Updated on 01 June 2026
Cash savings held in a non-UK bank account count toward the financial requirement for a UK Spouse or Partner Visa, provided they meet the conditions set by Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules. The qualifying figure on savings alone is £88,500 for applications made on or after 11 April 2024, with a six-month continuous holding period required in an account in the name of the applicant, sponsor, or both. Foreign currency must be converted to pounds sterling using the OANDA closing spot rate on the date of application, and statements not in English must be accompanied by certified translations. This post provides an overview of how foreign cash savings are used to meet the financial requirement for a UK Spouse or Partner Visa application.
Can foreign cash savings be used for a UK Spouse or Partner Visa?
Yes. Cash savings held in a bank account outside the UK count toward the financial requirement under Appendix FM. There is no rule requiring savings to be in a UK bank.
The funds must be held in the name of the applicant, the sponsor, or both jointly, be under the direct control of the applicant or sponsor, have been held in an accessible account for at least six continuous months before the date of application, and be from a legal source that can be traced. Provided those conditions are met, overseas savings are treated the same as UK savings.
The position is set in Appendix FM-SE paragraphs 11 and 11A, and in the Home Office financial requirement caseworker guidance. The rules apply identically regardless of which country the account is held.
How much do you need in foreign savings to meet the financial requirement?
The qualifying figure is £88,500 if savings are the sole source. Where savings are combined with income, the figure depends on the size of the annual shortfall.
The calculation uses the formula in Appendix FM-SE paragraph 11. The post-April 2024 minimum income requirement of £29,000 a year is multiplied by 2.5 years (the duration of leave granted on the family route), then added to the standard £16,000 baseline. The full breakdown is shown in the formula box below.
General form: £16,000 + (2.5 × annual income shortfall)
With zero qualifying income: £16,000 + (2.5 × £29,000) = £88,500
Result: minimum foreign cash savings required to meet the financial requirement on savings alone is £88,500.
Applicants granted permission as a partner or fiancé(e) before 11 April 2024 who are extending under FLR(M) or applying for ILR with the same partner may continue to be assessed on the previous £18,600 framework, giving a savings-alone figure of £62,500 (£16,000 + (2.5 × £18,600) = £62,500). Whether the £29,000 or £18,600 framework applies depends on the original grant of leave and the transitional provisions in Appendix FM.
To discuss whether your overseas savings meet the qualifying figure on your specific route, contact our team on 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form to get in touch.
The six-month continuous holding rule
The qualifying savings must have been held in a bank or savings account for at least six months immediately before the date of application. The same funds must be present throughout, not just the same balance.
A recent deposit, a transfer in from a non-qualifying source, or proceeds from a property sale that have not yet been in the account for six full months do not count. Moving money between accounts in the same name during the qualifying period does not automatically break continuity, but the trail must be evidenced clearly with statements from every account the funds touched.
The rule applies identically to overseas savings. There is no flexibility for funds held in foreign accounts.
How to convert foreign savings to pounds sterling
Foreign currency savings are converted to pounds sterling using the closing spot exchange rate published on OANDA.com on the date of application. The Home Office UKVI requires this specific source.
Conversion rates from Google, the applicant’s bank, the issuing country’s central bank, or any other source are not compliant. A printout of the OANDA rate for the date of application should be included with the evidence pack alongside the conversion calculation shown on the file.
Where foreign savings sit close to the qualifying figure once converted, a small movement in the exchange rate on the day of application can take them below the threshold. The savings figure should carry a sensible buffer above £88,500 to allow for currency movement.
What counts as foreign cash savings
Cash savings means funds held in a bank or savings account that the applicant or sponsor can access. Permitted holdings include current accounts, savings and deposit accounts, and fixed-term deposit accounts where the funds are under the account holder’s control. Proceeds from the sale of property abroad count once they have been deposited into a qualifying bank account and held there for the full six-month qualifying period.
