How to Apply for a Civil Partnership UK Visa
Are you looking to join your partner in the UK but aren’t sure how to go about it? Well, if you’re in a formal civil partnership, then you’ll need to apply for a Civil Partnership UK Visa.
This is a very specific visa for this exact situation, and we’re going to take you through step-by-step how to apply for this visa, who is eligible, and any other questions you might have.
So, let’s dive in and find out more about how to apply for a Civil Partnership UK Visa.
What is a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
Essentially, a Civil Partnership UK Visa allows you to move to the UK if you’re in a civil partnership with a British Citizen or a person with settled status in the UK.
It’s a long-term visa with a pathway towards Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which is the UK version of permanent residency.
As it’s part of the family visa sub-section, there are a lot of crossovers with Spouse Visas and Unmarried Partner Visas, but there are some specific differences that you need to be aware of.
Since the UK Government has separated partner and relationship-related visas out so specifically, you need to make sure that you’re applying for the correct one and that you don’t end up wasting time and money on the wrong visa!
Who is Eligible for a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
When it comes to applying for a Civil Partnership UK Visa, it’s not just one set of requirements. There are eligibility criteria for both partners in the relationship: the applicant and the British Citizen or settled person.
For a British Citizen or settled person, they need to meet one of the following criteria:
- Have to be a British citizen, Irish citizen, or have settled status in the UK. This can be Indefinite Leave to Remain, EU Settlement Scheme, or permanent residency.
- Have pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme if they were living in the UK pre-2021.
- Have refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
For the overseas applicant in a civil partnership, you have to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Be in a civil partnership that’s legally recognized in the UK.
- Both members of the partnership are 18 or over.
- Prove that you’re in a genuine relationship and any previous relationships are permanently over.
- Prove that you have adequate accommodation in the UK with your civil partner on a permanent basis.
- Prove that you can meet the minimum financial requirements,
- Prove that you can meet the minimum language requirements.
As you can see, these eligibility criteria are pretty straightforward, with the vaguest or contentious point being how to prove that your relationship is genuine.
Of course, we’re going to go through each point individually with the minimum requirements and advice for each point, so you can make sure you can smash your Civil Partnership UK Visa application!
How Can I Prove That My Relationship is Genuine for a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
Honestly, this is one of the most common questions that gets asked about relationship-related visas. After all, it’s pretty hard to prove a relationship unless a visa official moves in with the pair of you!
One of the most common ways to prove your genuine relationship to the UK government is through paperwork. This includes items like:
- Vacation photographs
- Joint bank accounts
- Joint household bills
- Joint mortgage paperwork or rental agreements
- Texts or WhatsApp messages
- Proof that you’re raising children together, if relevant
- Proof that you’ve visited each other’s home countries
Of course, with this being a Civil Partnership UK Visa, you also need to submit your Civil Partnership Certificate as well to show that your relationship is legally binding.
If you’re not formally married or in a legal civil partnership, there are unmarried partner visas that you can explore instead of this one.
What Are the Relationship Requirements for a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
In addition to your Civil Partnership Certificate and a selection of photographs, joint bills or accommodation documents, and personal messages, the UK government may also invite you in for a meeting or interview.
This is to ensure that you’re not doing the UK equivalent of a “green card marriage”, where you’re pretending to be married or in a civil partnership to help someone move to the UK.
It doesn’t happen in every case, especially if you send enough documentation and evidence that your relationship is genuine and subsisting, but it’s worth knowing about in advance.
Surprisingly, there aren’t any specific requirements when it comes to how long you need to be in a civil partnership for or have been together.
However, in order to prove the relationship is genuine, you need a lot of paperwork and joint financial or official documentation, and this does not happen overnight.
If you don’t already share financial responsibilities or have equal rental or mortgage obligations, you might want to get something official drawn up for this part of the visa application process.
