Unmarried partner visa

Overview

Permission is usually granted for 2 years and 9 months from outside the UK, or 2 years and 6 months if you switch or extend in the UK. You can work, run a business and study, but you cannot claim most benefits. After 5 years as a partner you can apply for indefinite leave to remain.

The central test is that you have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years before the date you apply. The Rules used to call this a relationship "akin to marriage" and required two years of living together. They no longer require that. Living together is still the clearest evidence, but couples who have lived apart for good reasons can qualify.

The money, accommodation and English requirements are the same as for married couples, including the £29,000 minimum income requirement. We explain those in detail on our Spouse visa page rather than repeat them here. For settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027, the English level rises from B1 to B2.

Who can apply

You can apply if you and your partner are both 18 or over, have met in person, and have been in a committed relationship for at least 2 years. Your partner must be British, Irish, settled in the UK, or have one of the other qualifying statuses listed on our Spouse visa page, such as refugee status.

This route is not the right one if:

• you have been together for less than 2 years: look at the fiancé(e) route or the Marriage Visitor visa
• you are married or in a civil partnership with each other: apply as a spouse or civil partner
• your partner is in the UK on a work or study visa: you apply as their dependant instead

Requirements

• Two years: your relationship must have been similar to marriage for at least 2 years by the date of your application, not the date of the decision.
• Met in person: you must have met each other in person.
• Genuine and continuing: the relationship must be real and still going, and you must both intend to live together permanently in the UK.
• Earlier relationships: if either of you was married or in a relationship before, it must have broken down permanently. A marriage that has not yet been formally ended is not automatically a bar, but you must show it is over.
• Money, accommodation and English: the same as for spouses, described on our Spouse visa page.

What "similar to marriage" means

The Rules do not define it. In practice the Home Office looks at the whole picture: whether you share a home and your daily life, share money and bills, make decisions together, are seen as a couple by family and friends, and plan a future together. Having children together is strong evidence. A long-distance friendship that became romantic recently is not enough, however serious it feels.

Evidence if you live together

Home Office guidance gives most weight to documents from official sources, such as government bodies, banks, landlords, utility providers or medical professionals, and least weight to documents more than 4 years old. Good examples are:

• a tenancy agreement or mortgage statement in both names
• utility or Council Tax bills showing you at the same address
• joint bank statements, or separate statements sent to the same address
• a letter from your doctor or dentist confirming your shared address

If you have little of this, one-off bills such as vet fees or home repair invoices can help. We usually suggest a spread of documents across the whole 2 years, addressed to each of you, rather than many papers from a single month.

Evidence if you have not lived together

Some couples cannot live together, for example because of work in different countries, study, or family and cultural expectations that a couple should not share a home before marriage. You then need to explain why, and show an ongoing commitment through:

• regular contact, such as call logs and messages over the whole period
• financial support for each other
• caring for children you have together
• time spent together as a couple, such as holidays, family events and travel records

For example, a couple who have been together for 3 years but lived in separate countries for 18 months because of a job posting may still qualify, if they visited each other often and supported each other throughout.

How to apply

1. Draw up a timeline of your relationship: when you met, when it became serious, where each of you lived and when.
2. Match each period of the timeline to documents, and explain any gaps in short written statements from both of you.
3. Gather the financial, accommodation and English evidence, a TB certificate if needed, and certified translations.
4. Apply online on GOV.UK and pay the Home Office fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
5. Prove your identity at a visa application centre abroad, or at a UKVCAS service point in the UK.
6. Once granted, set up your UKVI account to view your eVisa.

Costs

You pay the Home Office application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge for the whole period of permission. You may also pay for priority processing, an English test, a TB test and translations. Current fees are shown on this page and on our UK visa fees page, and you can add up the total with our visa cost calculator.

Processing times

From outside the UK, decisions usually take about 12 weeks, or about 30 working days where a priority service is offered. In the UK, an application that meets the financial and English requirements usually takes about 8 weeks, and super priority is available. Applications that rely on an exception to the requirements take about 12 months.

Relationship evidence is a common reason for extra questions or interviews, so a well-organised bundle can save time.

Partners and children

Your children under 18 can apply with you or join you later, with permission in line with yours. If a child is from an earlier relationship, you usually need to show that you have sole responsibility for them, or that there are serious reasons for them to come. Our page on children and other relatives explains the options.

Extending your stay and settlement

You extend after the first grant, meeting the same requirements again. When you extend or settle, you must show that you have lived together in the UK, or give a good reason for any time apart.

If you marry or form a civil partnership during your stay, you simply extend as a spouse or civil partner. If you only become engaged, extend as an unmarried partner, not as a fiancé(e). Your time as an unmarried partner counts towards the 5 years.

After 5 years you can apply for indefinite leave to remain, with the Life in the UK test and English at B1 (B2 from 26 March 2027). If you were granted on the 10-year route because you could not meet a requirement, settlement comes after 10 years. Citizenship follows later; unmarried partners do not have the shorter 3-year route that applies to spouses and civil partners of British citizens.

How we can help

For unmarried couples, the relationship evidence decides most cases. We go through your history with you, identify which documents prove which periods, and help you explain time apart in a way the Home Office can follow.

We also check the financial and accommodation evidence, prepare the application and covering representations, and deal with any request for more information or an interview. If you are refused, we advise on your appeal rights.

Frequently asked questions

We have been together 2 years but lived together for only 1. Can we apply?

Possibly. You do not need two full years of living together. You do need to show that the relationship was already like a marriage for the whole 2 years, for example through regular time together and shared plans.

Our bills are mostly in one name. Is that a problem?

Not necessarily. Letters addressed to each of you at the same address work well. Bank statements, GP letters and official post in the other partner's name can fill the gap.

We have been together for less than 2 years. What are our options?

You can wait until you reach 2 years, or marry first. If you plan to marry in the UK, the fiancé(e) visa gives you 6 months to marry and then extend. You can also marry abroad and apply as a spouse.

Do we need to be engaged?

No. Unmarried partners do not need to plan to marry. The question is whether your relationship is already like a marriage.

Can I switch to this route from a visitor visa?

No. Visitors, and people with permission of 6 months or less, cannot switch to the partner route in the UK. You would normally apply from abroad.

Is the income requirement lower for unmarried couples?

No. You need the same £29,000 a year, or savings, as married couples. Our Spouse visa page explains how to meet it.