Choosing the right route depends principally on two questions: do you intend to leave the UK after the ceremony (rather than live in the UK on a long term basis), and are you already married,  in a civil partnership, or a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership that has lasted at least two years?

A Marriage Visitor visa is usually the relevant route if you want to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK and then leave the UK. If you intend to live permanently in the UK with a qualifying partner, the relevant Appendix FM route may instead be a Fiancé visa, Spouse visa or Unmarried Partner visa. The routes have different eligibility requirements, work rights, costs and effects on the settlement timetable.

1. The Four Routes at a Glance

Route	Main purpose	Permission and work rights	Application fee as at review
Marriage Visitor	Marry or form a civil partnership in the UK, then leave	Up to 6 months; no work or study subject to permitted visitor activities; no switching	£135
Fiancé / proposed civil partner	Enter the UK to marry, then apply as a spouse or civil partner	Up to 6 months; no work or study; time does not count to settlement	£2,064 (you will then need to pay £1,407 plus IHS for a subsequent partner application)
Spouse / civil partner	To enable you to live in the UK with a partner,  where you are already married or civil partners	Normally 33 months outside / 30 months inside; work and study permitted	£2,064 if applying from outside the UK / £1,407 if applying from inside the UK, plus IHS for either option
Unmarried partner	To enable you to live in the UK with a partner,  where you have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years	Normally 33 months outside / 30 months inside; work and study permitted	£2,064 outside / £1,407 inside, plus IHS for either option

Fees shown are the Home Office application fees in force on 4 August 2026. They exclude priority services and other optional charges. The Immigration Health Surcharge is payable separately where stated and all figures should be checked immediately before an application is submitted.

2. If You Want to Marry in the UK but Do Not Intend to Live in the UK

Marriage Visitor Visa

If you are living outside the UK and do not plan to settle here, but want to visit the UK to give notice, marry or form a civil partnership, a Marriage Visitor visa may be the appropriate route. You must meet the normal visitor requirements, including showing that you are a genuine visitor, that you will leave the UK at the end of the visit and that you will not make the UK your main home through frequent or successive visits.

You must be aged 18 or over and genuinely intend to give notice, marry or form a civil partnership in the UK within the permitted visit. The proposed marriage or civil partnership must not be a sham. Depending on nationality and immigration status, some people do not require a Marriage Visitor visa, including Irish citizens and certain people with status or a pending application under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Permission is normally granted for up to six months. You cannot work except for permitted visitor activities, and you cannot study, access public funds, extend this permission or switch from the Marriage Visitor route into a partner route from within the UK. The current application fee is £135.

For a more detailed comparison of the visa options if you wish to hold your wedding ceremony in the UK, see What Visa Do I Need To Get Married in the UK?

3. If You Intend to Live in the UK: Applying as a Partner Under Appendix FM

The spouse or civil partner, unmarried partner and fiancé/proposed civil partner options are all applications as a partner under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. It should be noted that the Fiancé route is an initial route to enable the marriage or civil partnership to take place in the UK; the applicant must then make a further application as a spouse or civil partner. Time with permission as a fiancé or proposed civil partner does not count towards the normal five-year settlement period.

What Immigration Status Is Needed to Sponsor a Partner Under Appendix FM?

The sponsor must fall within a category recognised by Appendix FM. Depending on the precise rule engaged, this includes:

• a British or Irish citizen;
• a person who is present and settled in the UK, including a person with indefinite leave to remain or settled status;
• a person in the UK with qualifying limited permission under Appendix EU (this covers EEA nationals with pre-settled status under Appendix EU who were in the UK by 31 December 2020);
• a person in the UK with protection status or qualifying permission as a stateless person; or
• a person in the UK with qualifying permission under the European Community Association Agreement arrangements for Turkish workers or business persons.

For some applicants whose sponsor has been granted 30 months’ permission on a protection route, the length of the partner’s grant may be aligned with the sponsor’s remaining permission rather than following the usual 33- or 30-month period.

Can I Apply as a Parent Instead?

The parent route is not normally available where the applicant is eligible to apply as the partner of the child’s other parent. The relevant route must be identified by applying the specific eligibility provisions, rather than by choosing between the parent and partner routes as alternatives.

4. Different Ways to Meet the Definition of Partner

The definition of partner under Appendix FM covers a spouse or civil partner, an unmarried partner, and a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner. Each category requires different evidence. All Appendix FM partner applicants must also establish, among other matters, that the relationship is genuine and subsisting, that the couple have met in person and that they intend to live together permanently in the UK.

Applying as Spouses or Civil Partners

If you are in a valid marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK and want to live permanently here with a qualifying sponsor, the relevant route may be a Spouse visa. The spouse or civil partner route does not impose a separate requirement to show that the relationship has already lasted for two years.

An application made from outside the UK is normally granted for 33 months. Permission granted from inside the UK is normally for 30 months, after which a further extension is usually required. A person granted permission as a spouse or civil partner may work and study in the UK.

The current Home Office visa fees are £2,064 for an application made from outside the UK and £1,407 for an application made from inside the UK. The adult Immigration Health Surcharge is currently £1,035 for each year of permission, calculated by reference to the length of the grant.

A person who remains on the normal five-year partner route may qualify for settlement after a continuous 60 months with qualifying partner permission, provided the settlement requirements are met.

Applying as Unmarried Partners

An Unmarried Partner visa may be available where the couple have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years. The current definition does not impose a blanket requirement that the couple must have lived together for the whole of that period. The relationship must nevertheless have been genuine and subsisting throughout, and this must be supported by the evidence provided.

