UK Dependant Visa for Families: Requirements, Costs and Process in 2026
What is a UK Dependant Visa?
- Partners can apply with the lead applicant or after the main visa has been granted.
- Children usually apply before turning 18, unless they already hold dependant permission in the UK.
- Children cannot apply before their parents.
- Every family member submits a separate application and receives an individual immigration decision.
Who can apply for a UK Dependant Visa?
You may be eligible if:
- You are a spouse, civil partner, or an unmarried partner, and both partners are at least 18.
- Your relationship is genuine and ongoing, and every previous relationship has permanently ended.
- You are a child under 18 applying with the lead applicant or joining them later.
- You are over 18, already hold dependant permission and have not formed an independent life.
- The lead applicant's work or study route permits new dependants under the current rules.
Check the route carefully if:
- The sponsor is British or settled, the separate UK Spouse Visa route may apply.
- The lead applicant is a care worker sponsored from 11 March 2024, unless an exception applies.
- The lead applicant has a medium-skilled job sponsored from 22 July 2025, unless exempt.
- The Student course does not meet the current rules for bringing partners or children.
- An adult child is applying for the first time or has formed an independent life.
What are the UK Dependant Visa requirements?
Lead applicant's visa
The lead applicant must hold, or be applying for, a visa that allows dependants, such as Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Global Talent or Student. New dependants are usually not allowed for care workers sponsored from 11 March 2024, medium-skilled workers sponsored from 22 July 2025, or students on taught courses.
Partner relationship
You and your partner must both be 18 or over, have met in person, and be in a genuine relationship. You must be married or in a civil partnership recognised in the UK, or have been in a relationship like marriage for at least 2 years. Any previous marriage or relationship must have permanently ended.
Children
Children must be under 18 when they first apply, or already hold dependant permission if they are 18 or over. They must not be married, in a civil partnership or living an independent life. Both parents must usually have UK permission or be applying at the same time, unless one parent has sole responsibility for the child or the other parent has died.
Money you need
Skilled Worker dependants need £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each other child, held for 28 days in a row, ending no more than 31 days before you apply. You do not need to show it if the sponsor confirms on the certificate of sponsorship that it will cover your first month, or if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months. Student dependants need different amounts.
TB test
If you apply from outside the UK and live in a country on the Home Office TB list, you will usually need a TB test certificate from an approved clinic. It is valid for 6 months from the date of the test.
Immigration history
The Home Office checks each applicant's immigration and criminal history. A serious criminal record, false documents or information, or past breaches such as overstaying can lead to refusal.
How do you apply for a UK Dependant Visa?
The lead applicant's visa decides whether you can apply. Check their visa type, job code and the date their sponsorship started. Care workers sponsored from 11 March 2024, medium-skilled workers sponsored from 22 July 2025 and students on taught courses usually cannot bring new dependants.
If you are outside the UK, apply online before you travel. If you are already in the UK, you may be able to extend or switch your visa. You cannot switch from some visas, such as a visit visa. In that case, you must apply from outside the UK.
Each person needs a valid passport and proof of their relationship to the lead applicant, such as a marriage or birth certificate. Unmarried partners need proof of a relationship of at least 2 years. If you live in a country on the Home Office TB list, you will usually need a TB test certificate.
Skilled Worker dependants need £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each other child. Student dependants need different amounts. You or the lead applicant must hold the money for 28 days in a row, and day 28 must be within 31 days of the date you apply. You do not need to show it if the sponsor confirms on the certificate of sponsorship that it will cover your first month, or if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months.
Each person completes a separate online application. Enter the lead applicant's application number (GWF or UAN), and their family linking code if they have one. Pay the visa fee and, unless you are exempt, the Immigration Health Surcharge for each person.
You will either scan your passport or ID card with the UK Immigration: ID Check app, or give your fingerprints and photo at an appointment. Appointments are at a visa application centre outside the UK, or a UKVCAS service point in the UK. You will be told which to use when you apply. Then upload your documents.
You will usually get a decision within 3 weeks if you applied outside the UK, or 8 weeks if you applied in the UK. You may be able to pay for a faster decision. If you applied in the UK, do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before the decision, or your application will be withdrawn. If approved, you will usually get an eVisa, which you can view in your UKVI account.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply
A visitor will usually need to leave the UK and apply from abroad. You will have to check the lead applicant's route before paying. The switching rules can make an in-country application invalid.
Funds and evidence
There is normally no English test for the first Dependant Visa application. You will need to be aged 18 to 64 and usually need B1 English. This is the intermediate level used for settlement, and you will also have to pass the Life in the UK test.
Rights, expiry and settlement
The dependant's existing visa normally remains valid until its original end date. Check whether the lead applicant's route changes and whether the family should extend or switch later, so plan early.
Rights, expiry and settlement
An eligible work-route partner normally needs five continuous years as a dependant. Each grant matters. A gap can change the date, alongside the English and Life in the UK requirements.
Rights, expiry and settlement
Dependant permission normally ends on the same date as the lead applicant's visa. If parents have different expiry dates, the child's permission normally ends on the earlier of the two dates. So you will need to check both grants since both family links matter.
Rights, expiry and settlement
A dependant can normally work and study without separate permission under the route. They cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach unless they are the dependant of a UK Ancestry applicant.
Rights, expiry and settlement
A UK-born child is not automatically British at birth and may still need immigration permission. A UK child Dependant Visa may be required before travel, as the child needs permission to return to the UK.
Applying and timing
Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man before an in-country decision. Leaving the Common Travel Area normally withdraws the application. So you will need to wait until you receive the result.
Applying and timing
A work or study dependant case usually takes three weeks outside the UK and eight weeks inside it. These are service standards. Missing evidence or the need for further checks can make the decision take longer.
Applying and timing
No, dependants may apply with the lead applicant or later under that route. Each person applies and pays separately, then uses the lead applicant's reference so the cases stay linked.
Funds and evidence
Yes, when the document is not in English or Welsh. Provide a certified translation with the original document, and check that names, dates and reference numbers match across every record.
Funds and evidence
Different addresses need a truthful explanation that fits the rest of the record. Employment, study, and tenancy records can explain why you lived apart during the relationship, so explain that here. Moreover, travel and communication can also demonstrate a continuing commitment.
Funds and evidence
For a UK partner Dependant Visa, the Home Office considers the relationship evidence as a whole. Legal records, shared finances, living arrangements, travel, and regular communication can show how the relationship works when they are consistent. And the travel and communication should support the same story.
Funds and evidence
The permitted account holder depends on the route and the family circumstances. You will have to check the source of the money first. The rules of evidence for another person's account can be very specific.
Funds and evidence
The usual amounts are £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child. You may not need to show these funds. An exemption or written sponsor support can remove the requirement.
Who can apply
The exact job code and sponsorship history determine which rules apply. You will need to look at both carefully. The main transitional protection requires qualifying permission under rules that applied before 22 July 2025, so please check the exact job code.
Who can apply
It depends on when the worker first held qualifying Skilled Worker permission. The main exception normally requires continuous permission under the rules that applied before 11 March 2024, so please check the dates.
Who can apply
An adult child normally needs existing dependant permission and must not lead an independent life. A first application after turning 18 usually falls outside the route. This is why previous dependant status is central.
Who can apply
Yes, if the relationship has been similar to marriage for at least two years. You will need to explain why you live apart. This helps the wider record show a continuing commitment.
Who can apply
Yes, a partner or child can generally apply after the lead applicant receives permission. Their visa will usually end when the lead applicant's permission ends. This is because the family applications remain linked to the same route.
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