Fiance Visa UK Required Documents

Overview of Fiance Visa Required Documents

When applying for a UK Fiancé/e visa, you must present the Home Office with a range of supporting documents, proof and evidence to establish your eligibility for the visa.

These include documents to prove you and your fiance’s identities, as well as proof that you meet the Fiance visa financial requirements and language requirements.

For example, you will have to demonstrate that your relationship with your fiance is genuine, that you intend to marry them within 6 months of your visa being issued, and that you meet the financial and language requirements.

Note that you may also be asked to provide additional documents that aren’t mentioned here as part of your visa application. These will vary depending on your own individual circumstances.

Due to their similarity, the information on this page about the Fiance visa may also be applied to the UK Proposed Civil Partnership visa.

List of Required Documents for the Fiance Visa

Below is an overview of the documents you will likely be expected to provide with your Fiance visa application:

• A valid passport or other form of travel ID
• Previous passports, with the photo pages and previous entry stamps or visas visible
• Proof that your fiance is present in the UK, and also a British citizen, has settled status or pre-settled status
• Details of previous immigration or visa applications
• Proof that your relationship is genuine and subsisting
• Proof of adequate accommodation in the UK
• Proof that you meet the financial requirements
• Proof that you meet the language requirements
• A supporting letter written by both you and your fiance
• Details of any criminal convictions
• Your national insurance number (if you have one)
• Tuberculosis test results, if you’re from one of the required countries

Note that any documents not in English or Welsh will need to be translated by a certified translator.

Documents for the Relationship Requirement

To come to the UK with a Fiance visa, you must prove to the Home Office that your relationship with your fiance is genuine and subsisting.

This means that your motivations for getting married must be legitimate, sincere, and not for fraudulent or dishonest purposes. For example, getting married solely to obtain residency status in the UK would not be a genuine or legitimate reason.

Note that as every relationship is different, the documents you will need to prove that you meet this requirement may vary. However, as a general guide, you may wish to use the following to prove that you meet the relationship requirement:

• Proof that you and your fiance are living together, or have done so in the past, such as through tenancy agreements, council tax bills or utility bills
• Proof that you share financial responsibilities, such as joint bank accounts, a joint mortgage or utility bills
• Proof of any children you have together and that you both play a part in their upbringing, such as through letters from schools, nurseries or health professionals
• Proof that any previous relationships have broken down permanently, such as through divorce records or certificates
• Other records of your relationship, such as proof of trips taken together, text messages, letters written, or other compelling pieces of evidence or communication

Documents for the Accommodation Requirement

One stipulation of the Fiance visa is that you have adequate accommodation to stay in while you’re in the UK.

Adequate accommodation in this context means that:

• It must be owned or occupied exclusively by you or your family
• It must be obtained without recourse to public funds
• It must not be overcrowded
• It must not contravene public health guidelines

The documents you will provide to the Home Office will vary depending on what your living arrangements will be like. However, below is a general guide of the documents you may wish to provide:

• A title deed or a mortgage agreement, if the accommodation is owned by your or your family
• A letter from your landlord or estate/letting agent, if your accommodation is rented
• A letter from the friends or family members who will be housing you stating that they they’re happy to accommodate you, if you’re staying with friends or family
  • This should also be accompanied by a title deed, mortgage agreement or letter from the landlord or estate/letting agent, depending on if the friends or family own or rent the accommodation
• Proof that the accommodation is not overcrowded and doesn’t contravene public health guidelines, such as through a housing report from a chartered surveyor

Documents for the Financial Requirement

As well as having enough funds to cover the Fiance visa UK cost, you must prove that your UK-based sponsor meets the minimum financial threshold to support you while you’re in the UK.

In most cases, this will be at least £29,000 in annual income (changed in April 2024)

You will not need to show proof of any additional funds if you are bringing dependent children with you to the UK.

Your sponsor can meet this requirement through a combination of things, such as salaried income, cash savings, or income from non-salaried sources.

Documents you may wish to present to prove the financial requirement include the following:

• Bank statements demonstrating that you or your sponsor’s income or cash savings meets the minimum requirements
• Payslips from employment, accompanied by a letter from the employer with details such as:
  • The job title or position held
  • The length of employment
  • Details of the salary, and how long the salary has been paid for
• Evidence of income from self-employment
• Evidence of income from non-salaried sources, such as property rentals, pensions dividends or investments
• Evidence that your UK-based fiance is in receipt of certain benefits, such as disability living allowance, severe disablement allowance, or Guaranteed Income Payment

Documents for the Language Requirement

As a Fiance visa applicant, you must prove that you have adequate knowledge of English.

In most cases, this will be in the form of a pass certificate at A1 level from a certified English language test, such as from IELTS or another approved provider. You may also be able to use your unique reference number given by the test provider.

However, you may also provide documentation to prove that you do not need to take an English test to meet the language requirement.

These may include:

• Proof of citizenship from a majority English-speaking country
• Proof of a mental or physical disability that prevents you from meeting the language requirement
• Proof of a degree that was either taught or researched mostly in English, or one from the UK
  • If your degree was obtained outside of the UK, you must also obtain a certificate from Ecctis verifying that it is equivalent to at least a Bachelor’s level, and that it was taught in English (if it was obtained in a non-majority English-speaking country)

Supporting Letter for Fiance Visa

While not mandatory, a supporting letter may help to get your Fiance visa application approved.

It should outline basic information about you and your fiance, such as your history together, details about your wedding, and plans for the future.

As a general guide, your supporting letter may include the following:

• When, where and how you met your fiance
• How your relationship developed
• Why you wish to get married to your fiance
• Details about the life that you share together
• Details about your wedding
• What your future plans are with your fiance
• Details about your accommodation plans, and future accommodation plans
• Confirmation that you intend to live with your fiance in the UK permanently

You may also add in additional information that is relevant to your own personal situation or circumstances as you see fit.

How Do I Submit Documents for a Fiance Visa?

The process of submitting your supporting documents will vary based on where you’re located.

However, in most cases, you will have to scan your documents and upload them online after you fill in your application form.

This will likely be done through a secondary portal such as VFS or TLS.

However, you may also be given the option to submit your documents at a local visa application centre after you’ve submitted your initial application.

You will be informed during or after the application process as to which options are available to you.

Guidelines for Document Translations

Any documents that are not in either English or Welsh will need to be submitted along with a certified translation into either one of these languages.

In order for a translation to be certified and accepted by the Home Office, it must contain all of the following:

• Confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document
• The date of translation
• The translator’s full name and signature
• The translator’s contact details, or contact details of a representative of the translator company

Documents that you have translated yourself will not be accepted by the Home Office.

How Can IAS Help?

Like many other visas, the UK Fiancé visa and Proposed Civil Partner visa require a fairly significant amount of proof and evidence to be submitted before you can obtain one.

As well as ensuring that you’ve covered everything that the Home Office asks of you, you must also ensure that documents are submitted in the right format and that your supporting evidence is compelling, persuasive and fits within the guidelines.

If you require any further assistance with putting together your documents for a Fiance visa application, or any other part of the UK Fiance visa application process, IAS can help.

We are professional immigration lawyers who are experts in the field of UK immigration. We can help you to assemble your portfolio of supporting documents for the Fiance visa application, making sure that they’re complete, compliant and comprehensive.

We can also assist you in writing a supporting letter, gathering evidence and proof that you meet the Fiance visa financial requirement and language requirement, and liaise with the Home Office and UK Visas and Immigration on your behalf if any issues arise during the processing stages.

For more information about the services we offer, and what we could do for you, reach out to us today on 0333 4149244, or contact us online.