What Are the Financial Requirements for a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
When you’re applying for a Civil Partnership UK Visa, the financial requirements that are listed are shared between the applicant and the British or settled partner, not just the applicant. A lot of the time, the combined annual income has to be £18,600.
If you have a child together who isn’t a British citizen or settled person, you’ll need an additional £3,800 in annual income for your first child and an extra £2,400.
There are a few different ways in which you can prove your financial requirements, depending on your situation. You can have a mix of different financial methods to come up with your £18,600 minimum, but you need to make sure that you can hit this minimum amount each year.
- Your UK employment income pre-tax and pre-National Insurance.
- Your self-employment income.
- Your income as a director of a UK-based limited company.
- You can include cash savings above £16,000.
- You can include money from a pension.
- Any passive or non-work income, like property rentals or dividends.
How Can I Prove That I Meet the Financial Requirements?
In terms of documentation and proof that you can meet the Civil Partnership UK Visa financial requirements, there’s a wide range to choose from.
Some of the options that you might submit include:
- Both your partner’s and your own bank statements
- Six months of payslips on both sides
- A reference letter from an employer
- This has to be dated and on headed paper
- It must confirm that you or your civil partner works there
- Confirm the position you or your civil partner has
- Confirm how long you or your civil partner worked there
- Whether the job is a permanent, contract, or temporary position
- How much you or your civil partner earns before tax and National Insurance
- How long have you had your current salary
- Confirm that the attached payslips are genuine
It’s important to note that you or your partner can write the letter on your boss’s behalf, but it does have to be signed, dated, and printed on company letterhead to be eligible for submission.
Of course, it must also be honest and accurate; otherwise, your visa will be denied.
What Are the Accommodation Requirements for a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
One of the other key things that you need to show the UK government is that you’re living in safe and adequate accommodation with your partner on a permanent basis, or are planning to once you have your visa approved.
The basic guidelines for what the UK government deems “adequate accommodation” are:
- The property has to either be owned or occupied exclusively by you and your family.
- You or your partner obtained the property without public funds.
- The property does not exceed the overcrowding guidelines of one person per room with the exception of couples or children under a certain age sharing rooms.
- The property does not breach public health regulations for accommodation.
There are obvious ways to prove this to the UK government, but here are some of the most common ways of sending this information as part of your Civil Partnership UK Visa application.
- A title deed
- Mortgage agreement
- Tenancy agreement
- Reference from a friend or family member confirming that you’re staying with them on a permanent basis.
What are the English Language Requirements for a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
Language requirements are a pretty standard requirement of any visa nowadays, and the Civil Partnership UK Visa is no different. For this specific visa, you only need to meet the A1 English Language level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
The longer you stay in the UK, the higher the language requirement gets, so be aware of that and get those higher certificates as soon as possible.
If you achieve an A2 or higher certificate before you apply for your Civil Partnership UK Visa, you can use the same certificate when you reapply for your extension or apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
There are a few exceptions where you don’t need to prove your English Language requirement.
- If you’re over 65.
- If you’re moving from a majority English-speaking country.
- If you’ve achieved a degree or an academic qualification in English, with appropriate certification.
- If you’ve achieved a degree or an academic qualification from a UK college or university.
- If you have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from meeting the language requirement.
How Do I Apply for a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
Applying for your Civil Partnership UK Visa is actually pretty straightforward, as it can all be done online. You’ll need to fill out the application in full and add any supporting documentation at the same time.
You’ll also be asked to pay your application fees at this time, so make sure you have that money to hand.
Although the application process is straightforward and simple, it can be a fairly long form, and gathering all your documentation together does take a lot of time, especially the proof of having a genuine relationship! Make sure you have all of these pieces of proof ready before you start your online application.
What Documents Do I Need for a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
As you might expect, there is a huge amount of paperwork that you need to submit as part of your Civil Partnership UK Visa.
It’s worth mentioning that if any of the following official documents are not in either English or Welsh, you’ll need to add additional translated copies that have been officially certified.
