UK Spouse Visa Cost 2026: What You'll Actually Pay

See the full UK spouse visa cost for 2026, including application fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge, and what settlement really costs overall.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• •A UK spouse visa costs £2,064 from outside the UK or £1,407 for an in-country extension, under the fee table that is effective from 8 April 2026.
• •The Immigration Health Surcharge adds roughly between £2,850 to £3,105 to an initial application and £2,587.50 to an extension, paid upfront in full.
• •The full 5 year route to settlement, initial application, extension and Indefinite Leave to Remain, comes to approximately £12,000 to £12,500 per applicant in mandatory Home Office charges alone.
• •The application fee itself is non refundable if refused, but the Immigration Health Surcharge portion can be refunded in certain circumstances.
• •A 10 year route exists for couples who do not meet the standard financial requirement, which costs considerably more over time due to extra applications.

The honest answer to what a UK spouse visa costs in 2026 is that it depends on the stage of the journey you're asking about, since fees are charged at several separate points rather than as one single payment. Under the fee table effective from 8 April 2026, the application itself costs £2,064 from outside the UK or £1,407 for an in-country extension, with the Immigration Health Surcharge added on top of both. Across the full 5 year route to settlement, most applicants end up paying somewhere between £12,000 and £12,500 in mandatory government charges alone.

This guide breaks down exactly what you'll pay, at which stage and the smaller costs that catch people out if they only budget for the headline application fee.

Home Office Application Fees for a UK Spouse Visa

The Home Office application fee depends entirely on where you're applying from and it's paid upfront when you submit your application, regardless of the outcome.

These figures apply per applicant, so a couple with children on the same application will pay the relevant fee for each person included. If you're not yet sure which stage applies to you, our guide on what a UK spouse visa actually is covers the basics of the route from the very start.

The Immigration Health Surcharge Explained

The Immigration Health Surcharge, usually shortened to IHS, gives you access to NHS treatment for the length of your visa and it's paid in full upfront rather than in installments.

The standard rate is £1,035 per year for adult applicants. Since the exact amount depends on how many months your visa grant actually covers, it's worth checking the current figure directly through the official government IHS calculator rather than relying on a fixed number, since initial grant lengths can vary slightly between cases.

As a general guide:

• •A typical initial entry clearance grant carries an IHS charge of roughly £2,850 to £3,105
• •An in-country extension, usually granted for 30 months, carries an IHS charge of £2,587.50
• •No IHS is charged at the Indefinite Leave to Remain stage at all, since settled status gives automatic NHS access

Other Costs You Need to Budget For

Beyond the two main Home Office charges, a handful of smaller costs come up at nearly every stage of the process.

• •English language test, typically £150 to £200, required at the initial application and again at extension stage unless you're already exempt through nationality or a qualifying degree
• •Life in the UK test, £50, required before applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain
• •Biometrics appointment, generally free at a standard UKVCAS appointment, though optional priority services carry an extra fee
• •Certified translations, for any documents not already in English or Welsh, with cost depending on the number and length of documents
• •TB certificate, only required if applying from a country on the Home Office specified list

None of these individually cost a huge amount, but together they can add several hundred pounds to what looks like a straightforward application if they're not planned for in advance.

Total Cost of the Full 5 Year Route to Settlement

Most applicants move through three separate payment stages over 5 years, the initial application, an extension at around the 2 and a half year mark, and then Indefinite Leave to Remain.

This figure covers mandatory Home Office charges only, before English tests, the Life in the UK test, or any legal fees are added. If you're approaching the extension stage specifically, our guide on the spouse visa extension after 2.5 years covers the evidence and timeline for that stage in detail, and our full UK spouse visa document checklist sets out what you'll need to gather at each point along the way.

What Happens to Your Fees If You're Refused

The application fee itself is not refundable if your spouse visa is refused, regardless of the reason for refusal.

The Immigration Health Surcharge works differently. You may be entitled to a refund of the IHS portion specifically if your application is refused, if you withdraw it, or if you leave the UK before your visa expires. Refunds are processed through the Home Office directly and typically take several weeks, so it's worth checking the official refund guidance if this applies to your situation.

The 10 Year Route: When Costs Look Different

Couples who don't meet the standard £29,000 financial requirement, often where there's a British citizen child involved, may instead qualify for a 10 year route to settlement rather than the standard 5 year one.

This route generally requires 4 separate applications rather than 3, each with its own fee and IHS charge, which pushes the total cost considerably higher, often exceeding £15,000 over the full period. If your circumstances might fall into this category, it's genuinely worth getting your situation reviewed properly before assuming which route, and which total cost, actually applies to you.

Final Words

The true cost of a UK spouse visa is rarely just the number quoted for a single application. Once you add the Immigration Health Surcharge, English tests and the extension and settlement stages that follow, most applicants are looking at somewhere between £12,000 and £12,500 in mandatory government charges across the full 5 year journey, more if the 10 year route applies. Knowing this in advance makes it far easier to budget properly rather than being caught out at the extension stage.

If you'd like a clear, upfront breakdown of exactly what your own application will cost, Westbury Law's team in Bristol, alongside our Birmingham office, offers transparent, fixed fee advice with no hidden extras. Get in touch with our spouse visa team to talk through your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Need a Clear Breakdown of Your Spouse Visa Costs?

Westbury Law offers transparent, fixed fee advice with no hidden extras. Get in touch with our spouse visa team to talk through your situation, learn more about our immigration expertise or contact us directly.