Fees for our services

This page contains information about the fees that we charge for immigration and nationality services.

We charge fees to ensure that we raise the money we need to run a strong, robust immigration system and to offer a world-class level of service. We set our fees at levels that are fair to our customers.

When setting fee levels, we work within strict financial limits agreed with HM Treasury and the UK Parliament. We balance a number of complex factors, including:

  • the cost of processing applications;
  • the importance of attracting certain groups of migrants to the UK; and
  • the value of a successful application to the migrant.

We have made carefully considered decisions to set some fees at or below the cost of delivery and other fees (such as the application fee for British nationality) above the cost of delivery, to reflect the value of the product.

Our method of setting fees will help to protect some routes from significant increases, and will contribute to the additional revenue needed to fund enforcement and other improvements to the immigration system.

You can find our current fees in our fees table, which you can download from the right side of this page, or in the list below.

More information

  • Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) application fees
    Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Main applicant £816
    Main applicant (if they are a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £734
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £816 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £816 for each family member


    Fees for nationals of Croatia, Turkey and FYR of Macedonia

    Nationals of these countries pay a reduced fee as shown above. These countries have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Social Charter.
  • Tier 1 (General) application fees

     

    Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Main applicant £1500 £1,800 Not applicable
    Main applicant (if they are a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £1350 £1,620 Not applicable
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £750 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £900 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form Not applicable
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member £816 for each family member


     

    Fees for nationals of Croatia, Turkey and FYR of Macedonia

    Nationals of these countries pay a reduced fee as shown above. These countries have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Social Charter.
  • Tier 1 (General) application fees for applicants who are currently in the UK under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

    Applicants and their dependants can pay the following reduced fees if they submit a valid Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) letter with their application: 

    Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK
    Main applicant £500 £700
    Main applicant (if they are a national of Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, Former Yogoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine) No fee No fee
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £250 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £350 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member
    Fees for nationals of Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, Former Yogoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine

    Nationals of these countries are exempt from the charge shown above. These countries have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Social Charter or the 1996 Council of Europe Revised Social Charter.
  • Tier 1 (Investor) application fees

    Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Main applicant £1,020 £1,326 £816
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £510 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £663 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £816 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member £816 for each family member


  • Tier 1 (Post-study work) application fees

    On 6 April 2012, the Tier 1 (post-study work) route is closed to new applicants.



     

    		 Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Partner or child aged under 18 or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member £483 for each family member


     
  • Tier 2 (General, Sportsperson, Minister of Religion) application fees

    These are the fees for applicants under Tier 2 (General), Tier 2 (Sportsperson) and Tier 2 (Minister of religion) of the points-based system.

    Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Main applicant £561 £867 £480
    Main applicant (if they are a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £505 £780 £432
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £281 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £434 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £480 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant, who is a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £281 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £434 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £480 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member £480 for each family member


    Fees for nationals of Croatia, Turkey and FYR of Macedonia

    Nationals of these countries pay a reduced fee as shown above. These countries have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Social Charter.
  • Tier 2 (Intra company transfer) application fees

    These are the fees for applicants under Tier 2 (Intra company transfer - application to stay in the UK up to 12 months) of the points-based system.

    Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Main applicant £400 £700 £400
    Main applicant (if they are a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £360 £630 £360
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £200 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £350 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £400 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant, who is a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £200 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £350 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £400 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member £400 for each family member


    These are fees for applicants under Tier 2 (Intra company transfer - application to stay in the UK over 12 months) of the points-based system.

    Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Main applicant £561 £867 £480
    Main applicant (if they are a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £505 £780 £432
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £281 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £434 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £480 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant, who is a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £281 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £434 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £480 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member £480 for each family member
    Fees for nationals of Croatia, Turkey and FYR of Macedonia

    Nationals of these countries pay a reduced fee as shown above. These countries have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Social Charter.
  • Tier 4 (General) application fees

    Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Main applicant £394 £716 £289
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £197 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £358 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £289 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member £289 for each family member
    Main applicant - permission to change sponsor - for migrants that applied for permission to study between 31 March 2009 and 4 October 2009  £160  -  -


  • Tier 4 (Child) application fees

    The application fee is:

    • £394 if you are applying by post in the UK
    • £716 if you are applying in person inside the UK
    • £289 if you are applying outside the UK

    As a Tier 4 (Child) student, you cannot bring any dependants to the UK.
  • Tier 5 (Temporary worker) application fees

    These are the fees for applicants under the following categories of the points-based system:

    • Tier 5 (Temporary worker - Creative and sporting)
    • Tier 5 (Temporary worker - Charity workers)
    • Tier 5 (Temporary worker - Religious workers)
    • Tier 5 (Temporary worker - Government authorised exchange)
    • Tier 5 (Temporary worker - International agreement)

     