Here are the standard documents that you need to add as part of your application.
- Your current passport with room for a visa stamp
- Multiple copies of the photo page of your passport
- Copies of any visa or entry stamps in your previous passports
- Copies or details of any previous immigration applications you’ve made in the UK or overseas
- Information about any criminal convictions
- Your parents’ dates of birth and nationalities
- Results of a tuberculosis test if you’re from an eligible country
- Documents proving that your relationship is genuine and subsisting
- Documents proving that you meet the minimum financial requirements
- Documents proving that you meet the minimum language requirements or similar proof that you’re exempt from meeting them.
You’ll need all these documents when you apply online, and I’d recommend getting multiple copies of each of these pieces of paper, as you’re going to need them for visa extensions, opening bank accounts, getting job contracts, and more.
How Much is a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
It’s safe to say that it’s not cheap to apply for a Civil Partnership UK Visa. The basic fee for one person’s application comes in at £1,538.
If you’re bringing a child with you, that’s going to cost you another £1,538 per child. There is no reduced rate for minors!
This isn’t the only fee that you’ll need to pay to get your Civil Partnership UK Visa. There’s also a health surcharge that every person moving to the UK has to pay in order to access the NHS services.
For each adult applicant, it’s going to cost £624 per year, and it’s going to cost around £470 per year for under-18s.
Of course, there may also be extra fees associated with getting biometrics done, English Language test certificates, document translations, and more. All in all, getting a visa for the UK is not a cheap undertaking, so you need to be financially prepared.
Remember, you’ll need to extend your visa in a couple of years and may eventually want to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), so you’ll have to pay more fees along the way to becoming a permanent resident of the UK.
How Long Does a Civil Partnership UK Visa Last?
When you get your initial visa, it lasts a total of 33 months or two years and nine months. Once you get close to the expiry date, around six months before, you can apply for a further extension, which will last another 30 months or two years and six months.
Overall, this should bring you up to the minimum requirement of five years to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which is essentially UK permanent residency.
How Long Does it Take for a Civil Partnership UK Visa to Be Processed?
On average, it takes around 24 weeks for a Civil Partnership UK Visa to be processed, but this can take longer or shorter depending on the backlog of work that the immigration department has at that moment.
If you need your visa processed quickly, you can pay an additional £800 for the Home Office super priority processing service. This means that your application should get processed within two working days, but that is provided that you get your biometric appointment sorted in advance.
However, if your application is considered complex, then it may take longer than the average waiting time.
What Can I Do on a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
There are tons of great things that you can do on a Civil Partnership UK VIsa. In fact, you can live, work, and study, just like many other British citizens or settled people in the UK.
Of course, you will have to carry proof of your immigration status around with you in the form of a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). This has all your biometric information and your visa status on it, so it easily shows that you’re here legally and which restrictions you have to adhere to.
Speaking of restrictions, although a Civil Partnership UK Visa is pretty freeing, you cannot apply for state benefits or any other public funds. It’s worth mentioning that if your partner is a British citizen, they can apply for state benefits, but they cannot contribute towards the financial requirements for your visa.
One of the other great things about the Civil Partnership UK Visa is that you can travel freely in and out of the UK as you please.
Again, it’s worth mentioning that if you’re planning to apply for citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain, there are limits to how long you can be out of the UK in the lead-up to your application.
When Can I Apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) on a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) on a Civil Partnership UK Visa after you’ve been living in the UK for five years uninterrupted. This is the minimum amount of time that you can live in the UK before applying.
The good thing is that with the length of the Civil Partnership UK Visa, you only have to reapply or extend your visa once, and then you should be at the minimum requirement to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is pretty much the equivalent of permanent residency in the UK. Once you have this secured, you won’t need to apply for visas every couple of years or be restricted in terms of travel, finances, or sponsorship.