Property or land owned overseas does not count as cash savings, even where the value is well above the qualifying figure. Stocks, shares, ISAs, bonds, mutual funds, and investment portfolios do not count. Cryptocurrency holdings do not count. Cash held outside a formal bank or financial institution does not count.
What evidence is required for foreign cash savings
The evidential requirements for overseas savings are the same as for UK savings, but the practical assembly takes longer because foreign bank documentation often needs to be retrieved in the correct format, translated, and certified.
The standard evidence pack contains official bank statements covering the full six-month qualifying period and showing the account holder’s full name, the account number, the bank’s name and address, and the balance and transaction history throughout. Where the bank issues only certificates or letters rather than statements, the document must contain the same information; some banks issue a supplementary letter confirming ownership, the period of holding, and the closing balance to fill the evidential gap.
Statements not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by certified translations prepared by a qualified independent translator. Machine translations and applicant-prepared translations are not accepted. The translation must carry the translator’s certification details, including name, qualification, contact information, and the date of translation.
The OANDA conversion printout for the date of application is required alongside the bank evidence. The conversion calculation should be shown clearly on the file, with the GBP equivalent stated explicitly.
What works in practice
The most reliable foreign savings evidence pack combines six months of monthly statements direct from the overseas bank in the account holder’s name, a bank-issued certificate confirming the balance maintained throughout the qualifying period, and certified English translations where the statements are in another language.
A married applicant relying on £92,000 held in an Norwegian savings account in joint names with the sponsor, maintained for the full six-month period at or above the qualifying figure, meets the financial requirement on Category D alone. The evidence pack is six monthly bank statements in English from the bank, the OANDA rate printout for the date of application showing the currency conversion, and a covering note setting out the calculation.
A sponsor with £26,000 a year in continuing UK employment combined with the applicant’s £35,000 in savings held in a US dollar account in the applicant’s sole name meets the financial requirement on a Category A and Category D combination. The savings shortfall calculation is £16,000 + (2.5 × £4,000 annual shortfall) = £26,000, so the £35,000 figure covers the shortfall comfortably after USD-to-GBP conversion. The evidence pack covers six months of UK payslips and bank statements for the sponsor, six months of US bank statements for the applicant, the OANDA conversion on the application date, and the calculation.
For the broader combination rules and which other categories can sit alongside Category D, see our guide to combining income for a UK Spouse Visa.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
Foreign cash savings is one of the more evidentially demanding routes to the financial requirement on a UK Spouse or Partner Visa. Overseas bank documentation must be in a format acceptable to the Home Office UKVI, and the OANDA conversion has to be timed against the application date. Applications submitted with statements that do not satisfy Appendix FM-SE, or with conversions taken from a non-approved source, may be refused even where the underlying funds are well above £88,500.
Whytecroft Ford advises applicants and sponsors on UK Spouse Visa, Fiancé(e) Visa, Unmarried Partner, and Spouse Visa extension applications under Appendix FM. Our immigration team reviews the proposed savings evidence against the rules in force at the date of application, confirms the six-month holding period and the conversion calculation, and identifies any supplementary letters the overseas bank needs to issue before submission.
If your savings are held outside the UK and you would like the evidence pack reviewed before submission, call our team on 0208 757 5751 or send your details through the contact form.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Savings held in any country count toward the financial requirement, provided they are in an accessible bank or savings account in the name of the applicant, the sponsor, or both, and have been held for at least six continuous months before the date of application.
No. The funds may remain in the foreign account throughout the qualifying period and at the date of application. There is no requirement to transfer them to a UK bank.
The closing spot rate published on OANDA.com on the date of application. The Home Office specifies this source; conversions from other sources are not accepted under Appendix FM-SE.
Yes, once the funds have been deposited into a qualifying bank account and held there for at least six continuous months before the application date. Funds that have only recently arrived in the account do not yet count.
Written and reviewed by Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team, authorised and regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, registration number F201900075. All guidance is researched against primary sources, including the Immigration Rules and Home Office guidance at GOV.UK. Reviewed every six months, or sooner following a relevant rule change. Last reviewed: June 2026.
