Fiance(e)s and proposed civil partners
This page explains how you can apply for permission to come to the UK as the fiance(e) or proposed civil partner of a person who is settled here or applying to settle here.
You should apply in this category if you want to settle permanently in the UK after your marriage or civil partnership. (If you want to come and get married or register a civil partnership here and you will then leave the UK, you should apply as a visitor for marriage or civil partnership.)
If you are outside the UK
If you are subject to immigration control and you want to come to the UK in this category, you can apply to do so if your fianc(e)e or proposed civil partner is:
- currently living in the UK and settled here; or
- returning to the UK with you to live here permanently.
Both you and your fianc(e)e or proposed civil partner must be aged 21 or over. Additionally, you must both show that:
- you plan to marry or register a civil partnership within a reasonable time (usually six months);
- you plan to live together permanently after you are married or have registered a civil partnership;
- you have met each other;
- until you are married or have registered a civil partnership, there is somewhere for you and any dependants to live without help from public funds (see Rights and responsibilities for more information on what this means); and
- you and any dependants can be supported without working or needing help from public funds.
You must obtain permission to enter the UK before travelling here, even if you are a national of a country whose citizens do not normally require a visa to enter the UK. This permission is known as 'entry clearance', and takes the form of a visa or an entry clearance certificate. To obtain it, you should apply to the British diplomatic post in the country where you live. For more information, see our visa services website.
If we allow you to come to the UK in the category of fiance(e) or proposed civil partner, you will normally be given permission to stay here for six months. You must not work during this time. After you have married or registered your civil partnership, you can apply - provided that you did not enter as a visitor for marriage or civil partnership - to stay here as the husband, wife or civil partner of a settled person. If we approve your application, we will give you permission to live and work here for two years. Near the end of the two years, if you are still married or civil partners and intend to live together, you can apply to settle here permanently.
If you are already inside the UK
If you are currently in the UK with temporary permission to stay in a different immigration category (for example, as a student), you cannot switch into this category.
If you are already here in this category and you have got married or registered a civil partnership, you can switch into the category of husband, wife or civil partner.