Extending a UK spouse or partner visa

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Start with your existing decision

Find the visa decision letter and check the permission expiry date in your eVisa. Establish whether you are on a five-year, ten-year or another route. A dependant visa linked to a partner's work route has different rules and a different application; being married does not by itself identify the correct category.

Under GOV.UK guidance ↗, you can apply before your current permission expires. When extending with the same family member, no more than 28 remaining days are added to the new permission. Applying too early may therefore leave a gap before future settlement eligibility. First prepare a timeline of your grants and check when you complete the necessary qualifying period.

Prove that the relationship continues

Prepare passports, evidence of your partner's status, the marriage certificate or appropriate partnership evidence, and documents ending previous marriages. For relationship evidence ↗, records from a bank, council, landlord and utility providers can demonstrate your shared address and life together.

Arrange records across the relevant period and explain address changes or unavoidable periods living apart. A single recent joint bill does not explain the whole history. Documents outside English or Welsh need the required certified translation. Follow your application's personalised checklist rather than treating somebody else's document bundle as a universal model.

Check the financial category and English requirement

The usual minimum income requirement ↗ is £29,000 annually. Transitional rules apply to an initial partner application before 11 April 2024 followed by an extension with the same partner. Certain benefits received by the partner can instead lead to an adequate-maintenance assessment. Savings, business income and combined sources require their own calculation.

For employment income, the usual evidence includes payslips, statements showing salary receipts and an employer letter. For self-employment, do not replace the specified tax and accounting evidence with a few recent invoices. Under the English rules ↗, someone who initially passed A1 normally needs at least A2 speaking and listening when extending after 2.5 years; eligible previous results and exemptions may apply.

Apply, budget and check the outcome

Use the GOV.UK link for an application inside the UK, pay the fee and IHS, then complete the identity and document-upload instructions. In October 2026, the standard inside-UK application fee is listed as £1,407 and adult IHS for 2.5 years as £2,587.50. Faster processing and professional representation, where required, are additional expenses.

Save the submitted form, payment and submission confirmation. After the decision, check your name, dates and eVisa conditions. Obtain individual advice before applying if income is insufficient, the relationship has ended or the qualifying period is disputed: using the wrong category can affect your settlement route.