How to Apply For a UK Ancestry Visa

By Annie Ee - Senior Legal Associate

20 Apr 2026

If you are a Commonwealth citizen and have a grandparent who was born in the UK or Islands, you may be able to live and work in the UK on the basis of your UK ancestry. This guide explains how to apply for a UK Ancestry visa and the requirements for this route.

1. Overview of the UK Ancestry Visa

The UK Ancestry Visa allows you to live and work in the UK, and it is a route to settlement. Your partner and children may be able to join you on this route.

2. UK Ancestry Visa Eligibility Requirements

In summary, the requirements for the UK Ancestry Visa are as follows:

• You must be at least 17 on the date that you intend to arrive in the UK if you are applying for entry clearance and, if you are under 18 on the date of application, parental consent must be provided;
• You must be a Commonwealth citizen;
• You may be required to provide a valid tuberculosis (TB) test certificate, confirming that you have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that tuberculosis is not present;
• You must have a grandparent born in the UK or Islands;
• You must be able to work and intend to take or seek employment in the UK;
• You must be able to maintain and accommodate yourself adequately without relying on public funds.

If you are applying for permission to stay, you must be in the UK on the date of application and must have previously been granted permission on the UK Ancestry route.

3. Who Qualifies as a Commonwealth Citizen?

To be considered a Commonwealth citizen, you must be one of the following:

• a British Overseas Territories citizen;
• a British National (Overseas);
• a British Overseas citizen;
• a British subject;
• a citizen of a country listed in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981.

As Zimbabwe continues to be on the list in Schedule 3 above, applications from citizens of Zimbabwe will also be considered by the Home Office.

A valid passport or travel document issued by a Commonwealth country can be included as evidence of citizenship.

4. Financial Requirement for a UK Ancestry Visa

The Home Office guidance states:

“There is no set level of funds the applicant must hold but they must show they can maintain and accommodate themselves, and any family members applying to join or remain with them in the UK, without access to public funds.”

You can also rely on third-party support to meet this requirement.

5. How to Prove UK Ancestry for a Visa Application

You must show that one of your grandparents was born in the UK, in the Isle of Man, in the Channel Islands, in Ireland (if born before 31 March 1922), or on a British-owned or registered ship or aircraft.

Your grandparent can be your blood grandparent, or, if you or your parents were adopted, the adoption process must be valid and recognised by UK law.

6. Can Dependants Apply on the UK Ancestry Route?

Dependants of UK Ancestry visa holders must apply for, and be granted, entry clearance before arriving in the UK. If they have been present in a country listed in Appendix Tuberculosis of the Immigration Rules for more than 6 months, a valid medical certificate must be provided.

To satisfy the relationship requirement, you must have been granted permission, or be applying and granted permission at the same time as your dependent partner. If you and your partner are not married, you must have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years prior to the date of application. Your relationship must also be genuine and subsisting.

Any dependent child must be under 18 on the date of application. As above, you must have been granted permission, or be applying and granted permission at the same time, on the UK Ancestry route when your dependent child submits the application. Both parents must either be applying at the same time as the dependent child or have permission to be in the UK, but not as a visitor. There are, however, exceptions to this rule, such as where the migrant on the UK Ancestry route is a sole surviving parent.

If your dependants are applying for permission to stay in the UK, they must be in the UK on the date of application and must not have, or have last been granted, permission:

• as a visitor;
• as a Short-term Student;
• as a Parent of a Child Student;
• as a Seasonal Worker;
• as a domestic worker in a private household; or
• outside the Immigration Rules.

7. Indefinite Leave to Remain on the UK Ancestry Route

If you meet the requirements, you may be eligible for indefinite leave to remain after living in the UK for five years and meeting the continuous residence requirement.

Unless you are over the age of 65, under 18, or have a disability which prevents you from meeting the requirement, you must meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK and English language requirement.

8. UK Ancestry Visa Fees and Processing Times

The Home Office application fee for a UK Ancestry visa is £726.

The Home Office’s published processing time for applications outside the UK is 3 weeks, and 8 weeks for applications made inside the UK. Priority services may be available for additional fees, subject to availability.

We have recently published an article, UK Ancestry Visa: Conditions of Stay, setting out the conditions of stay once an application is successful.

9. Contact Our Immigration Barristers

For expert advice and assistance with an application for a UK Ancestry visa, contact our Immigration Barristers on 020 3617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.

10. Frequently Asked Questions: UK Ancestry Visa