UK Fiancé Visa Guide 2026: Requirements, Application & Evidence

The UK Fiancé Visa lets the fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner of a British or settled person come to the UK to marry, and it is the first step toward settling here as a couple. It sits under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules, and the applicant and sponsor must meet a financial, relationship, English language and accommodation requirement, and show a genuine intention to marry within six months. Each requirement has to be evidenced in the specified form, and an application that does not may be refused. This guide provides an overview of the requirements, evidence and application process for a UK Fiancé Visa.

What is a Fiancé Visa?

A Fiancé Visa is entry clearance to come to the UK to marry or form a civil partnership within six months, as the fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner of a British or settled person. It is granted for six months, and the holder marries during that time and then applies to stay as a partner.

The Fiancé Visa is the pre-marriage route within the wider partner category under Appendix FM. A couple who are already married apply for a Spouse Visa, and a couple who have been together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least 2 years may apply as unmarried partners. The requirements overlap, but the Fiancé Visa is issued to let the wedding take place before an application to remain as a partner is made.

Who can apply for a Fiancé Visa?

A Fiancé Visa is applied for by the fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner of a person who is a British citizen or settled in the UK. In the Rules, that person is the sponsor, and E-ECP.2.1 of Appendix FM sets out who can sponsor. The sponsor must be one of the following:

• a British citizen, whether already in the UK or returning to the UK with the applicant as their partner
• present and settled in the UK, for example with Indefinite Leave to Remain
• in the UK with protection status, as a refugee or with humanitarian protection
• in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU, the EU Settlement Scheme
• in the UK with limited leave as a worker or business person under Appendix ECAA Extension of Stay
• in the UK with permission as a stateless person

The applicant applies for entry clearance from outside the UK. A Fiancé Visa cannot be applied for from inside the UK, and a person in the UK as a visitor cannot switch into it.

A genuine intention to marry within six months

The Fiancé Visa exists to let a couple marry in the UK, so a genuine intention to marry sits at the centre of the route. The applicant must be seeking entry to enable their marriage or civil partnership to take place in the UK, set out at E-ECP.2.8 of Appendix FM, and the ceremony is expected to take place within the six months the visa is granted for.

Evidence of a concrete plan supports the intention. Confirmation of a booked ceremony or venue, correspondence with a registrar or a place of worship, and a date that falls within the six-month period each show that the marriage is real and imminent. Where a date is not yet fixed, a clear account of the couple's plans to marry within the period helps.

The couple must also intend to live together permanently in the UK after the marriage, set out at E-ECP.2.10. The Fiancé Visa is the first step toward settling as a couple, though it is a preliminary stage, and time spent on it does not count toward the five-year route to settlement.

What are the requirements for a Fiancé Visa?

An applicant must meet the eligibility requirements set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. Several mirror the Spouse Visa, because the Fiancé Visa is the pre-marriage stage of the same partner route. For a Fiancé Visa, these are:

• the applicant and their partner must both be aged 18 or over
• the couple must not be within a prohibited degree of relationship, meaning they are not too closely related to marry
• the applicant and their partner must have met in person
• the applicant must be seeking entry to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK
• the relationship must be genuine and subsisting
• the couple must intend to live together permanently in the UK
• the financial requirement must be met, currently a gross income of £29,000 a year (as of June 2026)
• the English language requirement must be met at CEFR level A1
• there must be adequate accommodation for the family, without recourse to public funds
• a tuberculosis (TB) test certificate, where the applicant applies from a listed country

The applicant must also meet the suitability requirements, set out in Section S-EC of Appendix FM: the good-character and conduct grounds that can bar a grant. A previous immigration breach or a criminal record does not automatically prevent an application, but it is assessed against those grounds.

The financial requirement

The financial requirement is the minimum income requirement: the level of income or savings the sponsor must show for the application to succeed. It is set out at E-ECP.3.1 of Appendix FM, with the evidence rules at Appendix FM-SE, and is currently a gross annual income of £29,000 (as of June 2026). The sponsor can meet it through employment, self-employment, non-employment income, pension income, qualifying cash savings, or a permitted combination of these. The same threshold and evidence categories apply as on the Spouse Visa.

The relationship requirement

The relationship requirement requires the couple to demonstrate that their relationship is authentic and that they plan to build their life together in the UK. It is genuine and subsisting where it is real and continuing, set out at E-ECP.2.6, and the couple evidence it through how the relationship began, how it has been maintained, and their plans to marry and live together. A couple who have spent time apart can show the relationship through records of visits, communication and shared commitments over time.

The English language requirement

The English language requirement applies to applicants who are nationals of a country where English is not a majority language. It is met at CEFR level A1 for a Fiancé Visa, the same level as a first Spouse Visa application, and is set out at E-ECP.4.1 of Appendix FM. A national of a majority English-speaking country meets it automatically, and an applicant can also meet it by passing an approved Secure English Language Test, or by holding a degree taught in English. Applicants aged 65 or over, and those with a long-term physical or mental condition, are exempt under E-ECP.4.2.

The adequate accommodation requirement

The couple must show that they will have adequate accommodation in the UK, which they own or occupy exclusively, without recourse to public funds. This is the accommodation requirement, set out at E-ECP.3.4 of Appendix FM. Accommodation is not regarded as adequate where it is, or will become, overcrowded, or where it contravenes public health regulations. Overcrowding is measured against the standard in the Housing Act 1985, by the number of rooms against the number of occupants.

What you can and cannot do on a Fiancé Visa

A Fiancé Visa is granted for six months to let the marriage or civil partnership take place. The route permits the applicant to enter the UK and marry within that period, and then to apply to remain as a partner.

