration
Former UK Home Office Immigration Officer & British Diplomatic Service Entry Clearance Officer
22+ years’ experience | BBC News contributor | LinkedIn profile

Immigration rules change frequently — always verify current fees and thresholds on GOV.UK before applying. The information on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Fees on this page reflect Home Office rates effective 8 April 2026.

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