Family visa — fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner

To apply as a partner, you and your partner both need to be 18 or over.

you are a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving

Your partner must also either: be a British or Irish citizen have settled in the UK - for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status - they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021 have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa have protection status (leave to remain as a refugee, permission to stay as a refugee or a person with humanitarian protection) have got permission to stay as a stateless person before you became their partner

You cannot apply for a family visa if your family member is in the UK temporarily on a work visa or student visa .

If you’re applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner You must prove that: you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended

Send evidence that: comes from the government, a bank, landlord, utility provider, or a medical professional confirms your relationship with your partner - for example, that you live together, share expenses or are married or in a civil partnership is less than 4 years old You can use things like: a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate a tenancy agreement, utility bills or Council Tax bills confirming that you live at the same address or pay bills together a bank statement from a joint bank account, or confirming that you live at the same address a letter from your doctor or dentist confirming that you live at the same address

If you apply for a family visa as a partner, you and your partner usually need to prove that your combined income is at least £29,000 a year.

You may be able to use your savings instead of income to show you meet the requirement.

cash savings above £16,000

You do not need to meet a minimum income requirement if your partner gets one of the following benefits:

You need to show you and your family have enough money to house and support yourselves without relying on additional public funds .

If your partner is getting disability or carer’s benefits You do not need to meet a minimum income requirement if your partner gets one of the following benefits:

You must apply online from outside the UK .

If you apply outside the UK you’ll usually get a decision within 12 weeks.

You can stay in the UK for 6 months. After you marry or become civil partners, you’ll need to apply to extend your stay.

You cannot work or study in the UK during your engagement. After you marry or become civil partners, you’ll need to apply to extend your stay in the UK. If your application is approved, you’ll have the right to work or study.

If you extend your family visa or switch to this visa you can stay in the UK for up to a further 2 years and 6 months.

The earliest you can apply to settle in the UK (called ‘indefinite leave to remain’) is after you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years continuously on a family visa as a partner. You cannot include time you’ve spent in the UK: on any other visa as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner