UK Spouse Visa Document Checklist 2026: Every Document You Need

The complete UK spouse visa document checklist (2026)

For a UK spouse visa you need: your passport, your partner's British passport or proof of settled status, your marriage or civil partnership certificate, evidence the relationship is genuine, financial documents in the Appendix FM-SE format, proof of accommodation, an approved English test certificate or exemption, a TB certificate if required, and certified translations.

What documents do you need for a UK spouse visa? Group by group

1. Identity and sponsor documents

• Your valid passport, with any previous passports showing your UK travel history.
• Your partner's British or Irish passport, or evidence of their settled status, indefinite leave to remain or other qualifying status.
• If you are already in the UK, evidence of your current immigration status, such as your eVisa.

2. Accommodation documents

You must show you will have suitable accommodation without relying on extra public funds. Typical evidence is a tenancy agreement or mortgage statement, and if you will live with family, a letter from the owner confirming you can live there, with proof of their ownership or tenancy. Some couples add a property inspection report to show the home is not overcrowded.

3. English language documents

For a first spouse visa you need an approved speaking and listening test at A1 or above, taken at an approved centre no more than 2 years before your application date. Keep the certificate and its unique reference number. Alternatively, provide evidence of a degree taught in English, or of an exemption such as nationality of a majority English-speaking country, age 65 or over, or a medical condition. Our A1 English test guide explains the approved tests.

What documents prove your relationship for a spouse visa?

If you are married or in a civil partnership, send the certificate, plus evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing: photographs together over time, proof of visits and travel, and records of regular contact. Unmarried partners must prove at least 2 years of living together, usually with letters, bills or bank statements addressed to you both at the same address across that period.

• Marriage or civil partnership certificate (with certified translation if needed).
• Evidence of time together: travel tickets, passport stamps, hotel bookings, photos across different dates.
• Evidence of contact when apart: a selection of messages or call logs spread over the relationship, not hundreds of pages.
• Plans to live together: your accommodation evidence and, where relevant, joint finances.
• For cohabiting partners: at least 2 years of documents to the same address, ideally several per year in both names.

What financial documents does Appendix FM-SE require?

For a partner with salaried employment of 6 months or more (Category A), Appendix FM-SE requires payslips covering the 6 months before the application, personal bank statements for the same period showing the salary paid in, and a letter from the employer confirming the job, gross annual salary, length of employment, pay period and type of employment.

What the employer letter must confirm

1. The person's employment and gross annual salary.
2. The length of their employment.
3. The period over which they have been paid the level of salary relied on.
4. The type of employment: permanent, fixed-term contract or agency.

How the savings formula works

Savings can replace part or all of the income requirement. You need £16,000 plus 2.5 times the shortfall between your income and £29,000. With no qualifying income at all, that is £16,000 + (2.5 × £29,000) = £88,500. With income of £25,000, the shortfall is £4,000, so you need £16,000 + £10,000 = £26,000 in savings, held for the full 6 months.

Self-employment, pensions, non-employment income and other categories have their own evidence lists. Our spouse visa financial requirements guide covers each in more depth.

How must bank statements and translations be formatted?

• Bank statements must be on official bank stationery, or electronic statements must come with a letter from the bank on headed paper confirming they are authentic (Appendix FM-SE).
• Any document not in English or Welsh needs the original plus a full translation that can be independently verified, with the translator's confirmation of accuracy and contact details.
• Dates and amounts must line up: payslips, bank deposits and the employer letter should tell the same story.
• Name documents clearly and group them by category so the caseworker can follow your evidence.

What documents do you need to extend a UK spouse visa?

For a spouse visa extension you need your current eVisa or immigration status, updated financial evidence for the latest period, proof you have lived together since your last visa (letters, bills or statements to the same address over the 2.5 years), accommodation evidence, and an approved A2 English test certificate unless your earlier test was A2 or higher.

Apply before your current visa expires. The UK spouse visa hub walks through the extension step by step.

Document mistakes that lead to refusals

• Payslips that do not match the bank statement deposits.
• An employer letter missing one of the four required points.
• Savings that dipped below the required amount during the 6 months.
• An English test that is not approved, at the wrong level, or older than 2 years.
• Uncertified or partial translations.
• No evidence of the relationship over time, only around the wedding.

If you have been refused before, start by reading the refusal letter line by line. Our guide to spouse visa refusal reasons explains each common reason and how to fix it.