    Fee if you are applying by post in the UK Fee if you are applying in person inside the UK Fee if you are applying outside the UK
    Main applicant £194 £661 £194
    Main applicant (if they are a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £175 £583 £175
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £97 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £330 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £194 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant, who is a national of Croatia, Turkey or FYR of Macedonia) £97 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £330 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £194 for each family member
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying later), or child aged over 18 £561 for each family member £867 for each family member £194 for each family member


    Fees for nationals of Croatia, Turkey and FYR of Macedonia

    Nationals of these countries pay a reduced fee as shown above. These countries have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Social Charter.
  • Tier 5 (Youth mobility scheme) application fee

    The fee for applicants under Tier 5 (Youth mobility scheme) of the points-based system is £194.
  • General visitor, family visitor, entertainer visitor, sports visitor and child visitor - visa application fees
    Short-term visit (up to 6 months, single or multiple entry) £78
    Long-term visit (up to 2 years) £270
    Long-term visit (up to 5 years) £496
    Long-term visit (up to 10 years) £716


     
  • Business visitor - visa application fees

    Short-term visit (up to 6 months, single or multiple entry) £78
    Academic visitor (up to 12 months) £78
    Clinical attachments, dental observation and PLAB test £78
    Long-term visit (up to 2 years) £270
    Long-term visit (up to 5 years) £496
    Long-term visit (up to 10 years) £716


  • Student visitor - visa application fees

    Student visitor (up to 6 months) £78
    Short-term visit (up to 11 months, English language course) £140


  • Marriage or civil partnership visitor - visa application fee

    Short-term visit (up to 6 months) £78


  • Visitor for private medical treatment - visa application fee

    Short-term visit (up to 6 months) £78


  • Parent of a child at school - visa application fee

    Short-term visit (up to 12 months) £270


  • Olympic/Paralympic Games visit visa application fee

    LOCOG-approved Games family member £78


  • Prospective student - visa application fee
    Short-term visit (up to 6 months) £78


  • Visitor in transit - visa application fee

    Short-term visit (up to 48 hours) £52


  • Direct transit visa application fee

    Direct airside transit (DAT) £52


  • Employment outside the points-based system - visa application fees

    Overseas domestic worker - private household £270
    UK ancestry £270
    Fisherman operating inside UK waters (dependent on contract of employment) £270
    Off-shore workers £270
    Sole representatives £270
    Van der Elst Free
    Swiss posted worker Free
    Turkish national to establish in business Free


  • Family of British citizens and settled persons - visa application fees

    Husband, wife or civil partner £826
    Fiance(e) or proposed civil partner £826
    Unmarried or same-sex partner £826
    Armed forces dependent £810
    Child (under 18) dependant £826
    Adopted child dependant £826
    Child coming to the UK for adoption £826
    Parent, grandparent or other dependant relative £1,850


  • Family reunion for refugees and asylum seekers - visa application fees

    Family reunion - under Paragraph 11 Free
    Family reunion: other dependant relatives £458
    Post-flight dependants and non-nuclear family members of refugees £826


  • Application fees for extending your stay using form FLR(O)

     

    Fee if you are applying by post Fee if you are applying in person
    Main applicant £561 £867
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant in a category that allows dependants to be included) £281 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £434 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form


  • Application fees for extending your stay using form FLR(M)

    Fee if you are applying by post Fee if you are applying in person
    Main applicant £561 £867
    Children aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £281 for each child included on the main applicant's application form £434 for each child included on the main applicant's application form


  • Application fees for extending your stay using form FLR(BUS)

    Fee if you are applying by post
    Main applicant £1020
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £510 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form


     
  • Application fees for settling in the UK using form SET(O)

    Fee if you are applying by post Fee if you are applying in person
    Main applicant £991 £1,377
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £496 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £689 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form


  • Application fees for settling in the UK using form SET(M)

    Fee if you are applying by post Fee if you are applying in person
    Main applicant £991 £1,377
    Children aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £496 for each child included on the main applicant's application form £689 for each child included on the main applicant's application form


  • Application fees for settling in the UK using form SET(F)

    The application fee using form SET(F) for a child or adopted child under the age of 18 of a parent(s) or relative(s) settled in the UK is:

    The application fee using form SET(F) for a parent, grandparent or other dependent relative aged 18 or over of a person present and settled in the UK is:

    • £1,850 if you are applying by post
    • £2,258 if you are applying in person (but note that the premium service is currently unavailable for this application type)
  • Application fees for settling in the UK using form SET(BUS)

    Fee if you are applying by post
    Main applicant £991
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £496 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form


  • Application fees for settling in the UK using form SET(DV)

    Fee if you are applying by post
    Main applicant £991
    Children aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £496 for each child included on the main applicant's application form


    You can ask for the application fee to be waived if you are destitute.
  • Transfer of conditions (NTL or TOC) - fee for applications made in the UK

    These are the fees for applications to transfer a visa or residence permit to a new passport, using application form NTL or TOC.

