UK Civil Partnership Visa Requirements and Application

Last updated: 11 April 2024

Under the UK immigration system, there is no specific visa for civil partners, rather, it is covered by the Spouse Visa route¹, which enables overseas civil partners of British citizens or settled persons (same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples) to enter the UK and live here. Civil partnership visa/spouse visa holders can live in the UK for an initial period of 33 months, and this can be further extended for up to 30 months. After five years of continuous residence on a Civil Partnership visa, it is then possible to gain permanent settlement (also referred to as ILR). With ILR, you will no longer need to apply for further visa extensions and you can apply for British citizenship after a further 12 months. As a Civil Partnership UK visa holder, you will be free to live, work, and study in the UK while your visa remains valid.

Civil Partnership visa requirements

Civil Partnership visa applicants must meet below requirements:

• Be in a genuine and eligible civil partnership
• Meet the minimum income requirement of £29,000
• Meet the English language requirement

Genuine and eligible civil partnership

The Home Office will verify that you are in a genuine civil partnership that is recognised in the UK with a British or Irish citizen or a person who has settled in the UK (i.e., they must have ILR or EU settled status). It is also possible to apply if your UK-based partner is a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa holder, or is a person with refugee status or humanitarian protection.

If you are unsure how to prove your civil partnership, speak to our immigration lawyers at 020 3744 2797 or complete our enquiry form who will be able to advise you.

If you are planning to enter into a civil partnership when you arrive in the UK with a British or Irish citizen or a person who has settled in the UK, you can apply as a proposed civil partner / fiance. To do so, you will need to show that any previous civil partnerships have ended and that you intend to enter into a civil partnership within 6 months of arrival in the UK.

Minimum income requirement

As a Civil Partnership UK visa applicant, you and your UK-based partner must have a joint income of at least £29,000. If you have children, you will also need an extra £3,800 a year for your first child and £2,400 a year for each additional child.

The minimum income requirement for the Civil Partnership visa can be met in a number of ways, including through:

• Employment
• Self-employment
• Income from investments (e.g., rental income and dividends)
• Pensions, and
• Savings over £16,000

If you have savings over £16,000, this will reduce the annual income requirement you need to meet. If you have enough savings, you may be able to cancel out all of the minimum annual income requirements entirely. To calculate the effect of your savings on meeting the minimum income requirement, simply divide the amount over £16,000 by 2.5. The sum you are left with can be taken from the £29,000 annual income requirement. For example, if you have £25,000, the amount of income you will need to show reduces by £3,600 to £25,400.

You can check more information in our article: Spouse Visa Financial Requirement and Exemptions

English language requirement

As a UK Civil Partnership visa applicant between 18 and 65, you will need to demonstrate that you have sufficient knowledge of the English language. You can meet this requirement by either:

• Coming from an eligible English-speaking country
• Holding a degree or other academic qualification that was taught or researched in English
• Taking and passing an approved English language test to level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. When you apply to extend your visa, you will need to show you meet level A2.

For more information, please check our article: Spouse Visa English Requirement

Document required for civil partnership visa application

In order to ensure that your visa for a civil partnership in the UK is approved in the shortest possible time, it is essential that you provide all of the documentation requested by the Home Office (UKVI). You may be asked to provide the following:

• Your passport or another valid form of ID
• Civil partnership certificate that is recognised in the UK
• Biometric residence permit (BRP) and national insurance number if you are currently in the UK
• Details of any criminal convictions
• TB test results
• Proof of income (e.g., 6 months of wage slips, bank statements, employer letter confirming employment and salary, or evidence of income from dividends or other investments)
• Degree or other academic qualification transcript showing you successfully completed a course taught in English
• English language test certificate

If you are unsure whether you have all of the necessary documents and if these will meet the requirements of the Home Office, speak to an immigration solicitor who can help you to prepare those required documents.

How to Apply for UK Civil Partnership Visa

In order to apply for a UK Civil Partnership Visa, there are a number of steps you will need to complete, as follows:

• Prepare and submit an online UK Civil Partnership Visa application form on the UKVI website. The form you need to complete depends on whether you are inside the UK or outside the UK.
• Pay the application fee. As of February 2023, the application fee for the Civil Partnership visa UK costs £1,538 (if you are outside the UK) or £1,048 (if you are inside the UK)
• Pay the mandatory healthcare surcharge (allows access to the National Health Service): £1035 per year
• Make an appointment with a visa application centre (VAC) in your home country or a UKVCAS service point in the UK to have your fingerprints scanned and a photo taken (your biometrics)
• Attend your biometrics appointment
• Upload any documents requested by the Home Office (as outlined above)

Your UK Civil Partnership Visa application may take up to 24 weeks to process if made outside the UK or 8 weeks if you are in the UK. It is, however, possible to apply for a faster decision by paying a fee of £1000 for the super-priority service. Using this service should ensure that you receive a decision from the Home Office by the end of the next working day after you have completed all of the steps above.

References:

¹ GOV.UK: Family visas: apply as a partner or spouse