Work is not permitted during the fiancé leave. The holder cannot work or study while in the UK as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner, and the right to work follows only after a successful application to remain as a partner. The visa is granted subject to a no recourse to public funds condition, which limits access to most means-tested benefits.

The Fiancé Visa cannot normally be extended as a fiancé visa. The holder marries within the six months and then applies for leave to remain as a partner on form FLR(M). Where a couple do not marry within the period, an extension is granted only exceptionally and on evidence of a good reason for the delay, so a fresh application is usually the more direct route.

The tuberculosis (TB) test requirement

An applicant applying from a country on the UK's list must provide a tuberculosis (TB) test certificate from a clinic approved by the Home Office. The certificate confirms the applicant is free of infectious TB and is valid for six months from the date of the test.

What documents do I need for a Fiancé Visa?

A Fiancé Visa application is decided on the documents submitted, so the evidence set is prepared to match each requirement. The documents required depend on the circumstances of the application.

• current passport, and the sponsor's passport or proof of settled status
• evidence of the plan to marry, such as a booked ceremony, venue or registrar correspondence
• financial evidence for the relevant income category
• relationship evidence showing a genuine and subsisting relationship
• English language test certificate, or evidence of an exemption
• evidence of adequate accommodation, and a tuberculosis test certificate where the applicant is in a listed country

Documents that are not in English

Any document that is not in English or Welsh must be submitted with a full certified translation. The translation must be made by a qualified translator, and must confirm the translator's name and credentials, that it is an accurate translation of the original, and the date of translation. The original document is provided alongside the translation.

How do I apply for a Fiancé Visa?

A Fiancé Visa is applied for online from outside the UK, followed by a biometric appointment and the upload of the supporting documents. The application is entry clearance as a partner, made in the applicant's country of residence before travelling.

1. Confirm eligibility. Check the income category, relationship evidence and English route that fit your circumstances, and fix a plan to marry within six months.
2. Prepare the evidence. Assemble the specified documents for each requirement, including proof of the intended marriage.
3. Apply online. Complete the entry-clearance application form and pay the fee.
4. Enrol biometrics. Attend the biometric appointment at a visa application centre and upload the supporting documents.
5. Await the decision. The Home Office decides and, where the application succeeds, grants six months of leave to enter to marry.

After the wedding: switching to a Spouse Visa

After the marriage, the holder applies from inside the UK for leave to remain as a partner on form FLR(M), before the six-month fiancé leave expires. This is the point at which the Spouse Visa route begins, and a successful application grants two and a half years of leave with the right to work.

The five-year route to settlement starts from this grant. Time spent on the Fiancé Visa does not count toward settlement, so the clock to Indefinite Leave to Remain begins only when leave to remain as a partner is granted. The FLR(M) application tests the same financial, relationship, English and accommodation requirements, and the immigration health surcharge is paid at this stage.

How much does a Fiancé Visa cost?

A Fiancé Visa carries a Home Office entry-clearance application fee, the same fee as the partner route, of £2,064 (as of July 2026). The immigration health surcharge is not paid at the fiancé stage, because the visa is granted for six months. It is paid later, with the FLR(M) application to remain as a partner after the wedding.

How long does a Fiancé Visa take?

A Fiancé Visa is usually decided within 12 weeks of the biometric appointment for an application made outside the UK, with a priority service available at extra cost. The processing time is worth building into the plan, so the visa is granted with enough of the six-month period left to hold the wedding.

What happens if a Fiancé Visa is refused?

Where a Fiancé Visa is refused, a fresh application that corrects the reason for refusal is usually the most direct route to a grant. A refusal usually results from a single evidential point, and a fresh application that presents the evidence in the exact form the Rules require puts the case on a stronger footing.

The most common reasons a Fiancé Visa is refused are:

• limited evidence of a genuine intention to marry within the six-month period
• financial evidence that does not match the chosen Appendix FM-SE category, or is dated outside the required window
• relationship evidence that does not show the relationship is genuine and subsisting
• a missing specified document, such as a required bank statement or the English test certificate
• suitability grounds arising from a previous immigration breach or criminal record

Fiancé Visa applications in practice

Three worked examples show how the requirements come together, including the minimum income requirement of £29,000 (as of June 2026).

Salary meets the income requirement. A sponsor is on a fixed annual salary of £31,000, above the £29,000 threshold, and the couple have a wedding booked two months after the applicant plans to arrive. The financial requirement is met on income alone under Category A, and the booked ceremony evidences the intention to marry within six months.

Savings meet the requirement. The sponsor is not in salaried employment, so the couple rely on cash savings held for at least six months. To meet the £29,000 requirement on savings alone, they must hold £88,500, using the formula £16,000 + (2.5 × £29,000). They hold £90,000, which is above £88,500, so the requirement is met under Category D.

From Fiancé Visa to Spouse Visa. A couple marry seven weeks after the applicant arrives on a six-month Fiancé Visa. Before the fiancé leave expires, the applicant applies from inside the UK on form FLR(M) to remain as a partner, and pays the immigration health surcharge at that stage. Leave is granted for two and a half years with the right to work, and the couple are now on the five-year route to settlement.

Upcoming changes to the Fiancé Visa

The minimum income requirement rose on 11 April 2024, from £18,600 to £29,000, and applies to the Fiancé Visa as it does to the Spouse Visa. Further increases to the income requirement and a longer qualifying period for settlement have been proposed in the 2025 Immigration White Paper, but are not yet in force, and the £29,000 threshold remains the operative figure for a current application (as of June 2026). Any change is expected to come with transitional arrangements for applicants already on the route.