After you have secured Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), you have a direct path to British Citizenship, if that’s something that interests you, but it’s a long road with even more bureaucratic hoops to jump through!
What’s the Difference Between a Civil Partnership UK Visa and a Proposed Civil Partner Visa?
There is actually a pretty big difference between a Civil Partnership UK and a Proposed Civil Partner visa.
Essentially, the Proposed Civil Partner visa is a short-term visa that is a version of the Fiance Visa, whereas the Civil Partnership UK Visa is a long-term visa that is a version of the Spouse Visa.
So, you can stay in the UK for up to six months on a Proposed Civil Partner Visa. This is designed for you to come to the UK to become a Civil Partner of a British Citizen or UK-settled person, and for you two to set up your life in the UK together.
Realistically, you need to have your Civil Partnership ceremony near the start of these six months, as it can take up to three months to turn your Proposed Civil Partner Visa into a Civil Partnership UK Visa.
Basically, the Proposed Civil Partner Visa is a short-term visa that allows you to enter into a Civil Partnership, and the Civil Partnership UK Visa is the long-term visa that you can get after you’ve become Civil Partners. It’s a pipeline, rather than an either-or situation!
What Do I Do if My Relationship Ends?
Unfortunately, if your relationship ends and your civil partnership dissolves, you need to inform the UK government immediately. Essentially, your ability to stay in the UK relies on your connection to your British Citizen or UK-settled civil partner.
So, if that breaks down, you need to find another way to stay in the country.
There are definitely exceptions to the rule, such as:
- If your relationship ended because of domestic violence or abuse
- If you’ve been living in the UK for 10 years
- If your partner has died
The most common way to stay in the UK after your relationship is over is by getting a job in the UK that has a sponsored work visa scheme.
Think about it this way, your civil partner is basically vouching for you to be in the UK. If this person is no longer doing that, you need to find someone else to vouch for you, normally a UK business.
Normally, the UK government will outline a few options to you once you inform them that your relationship has ended, as well as a timeline for when you have to leave the country voluntarily if you’re no longer going to stay in the UK.
There’s usually a pretty decent grace period for finding an alternative visa sponsorship, but with the UK’s bureaucracy lead times, it’s entirely possible that you might have to leave the UK and reapply from overseas unless you have something lined up!
Is It Possible to Switch to a Civil Partnership UK Visa?
Yes, you can switch to a Civil Partnership UK Visa from other kinds of UK long-term visas, such as work-sponsored visas. The only short-term visitor visa that you can switch onto a Civil Partnership UK Visa from is the Proposed Partner Visa, otherwise known as the Fiance Visa.
You cannot switch to a Civil Partnership UK Visa from a visitor visa or short-term visa other than the Proposed Partner Visa, so you need to be committed to your partner before planning a move to the UK or applying for a separate kind of sponsored long-term visa, like a work or student visa.
Is the Civil Partnership UK Visa the Same as the Spouse Visa?
In many ways, yes, the Civil Partnership UK Visa is the same as the UK Spouse Visa. The only difference is the kind of legal ceremony that joins the two people together. Spouse Visas are for marriages and Civil Partnership UK Visas are for, well, civil partnerships!
In terms of eligibility criteria, cost, length, and application process, both the Civil Partnership UK Visa and Spouse Visa work in the same way.
However, you need to make sure that you apply for the right visa, as the UK government has separated out all the family-related visas in a very specific way for processing reasons.
After all, no one wants to end up spending all that money and time filling out the wrong forms and getting rejected!
Final Thoughts on a Civil Partnership UK Visa
So, all in all, the Civil Partnership UK Visa is actually a pretty straightforward visa to apply for – as far as UK visas go! The eligibility criteria are relatively simple, and there is a direct pathway from the short-term Proposed Partner Visa to the Civil Partnership UK Visa, all the way to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and eventually British citizenship.
It’s a long process, but if you want to start a new life in the UK with your partner, it’s going to be worth it!
