Fiancé(e) and proposed civil partner visa
For couples who plan to marry, or form a civil partnership, in the UK and then live here together.
Last reviewed:
From £1,500 legal fee
Fixed legal fee for the application, made from outside the UK (no VAT). Home Office fees are extra.
The main requirements at a glance
Your wedding plans
You plan to marry or form a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving in the UK.
Previous relationships
Any previous marriage or civil partnership has legally ended.
Your partner's status
Your partner is British or Irish, settled in the UK, or has another status the partner route accepts.
Money and English
You meet the partner route's financial requirement and show your knowledge of English, unless an exemption applies.
Who this may be for
- People engaged to a partner who is British, Irish, settled in the UK or holds another status GOV.UK accepts.
- Couples who plan to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving.
- People whose previous marriages or civil partnerships have legally ended.
This is a separate, short visa. You can't work or study on it, and after the wedding you apply again to stay as a partner. Time on it does not count towards settlement.
The financial requirement
£29,000 a year
Fiancé(e)s and proposed civil partners apply on the partner route, so the same combined income usually applies, according to GOV.UK.
Figure checked on GOV.UK:
Financial requirements for partners · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
When different rules apply
- Your partner gets certain disability or carer's benefits. There is no set income figure; instead you show you can support and house yourselves without relying on additional public funds.
- You cannot meet the requirement, but you have a child in the UK in certain circumstances, or refusing you would breach your human rights. The route to settlement is then usually longer.
What can count
Employment
Salary earned in the UK before tax, shown with payslips, bank statements and a letter from the employer.
Self-employment or a company
Income from self-employment or as a director of a UK limited company, based on tax returns and other records.
Savings
Cash savings above £16,000 can count towards the requirement, instead of or alongside income.
Pension
Money from a state, occupational or private pension.
Other income
Non-work income, for example from renting out property or from dividends.
What is usually looked at
- Your wedding plans
- Evidence that you intend to marry or form a civil partnership within the 6-month window.
- Previous relationships
- Proof that any earlier marriage or civil partnership has ended, such as a divorce certificate.
- Your relationship
- That the relationship is genuine and that you intend to live together permanently in the UK.
- The financial requirement
- The same kind of financial requirement as the partner route, with its own evidence rules.
- English language
- How you can show your knowledge of English, or whether an exemption applies.
What the application usually asks for
A general list from GOV.UK, not a checklist for your case. Bright & Day can review your documents and tell you what your application needs.
You and your history
- Current passport, and the photo page and stamps of previous passports
- Details of previous immigration applications and any criminal convictions
- Tuberculosis test results, if you live in a country where the test is required
Your relationship and plans
- Evidence that you plan to marry or form a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving
- Proof that any previous marriage or civil partnership has ended, such as a divorce certificate
- How you met and how often you see each other
Money
- Payslips and bank statements covering the period the rules require
- A dated letter from the employer on headed paper confirming the job and salary
- Different documents for self-employment, savings, pensions or other income
English and translations
- An English test result or other accepted evidence, or proof of an exemption
- Certified translations of any document not in English or Welsh
The application, in general terms
This information is general and is not legal advice. Whether a route is open to you depends on your personal circumstances and the rules at the time you apply.
Check the route
Make sure a fiancé(e) visa suits your plans better than marrying first and applying as a spouse.
Apply from outside the UK
Prepare evidence and apply online before you travel.
Travel and marry
Arrive and marry or form your civil partnership within 6 months.
Apply as a partner
Apply to extend your stay as a partner before your fiancé(e) visa ends.
How Bright & Day can help
Tell Bright & Day's team a little about your situation. The first form only asks for the basics.
Discuss your case- Look at your circumstances and advise which application, if any, fits best, including other routes worth considering.
- Explain the timing between arrival, the wedding and the follow-up partner application.
- Review the evidence you have, give feedback on your documents and help you identify what else may be needed.
- Prepare and submit the application with its documents, if you instruct the firm to do so.
- Explain the possible outcomes and the steps that may follow.
Official GOV.UK guidance
- Apply as a partner or spouse (fiancé(e) section) · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- After you apply · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Financial requirements for partners · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed:
This information is general and is not legal advice. Whether a route is open to you depends on your personal circumstances and the rules at the time you apply.