How Much Does a UK Spouse Visa Cost in 2026?
The real cost of a UK spouse or partner visa is not one price — it is three separate bills, paid to three different places: the Home Office application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), and the professional fee for whoever prepares the application. This page breaks down each one, works through an example, and clears up the most common confusion — the difference between what you pay and the income you must show.
On this page
One number you can't look up in a table. There is no single "spouse visa price", because the total depends on how long the visa is granted for, where you apply from, and whether you use an adviser. The breakdown below lets you build your own figure — and our fees page shows exactly what we charge.
In brief
- A spouse visa has three separate costs: the Home Office fee, the IHS, and any professional fee.
- The IHS is usually the largest single item — it is charged per year of the visa, in advance.
- The Home Office fee and the IHS are paid to the government; our professional fee is separate and, with us, fixed and VAT-free.
- The financial requirement (the income you must show) is not a cost — it is money you prove you have, not money you pay.
The three separate costs
It helps to picture the cost as three bills that arrive from three different places. Two go to the government and are the same whoever prepares your application. The third — the professional fee — only applies if you choose to use an adviser, and varies between firms.
Home Office fee
The application fee itself, paid to UK Visas & Immigration when you apply. Higher from outside the UK than from inside.
Health Surcharge (IHS)
A charge for NHS access, paid in advance for every year of the visa. Usually the biggest single item.
Professional fee
Optional. What a regulated adviser charges to assess, prepare and submit the application. Ours is fixed and VAT-free.
1. The Home Office application fee
This is the fee you pay the Home Office to decide the application. For a partner or spouse visa it depends mainly on where you apply from:
- Applying from outside the UK (entry clearance, to join a partner) — the higher of the two fees.
- Applying from inside the UK (an extension, or switching into the route) — a different, usually lower, fee.
Because the Home Office changes these fees periodically, we don't print a figure that could go stale. Check the current amount on GOV.UK before you budget — it takes a minute: GOV.UK — Visa fees. Our Fee & IHS Calculator also estimates it alongside the surcharge.
2. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
The IHS gives you access to the NHS during your visa, and it is usually the largest single cost because it is charged per year of leave, up front. As at autumn 2026 the standard adult rate is £1,035 per year (a lower rate of £776 per year applies to students, under-18s and the Youth Mobility Scheme — not to a spouse applicant). Always confirm the current rate on GOV.UK — pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application.
Two things drive the amount:
- The length of the visa. A spouse visa granted from outside the UK is usually for 33 months; an in-UK extension is usually 30 months.
- How part-years are rounded. A remaining period of six months or less is charged at half a year; more than six months is charged as a full year.
Worked IHS figures (at £1,035/year): a 33-month entry-clearance visa rounds up to 3 years → £3,105. A 30-month extension rounds to 2.5 years → £2,587.50. Each child or other dependant pays their own IHS on top.
3. The professional (adviser) fee
You can apply yourself and pay nothing here. Many people choose an adviser because the financial requirement and relationship evidence are where spouse applications are most often refused, and a refusal costs the fee and the surcharge again. A regulated adviser assesses eligibility, builds the evidence, completes the forms and manages the application to decision.
Our fee for a partner/spouse application is fixed and agreed in writing before any work begins, starting from £1,250, and we are not VAT-registered — so no VAT is added. That last point is a genuine saving against firms that add 20%. The full schedule, including extensions and settlement, is on our fees page.
Scope note. ENS Immigration Advice is a regulated immigration adviser (not a solicitor), authorised by the IAA at Level 1. We handle straightforward partner applications in-house; genuinely complex cases and appeals may fall outside Level 1 and would be referred to a suitable specialist.
The costs people forget
Beyond the three main bills, a few smaller costs catch people out. Not all apply to every case, but budget for the ones that do:
- English language test — an approved test at the required level (unless you are exempt or a national of a majority-English-speaking country).
- Tuberculosis (TB) test — required when applying from certain countries.
- Certified translations of any documents not in English or Welsh.
- Biometrics and appointment fees — optional priority, premium appointments or document-scanning at a visa centre (TLScontact / VFS Global overseas, UKVCAS in the UK).
- Priority service — optional, to speed up a decision.
These are third-party costs and the amounts vary by provider and country, so we don't quote them here — but we always tell you which apply to your case before you commit.
A worked example
Take a common case: applying from outside the UK to join a British partner, with the visa granted for 33 months, and instructing us to prepare it. Two of the three costs are knowable to the penny; the Home Office fee you read off GOV.UK on the day.
| Cost | Paid to | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Home Office application fee | Home Office | Current GOV.UK fee (check on the day) |
| IHS — 33 months → 3 years × £1,035 | Home Office | £3,105 |
| Our professional fee (partner visa) | ENS Immigration Advice | From £1,250 (no VAT) |
| Possible extras | Test / translation / visa centre providers | Varies — only if they apply |
So before the Home Office fee and any extras, the fixed, knowable part of this example is £3,105 (IHS) + from £1,250 (our fee). Add the current Home Office fee from GOV.UK to get your total. For an in-UK extension the shape is the same, with a 30-month IHS of £2,587.50 and the in-country Home Office fee. Our Fee & IHS Calculator adds it up for your exact dates.
Pay vs. show: the money you don't hand over
This is the single biggest source of confusion, so it is worth being blunt about it. A spouse application has a financial requirement — a minimum level of income (or savings) the couple must evidence. That figure is often mistaken for a cost. It is not.
The financial requirement is money you show, not money you pay. You prove the income or savings exist with payslips, bank statements and the like — you don't send it to anyone. It never leaves your account. The thresholds and the ways to meet them are set out in the Rules and change from time to time, so we don't print a figure here.
How the requirement works — the income routes, cash-savings route and the evidence needed — is explained on our partner visa financial requirement page, and our Financial Requirement Calculator helps you see which route fits.
Keeping the cost down
The surcharge and the Home Office fee are fixed by government — you can't negotiate them. Where cost is really won or lost is in not having to pay twice:
- Get it right first time. A refusal means paying the fee and the IHS again. Most spouse refusals turn on the financial requirement or relationship evidence — exactly where advice pays for itself.
- Apply for the right length. The IHS follows the grant length — understanding this avoids surprises.
- Choose a VAT-free adviser. We are not VAT-registered, so there is no 20% on top of the professional fee.
- Start with a check, not a full retainer. If you have prepared your own application, a lower-cost review can catch problems before you pay the Home Office.
Related guidance
Disclaimer. This page is general information about typical costs, not advice on your individual application, and does not quote current Home Office fees — confirm those on GOV.UK. Government fees, the IHS and the financial requirement change from time to time. ENS Immigration Advice is a regulated immigration adviser (not a solicitor) authorised by the IAA at Level 1; complex matters and appeals may fall outside that scope and would be referred to a suitable specialist. Take case-specific advice before acting.
Want your exact spouse visa cost?
Book a consultation and we'll set out your total — the Home Office fee, the IHS for your dates, and our fixed fee — with no surprises, in English or Turkish.