Further analysis is set out in Navigating the New UK Unmarried Partner Visa Rules.

The normal grant lengths, work and study rights, fees, Immigration Health Surcharge and five-year settlement timetable are the same as for a spouse or civil partner application, unless your leave is granted based on an exception to the usual eligibility rules or your sponsor made an asylum claim after 2 March 2026 and has time-limited protection permission. 

Applying as Fiancés or Proposed Civil Partners

If you are outside the UK and want to come to the UK to marry or form a civil partnership and then live permanently here, a Fiancé visa may be the relevant route. The route does not require the relationship to have lasted for two years, but the couple must intend to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK within six months and must meet the other Appendix FM requirements.

A Fiancé visa is granted for up to six months. The applicant cannot work or study during this period. You cannot obtain permission as a fiancé from inside the UK. Once the marriage or civil partnership has taken place, the applicant must make a further in-country application as a spouse or civil partner before the fiancé permission expires.

The current entry-clearance application fee is £2,064. No Immigration Health Surcharge is payable for the initial six-month fiancé permission, but the later in-country spouse or civil partner application currently costs £1,407 and attracts the Immigration Health Surcharge. Time spent with fiancé or proposed civil partner permission does not count towards the five-year partner settlement period.

5. Additional Requirements for Appendix FM Partner Applications

The precise requirements depend on the application and the sponsor’s status, but the principal matters commonly include the relationship, immigration status, financial, accommodation and English language requirements.

Where the standard minimum income requirement applies, the current threshold is a gross annual income of £29,000. Transitional arrangements may preserve the earlier £18,600 threshold, with any applicable child additions, for a person who first successfully applied as a fiancé, proposed civil partner or partner before 11 April 2024 and continues on the route with the same partner. Where the sponsor receives a specified benefit, the minimum income threshold is replaced by an adequate-maintenance assessment rather than removed altogether.

Further detail is available in UK Partner and Family Visa Financial Requirements Explained.

The applicant must also show that there will be adequate accommodation without recourse to public funds and, where the requirement applies, meet the relevant English language standard. The evidence and permitted sources differ according to the route and stage of application.

6. Can I Switch to a Partner Visa From Inside the UK?

A person in the UK as a visitor, including a Marriage Visitor, cannot normally switch into the five-year partner route. A person admitted as a fiancé or proposed civil partner is specifically able to apply as a spouse or civil partner after the ceremony. Someone with another form of permission (i.e. someone not in the UK as a visitor) may be able to switch from inside the UK if the validity and eligibility requirements are met.

Where the normal switching or substantive requirements are not met, an in-country application may be considered under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This is not equivalent to a general right to switch and the legal threshold is demanding.

7. Exceptions and Article 8

The exceptions under Appendix FM must be stated carefully. Paragraph EX.1 applies only to applications for permission to stay in the UK. In a partner case, it may apply where there are insurmountable obstacles to family life with the partner continuing outside the UK. Its separate child limb concerns a qualifying child and whether it would be reasonable to expect that child to leave the UK.

Paragraph GEN.3.2 can apply where refusal would produce unjustifiably harsh consequences and would breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is relevant to both entry-clearance and in-country decision-making. 

A person granted on the basis of a human rights exception will commonly be placed on a ten-year route to settlement rather than the normal five-year route. Applications relying on Article 8 or circumstances outside the ordinary requirements require a fact-sensitive assessment. Individuals considering these options are particularly strongly advised to seek legal advice before making an application. 

8. Contact Our Immigration Barristers

We recommend seeking legal advice before making any partner application. This is particularly important if there is uncertainty about the correct route, the financial requirement, switching from within the UK or reliance on an exception.

For expert advice in relation to a UK partner visa application or immigration appeal, contact our immigration barristers on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between a Marriage Visitor visa and a Fiancé visa?

A Marriage Visitor visa is for a person who will marry or form a civil partnership in the UK and then leave. A Fiancé visa is for a person who intends to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK and then remain by making a further application as a spouse or civil partner.

Can I switch from a Marriage Visitor visa to a Spouse visa in the UK?

No. A Marriage Visitor cannot usually extend that permission or switch into the partner route from within the UK. The person will normally need to leave the UK and make the appropriate entry-clearance application.  An exceptional in-country claim may be considered on a human rights basis, but it is not a routine switching option.

Do unmarried partners need to have lived together for two years?

Not necessarily. The rule requires a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years, but it does not impose a blanket two-year cohabitation requirement. The evidence must still show a genuine and subsisting relationship throughout the relevant period.

Can a person work in the UK on a Fiancé visa?

No. A person with fiancé or proposed civil partner permission cannot work or study. Work and study are permitted after a successful application as a spouse or civil partner.

What is the financial requirement for a UK partner visa?

Where the standard minimum income requirement applies, it is currently £29,000 gross per year. Transitional applicants may remain subject to the earlier lower threshold, and cases where the Sponsor is entitled to specified benefits are assessed under an adequate maintenance threshold instead.

How long is a Spouse or Unmarried Partner visa granted for?

An entry-clearance grant is normally 33 months and an in-country grant is normally 30 months. A different period may apply where permission is aligned with a sponsor who has time-limited protection permission under the current arrangements.

Does time on a Fiancé visa count towards settlement?

No. The normal five-year settlement period starts when qualifying permission as a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner is granted, not during the preceding fiancé or proposed civil partner period.

Can a visitor apply for a partner visa from inside the UK?

A visitor cannot normally switch into the five-year partner route. An exceptional in-country claim may be considered on a human rights basis, but it is not a routine switching option.