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To apply as a partner, you and your partner both need to be 18 or over.

Your partner must also either:

• be a British or Irish citizen
• have settled in the UK - for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status - they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
• have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa
• have protection status (leave to remain as a refugee, permission to stay as a refugee or a person with humanitarian protection)
• have permission to stay as a stateless person

You and your partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK after you apply.

What you鈥檒l need to prove

You must be able to prove one of the following:

• you鈥檙e in a civil partnership or marriage that鈥檚 recognised in the UK
• you鈥檝e been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
• you are a fianc茅, fianc茅e or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving
• you鈥檝e been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but you cannot live together, for example because you鈥檙e working or studying in different places, or it鈥檚 not accepted in your culture

You also need to prove you:

• have a good knowledge of English
• meet the financial requirements

If you cannot provide this proof you may still be able to apply for a visa or extend your permission to stay if:

• you have a child in the UK who is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years and it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK
• it would breach your to stop you coming to the UK or make you leave

If you鈥檙e applying as a fianc茅, fianc茅e or proposed civil partner

You must prove that:

• any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended
• you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK

You鈥檒l need to apply for permission to extend your stay in the UK when you marry or enter into a civil partnership. If your application is approved, you鈥檒l have the right to work or study in the UK.

How to prove your relationship

Send evidence that:

• comes from the government, a bank, landlord, utility provider, or a medical professional
• confirms your relationship with your partner - for example, that you live together, share expenses or are married or in a civil partnership
• is less than 4 years old

You can use things like:

• a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate
• a tenancy agreement, utility bills or council tax bills confirming that you live at the same address or pay bills together
• a bank statement from a joint bank account, or confirming that you live at the same address
• a letter from your doctor or dentist confirming that you live at the same address

If you do not have any evidence that meets these criteria, there is other evidence you can provide instead, including:

• a one-off bill like vet鈥檚 fees or home repair costs
• letters confirming you and your partner are on the voting register for the same address
• student finance paperwork confirming that you live at the same address

If you do not live together

If you cannot live together because of work or study, or for cultural reasons, you鈥檒l need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other. You can do this by providing evidence that you:

• communicate regularly with each other 听
• support each other financially 听
• care for any children you have together 听
• spend time together as a couple, for example on holiday or at events

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK for 2 years and 9 months on this visa. If you鈥檙e applying as a fianc茅, fianc茅e or proposed civil partner, you can stay for 6 months.

After this you鈥檒l need to apply to extend your stay.

If you extend or switch to this visa

If you extend your family visa or switch to this visa you can stay in the UK for 2 years and 6 months.

How to apply

You鈥檒l need to prepare information and evidence to provide with your application.

How you apply depends on whether you鈥檙e in the UK or not.

Outside the UK

You must .

In the UK

You must .

If you cannot pay the fee

You can apply for a fee waiver if you cannot pay the fee because you:

• do not have a place to live and cannot afford one
• have a place to live but cannot afford essential living costs like food or heating
• have a very low income and paying the fee would harm your child鈥檚 wellbeing

.

Apply for a fee waiver online from inside the UK.

Get help to apply online

You can get help with completing the online visa application form if you:

• do not feel confident using a computer or mobile device
• do not have internet access

You can only use this service if you鈥檙e applying in the UK.

How long it takes

If you apply outside the UK you鈥檒l usually get a decision within 12 weeks.

If you apply inside the UK and you meet the financial requirements and English language requirements, you鈥檒l usually get a decision within 8 weeks.

If you apply inside the UK and you do not meet the financial requirements and English language requirements, it currently takes about 12 months to get a decision.

You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

Applying with your children

You can add children to your application as dependants if both of the following apply:

• they are under 18 when you apply, or were under 18 when they were first granted leave
• they do not live an independent life

Your child is living an independent life if, for example, they鈥檝e left home, got married and had children.

When you can settle permanently

The earliest you can apply to settle in the UK (called 鈥榠ndefinite leave to remain鈥�) is after you鈥檝e lived in the UK for 5 years continuously on a family visa as a partner.

You cannot include time you鈥檝e spent in the UK:

• on any other visa
• as a fianc茅, fianc茅e or proposed civil partner

The rules are different if you applied before 9 July 2012.

If you applied before 9 July 2012

You can only extend your family visa if all the following are true:

• you were given permission to stay in the UK as a partner before 9 July 2012
• you are not eligible to settle in the UK
• you have not been granted or refused another visa

You must also prove that:

• you have knowledge of English听
• you and your partner have enough money to financially support yourself and your dependants without relying on public funds

Check the information and evidence you鈥檒l need to prove your income.