    Fee if you are applying by post Fee if you are applying in person
    Main applicant £220 £661
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £110 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £331 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form


  • Transfer a visa to a new passport - fee for applications made outside the UK

    To transfer your visa from an expired passport to a new passport, you must pay an application fee of £102.
  • Application fees for residence documents for EEA and Swiss nationals or their family members using forms EEA 2, 3 or 4

    Fee if you are applying by post
    Per person Free


  • Sponsor licence fees if you are registering as a sponsor for the first time
     

    Tier

    		 Fee for small sponsors or sponsors with charitable status

    Fee for medium or large sponsors
    Tier 2 only £500 £1,500
    Tier 2 and Ter 4 £500 £1,500
    Tier 2 and Tier 5 £500 £1,500
    Tier 2 and Tier 4 and Tier 5 £500 £1,500
    Tier 4 only £500 £500
    Tier 4 and Tier 5 £500 £500
    Tier 5 only £500 £500


    The Companies Act 2006 and the 2008 amendment to that Act set out the qualifying criteria for a small company or charity.
  • Sponsor licence fees if you already have a sponsor licence (or you have an application pending) and you want to add more tiers to your licence
    Tier you have already registered under Tier you want to add Fee for small sponsors or sponsor with charitable status Fee for large sponsor
    Tier 2 only Tier 4 £0 £0
    Tier 5 £0 £0
    Tier 4 and Tier 5 £0 £0
    Tier 2 and Tier 4 Tier 5

    £0

    £0
    Tier 2 and Tier 5  Tier 4  £0 £0 
    Tier 4 only  Tier 2  £0 £1000
    Tier 5  £0 £0 
    Tier 2 and Tier 5  £0 £1000
    Highly Trusted sponsor £500 £500
    Tier 4 and Tier 5  Tier 2  £0  £1000
    Tier 5 only  Tier 2  £0  £1000
    Tier 4  £0  £0 
    Tier 2 and Tier 4

    £0 

    £1000


    The Companies Act 2006 and the 2008 amendment to that Act set out the qualifying criteria for a small company or charity.

    If the table above shows that you do not need to pay an additional fee to add more tiers, you must select '0' as the fee on the payment section of your sponsor application online.
  • Fee for assigning a certificate of sponsorship (Tier 2 and Tier 5)
    Tier Fee for assigning a certificate of sponsorship
    Tier 2 £179
    Tier 5 £13
    Exemptions from the fee

    You do not need to pay the fee if you are issuing a certificate of sponsorship to a national of:

    • Croatia;
    • FYR Macedonia; or
    • Turkey

    These countries have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Charter. 

     

     
  • Fee for assigning a confirmation of acceptance for studies (Tier 4)

    A Tier 4 sponsor must pay us a fee of £13 for each confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) that it assigns to a migrant student.
  • Fee for a sponsorship action plan

    The fee for a sponsorship action plan is £1,500.
  • Application fee for work permit technical changes of employment

    The fee for notifying us of a technical change of employment is £22.
  • How to pay your application fee if you are inside the UK

    If you are applying online, you must pay your fee online as part of your application.

    If you are applying by post or courier, you can choose how to pay your application fee:

    • By cheque in sterling on a UK bank account. The application form will tell you who to make the cheque payable to, you should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the cheque to the front of the completed application form. 
    • With a UK postal order. You should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the postal order to the front of the completed application form. 
    • With a credit or debit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta or Maestro (including Solo). For postal and courier payments, we accept only Maestro cards issued in the UK. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for Maestro cards.

    If you are applying and paying in person at a public enquiry office, you can choose how to pay your application fee:

    • With a UK postal order (except at our Glasgow and Cardiff offices). You should write your full name and date of birth on the back.
    • By banker's draft (except at our Glasgow and Cardiff offices). 
    • With a credit or debit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta or Maestro (including Solo). We can accept any Maestro card for payments at a public enquiry office. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for Maestro cards. The cardholder must be present for the payment to be taken.

    Payment by any other method is not accepted.

    You must send the full amount to cover the total cost of your application. If you do not do this, your application will be invalid and will not be considered. We will return your application and part payment to you.

    We start considering the application when the payment has cleared. Payments are cleared:

    • after 5 working days for cheques
    • after 1 working day for credit or debit cards
    • immediately for postal orders

    Please note that, if you are making numerous payments using your credit card, the anti-fraud measures that banks operate sometimes stop payment being taken. This may be because you have exceeded the maximum limit on a single transaction or the number of transactions allowed in a given period of time. You must ensure that you contact your bank in advance, so that the bank will allow the full payment to be taken without any problems when you submit your applications.

    Payment information on the application form

    It is very important that you complete the payment section of the application form correctly. If this section contains errors, we will not be able to process your payment. This will mean that your application is invalid.
  • How to pay your application fee if you are outside the UK If you are applying from outside the UK, the visa services centres overseas page contains information about the application process and fees in the country where you are applying from.

See also

Visa application fees change on 6 April 2012

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