Document Checklist
UK Spouse & Partner Visa Checklist (2026): Documents You Need
The UK Spouse/Partner visa is won or lost on paperwork, not on how genuine the relationship actually is — financial evidence that doesn't match the income category claimed is the single most common reason these applications fail. Read our [UK Spouse & Partner Visa guide](/guides/uk-spouse-visa-guide-2026) for the full £29,000 rule and fee breakdown, and our [spouse visa interview questions](/interview-questions/uk-spouse-visa-interview) if UKVI calls you in for a credibility interview. This checklist is preparation guidance, not legal advice — rules and figures here change periodically, so confirm everything against [gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa) or a qualified immigration adviser before you apply or pay any fee.
Eligibility to confirm first
- Confirm which relationship category you're applying underBoth partners must be 18 or over in every category. Then pick: spouse or civil partner; fiancé(e)/proposed civil partner (must marry or form a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving, and cannot work or study until then); or unmarried partner, which requires at least 2 years living together immediately before the application (or 2 years in the relationship plus evidence of ongoing commitment if you genuinely cannot live together, e.g. for work or study reasons).
- Confirm your sponsor's qualifying statusYour sponsoring partner must be a British or Irish citizen, have settled status (ILR, EU settled status), or hold certain protection or humanitarian status in the UK.
- Work out which financial rule applies to you£29,000 gross annual income applies to any application made on or after 11 April 2024. If your first successful application as this partner's spouse/partner was before that date and you're still together, the transitional £18,600 (plus £3,800 for a first child and £2,400 per additional child, capped at £29,000) still applies to your extension and settlement stages.
- Check the disability/carer benefit exemptionIf your sponsoring partner receives a qualifying benefit such as Carer's Allowance or Personal Independence Payment, the minimum income requirement doesn't apply — but you must still show you can adequately house and support the family without recourse to public funds.
Identity and core application documents
- Current passport, plus all previous passportsIncluding copies of the photo page and any visa/entry stamps in earlier passports.
- Declare previous applications and any convictionsDetails of every prior UK visa application, including refusals, plus details of any criminal convictions — all disclosed directly on the form. This isn't, on its own, a request for a separately issued overseas criminal record certificate; undisclosed history discovered later is far more damaging than disclosing it upfront.
- National Insurance number and sponsor's proof of statusYour NI number if you have one, plus an eVisa share code or biometric residence permit (BRP) showing the sponsoring partner's UK immigration status.
- Certified translationsAny document not already in English or Welsh needs a full, certified translation attached.
Financial requirement — pick your evidence category
- Salaried UK employmentPayslips covering the 6 months before the application (or up to 12 months if employed less than 6 months), an employer letter confirming gross annual salary and employment terms, and personal bank statements showing the salary landing in the applicant's or joint account.
- Self-employmentThe latest full year's Self Assessment tax return and HMRC Statement of Account (SA300/SA302), proof of HMRC self-employed registration, business and personal bank statements for the same 12 months, and accounts (audited, or unaudited with an accountant's certificate).
- Director of a UK limited companyCompany Tax Return (CT600) for the last full year with proof of HMRC filing, Companies House registration, corporate bank statements, and — depending on how you're paid — payslips/P60 or dividend vouchers with matching personal bank statements.
- Non-employment incomeRental income needs proof of ownership plus a tenancy agreement and 12 months of bank statements; pensions need official confirmation of entitlement and amount; dividends or investment income need portfolio/dividend documents — each category has its own specified evidence, and mixing them without the right combination is a common rejection reason.
- Cash savings, with or without incomeSavings relied on must be held in the applicant's or a joint account throughout the 6 months immediately before the application, confirmed with bank statements plus a declaration of where the money came from. To bridge an income shortfall, the Home Office disregards the first £16,000 and multiplies the remaining shortfall by 2.5; with no qualifying income at all you need at least £88,500 in savings on its own against the standard £29,000 threshold — work the exact figure before you rely on this route, since a small shortfall is enough to trigger a refusal.
- Know what doesn't count as incomeLoans, most welfare benefits, Child Benefit, tax credits and Universal Credit are excluded from the financial requirement calculation.
English language requirement
- Initial application: CEFR A1Pass speaking and listening at A1 via an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT), or rely on a degree taught in English.
- Reuse a higher result at later stagesIf you passed above A1 the first time, you can reuse that result at the 2.5-year extension and the 5-year settlement stage as long as the test provider and certificate are still on the approved list and haven't been withdrawn — retest only if you need to step up a level.
- Check whether you're exemptApplicants aged 65+, those with a disability or condition preventing them from meeting the requirement, nationals of majority English-speaking countries (e.g. Australia, Canada, Jamaica, the USA), and holders of a UK degree or an equivalent non-UK degree taught in English (assessed by Ecctis) do not need to sit a test.
Relationship and accommodation evidence
- Marriage or civil partnership certificateRequired if you're applying as a spouse or civil partner.
- Two years of cohabitation evidence, if unmarriedJoint tenancy agreements, utility or council tax bills at the same address, bank statements showing a shared address over the full qualifying period, evidence of things paid for jointly, and a clear account of how the relationship developed.
- Proof any previous marriage or partnership has endedA divorce or dissolution certificate for either partner, if relevant — undisclosed prior relationships are a common credibility red flag.
- Accommodation evidenceA tenancy agreement, mortgage statement, or letter from whoever you'll live with, showing you'll have somewhere adequate to live in the UK without needing public funds.
Health, fees, biometrics and after you apply
- TB test certificate, if applicableRequired if you've lived for 6+ months in a listed high-incidence country within the last 6 months and are coming to the UK for 6 months or more; fiancé(e)/proposed civil partner applicants need it regardless of intended stay length. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray.
- Pay the application fee and Immigration Health SurchargeApplication fee: £2,064 per applicant from outside the UK, or £1,407 for the in-country FLR(M) extension (each dependant pays the same amount). On top of that, the Immigration Health Surcharge is £2,587.50 per adult for a 2.5-year grant, £3,105 for 2.75 years, or £5,175 for 5 years — paid upfront in one lump sum with no instalments. Confirm current figures on gov.uk before paying, as fees are revised periodically.
- Attend your biometric appointmentBook it after submitting the online application; bring your passport (usually returned the same day) and allow travel time if your nearest application centre is in another country.
- Watch for your decision and endorsement typeOutside-UK applications are usually decided within 12 weeks; in-UK applications within 8 weeks if you meet the financial and English requirements (otherwise around 12 months). Approval arrives as an eVisa; a 'standard endorsement' means every requirement was met, while a 'non-standard endorsement' can affect when you're eligible to apply for settlement.
Tips
- Pick one financial evidence category and stick to it — combining documents from different categories without the specific combination the rules allow is one of the most common reasons these applications are refused.
- Work your savings calculation to the exact pound before you apply; the Home Office formula is unforgiving and a shortfall of even a few hundred pounds can sink an otherwise strong application.
- Start gathering relationship evidence (joint bills, cohabitation proof, message/call records) months in advance — thin or last-minute evidence is a common trigger for a credibility interview.
- English requirements and settlement rules are reviewed periodically — confirm the current CEFR level required at your stage on gov.uk before booking a test, not from a blog or forum post.
- Tell your bank before paying the application fee and IHS together — it's a large single payment and banks sometimes flag or block it as suspicious.
Requirements change — always confirm the current list with the official source before you submit.
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