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Who Is the UK Civil Partnership Visa For?

A UK Civil Partnership Visa is for a person who is already in a civil partnership recognised in the UK and wants to live in the UK with their eligible partner. It forms part of the UK Family Visa partner route and can be relevant whether you are applying from overseas to join your civil partner or, in some circumstances, applying from within the UK to remain with them.

You and your civil partner must normally both be aged 18 or over. Your partner in the UK must also have a qualifying status. This can include being a British or Irish citizen, being settled in the UK, holding qualifying pre-settled status, holding certain Turkish ECAA permissions, having qualifying protection status, or having qualifying permission as a stateless person. You must also intend to live together permanently in the UK after your application.

The Civil Partner Visa can therefore be suitable for:

• a person living outside the UK who wants to join their civil partner in the UK;
• a person already living in the UK on an immigration route from which switching to a Family Visa is permitted;
• an existing partner visa holder who needs to extend their permission with the same civil partner; or
• a person progressing through the partner route towards indefinite leave to remain, provided the relevant requirements continue to be met.

Your civil partnership does not necessarily have to have been formed in the UK. A civil partnership entered into overseas may be relied upon where it is recognised for UK immigration purposes. The documents and legal recognition of an overseas relationship should be checked carefully before an application is submitted.

This route should not be confused with the Proposed Civil Partner route. If you have not yet entered into a civil partnership and intend to form one after arriving in the UK, different requirements and restrictions apply. Similarly, if your partner is temporarily in the UK on a qualifying work or student route, you may need to consider the relevant dependant route instead of a Family Visa.

Our immigration solicitors can assess your circumstances before you apply and help determine whether the Civil Partner Visa is the correct route for you.

UK Civil Partnership Visa Requirements

To qualify for a Civil Partnership Visa UK application, you must satisfy the requirements that apply to the Family Visa partner route. These requirements consider your relationship, your partner’s status in the UK, your finances, your English language ability and your proposed accommodation.

Meeting one requirement does not compensate for failing another unless a specific exception or alternative provision applies.

Civil Partnership and Relationship Requirement

You must normally show that you are in a civil partnership recognised in the UK and that your relationship is genuine and continuing.

You and your partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK. If either of you has previously been married or in another civil partnership, you may also need to show that the previous relationship has legally ended where relevant.

The Home Office can look beyond the civil partnership certificate when deciding whether the relationship is genuine. Your overall evidence should therefore present a clear and consistent picture of your relationship and shared life.

Your UK Partner’s Immigration Status

Your UK-based civil partner must hold an immigration or citizenship status that allows you to qualify under the Family Visa partner rules.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include British or Irish citizenship, indefinite leave to remain or another form of settlement, certain qualifying pre-settled status, particular Turkish ECAA permissions, protection status, or qualifying permission as a stateless person.

This is why describing the route simply as a “British partner visa” can be misleading: your partner does not necessarily need to be British.

Financial Requirement

For most new partner applications, you and your partner currently need to demonstrate qualifying combined income of at least £29,000 per year.

Different rules can apply to some applicants who entered the partner route before 11 April 2024, and the standard minimum income threshold does not apply in the same way where the sponsoring partner receives certain specified disability or carer’s benefits.

The financial requirement is explained in more detail below.

English Language Requirement

Unless an exemption applies, applicants normally need to demonstrate the required level of English through an approved test, an eligible degree or another accepted method.

For a first partner visa application, an approved English-language test must normally demonstrate at least CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening.

Accommodation Requirement

You must normally show that suitable accommodation will be available for you and your family without additional recourse to public funds. The accommodation must not be statutorily overcrowded or breach public-health requirements.

How to Prove Your Civil Partnership and Relationship

A civil partnership certificate is important evidence, but a successful civil partner visa application may require broader evidence showing that the relationship is genuine and continuing.

Civil Partnership Certificate

You should normally provide your civil partnership certificate or equivalent official evidence of the partnership.

If the civil partnership was entered into outside the UK, you may need to demonstrate that it is legally recognised for UK immigration purposes. Documents that are not in English or Welsh may also need an appropriate certified translation.

Evidence of Living Together

Where you live together, useful evidence can include documents showing that you share the same address, such as:

• tenancy agreements or mortgage documents;
• Council Tax records;
• utility bills;
• bank correspondence;
• official government correspondence; or
• correspondence from healthcare professionals.

The quality and consistency of the evidence is more important than submitting a large volume of documents without a clear purpose. GOV.UK identifies official documents showing a shared address, shared expenses or recognised relationship as useful forms of evidence.

Joint Financial and Household Evidence

Evidence of shared financial responsibilities can help demonstrate that your relationship operates as a genuine partnership.

Depending on your circumstances, this could include a joint bank account, jointly held financial commitments, household expenditure or evidence showing that one partner provides financial support to the other.

Evidence if You Have Lived Apart

Living apart does not automatically mean that your relationship is not genuine.

There may be legitimate reasons why civil partners have temporarily lived in different places, including employment, study or other personal circumstances. In these cases, evidence showing continuing commitment can be particularly important.

This may include evidence of regular communication, visits, shared travel, financial support, care of children and plans to establish or continue your life together in the UK. GOV.UK expressly recognises that partners may have an ongoing relationship even where circumstances prevent them from living together.

Previous Marriage or Civil Partnership Documents

If you or your partner were previously married or in another civil partnership, the application may require evidence showing how that relationship ended.

This could include a divorce order, dissolution order or death certificate, depending on the circumstances.

Common Relationship Evidence Problems

Relationship evidence can become problematic where documents contain contradictory addresses, dates do not match the information given on the application form, periods of separation are not explained or the evidence does not clearly establish an ongoing relationship.

Before applying, it is sensible to review the evidence as a complete timeline rather than treating each document in isolation.

Financial Requirement for a Civil Partner Visa

The financial requirement is one of the most technical parts of a UK Civil Partner Visa application because the evidence needed depends on the source of income, the applicant’s circumstances and when the person first entered the partner route.

Minimum Income Requirement

For most people making a new application under the Family Visa partner route, the current minimum income requirement is £29,000 per year.

The qualifying amount can potentially be met through permitted income belonging to the applicant, the UK-based partner or both, depending on the circumstances and the applicable rules.

The £29,000 threshold should not be treated as a permanent figure. Immigration Rules and Home Office fees or thresholds can change, so the applicable requirement should be checked when the application is prepared.

Transitional Financial Rules

Different financial rules may apply if you first successfully entered the partner route before 11 April 2024 and are extending your permission with the same partner.

Under the current transitional provisions, the starting minimum income requirement is normally £18,600, with additional amounts potentially applying for certain dependant children, subject to an overall cap of £29,000.

Your immigration history therefore matters when deciding which financial threshold applies.

Employment and Other Permitted Income

Depending on the circumstances, qualifying resources can include employment income, self-employment income, pension income, certain non-employment income and eligible cash savings.

The evidential requirements differ significantly between these categories. Someone relying on straightforward salaried employment may need a very different set of documents from a company director, self-employed person or applicant relying on rental income.

Financial evidence should therefore be prepared according to the specific income category being used rather than from a generic visa document checklist.

Using Cash Savings

Cash savings may sometimes be used instead of income or in combination with certain permitted income sources.

Under the current £29,000 minimum income requirement, £88,500 in qualifying cash savings would be required where savings alone are being used to satisfy the requirement at the relevant entry-clearance or further-permission stage. Different calculations apply where savings supplement qualifying income.

Savings are subject to detailed ownership, accessibility, holding-period and evidential rules, so applicants should not assume that any money appearing in a bank account will automatically qualify.

Specified Benefits and Adequate Maintenance

If the UK-based partner receives certain specified disability or carer’s benefits, the standard £29,000 minimum income requirement does not apply in the usual way.

Instead, the application generally needs to demonstrate adequate maintenance and accommodation. The Home Office considers the household’s available resources and relevant housing costs when assessing whether the family can be maintained without additional public funds.

Financial Documents You May Need

The documents required depend on the financial route being relied upon.

For employment income, evidence can include payslips, corresponding bank statements and an employer letter. Other categories, including self-employment, company income, savings, pensions and non-employment income, have their own requirements.

A technically correct income figure can still cause problems if the specified evidence is incomplete, inconsistent or covers the wrong period.

English Language Requirement

Most applicants need to demonstrate knowledge of English when applying for a UK Civil Partnership Visa unless an exemption applies.

First Civil Partner Visa Application

Where an applicant relies on an approved Secure English Language Test for their first partner visa application, they normally need to demonstrate at least CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening.

Applicants are permitted to take a higher-level test.

English Requirement for an Extension

If you previously satisfied the requirement at A1 and are extending your partner visa after around 2.5 years, you will normally need to demonstrate at least A2 in speaking and listening.

If you previously passed an accepted test at A2 or a higher level, you may be able to rely on that result again where it continues to satisfy the relevant rules.

English Language Exemptions

Some applicants do not need to take an English test.

Exemptions can apply because of nationality, age or a physical or mental condition that prevents the applicant from meeting the requirement. Other exemptions can apply depending on the type and stage of application.

English Tests and Degree Evidence

English can also be demonstrated through certain qualifying academic degrees.

A UK degree taught in English may satisfy the requirement directly. An overseas degree taught in English may require confirmation through Ecctis that the qualification is equivalent to the required UK academic level and was taught in English.

The Life in the UK Test is not a standard requirement for the initial Civil Partner Visa. It becomes relevant later when an eligible applicant applies for settlement.