Visa costs: what is included and what is not?

The government cost of a UK visa has two main parts: an application fee for every applicant, and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for each year of the visa if you have to pay it. A priority service fee is added if you choose one. A TB test, English test, translations, visa centre extras and flights are separate costs outside Home Office fees. GOV.UK’s own example: a 2-year Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK costs £819 plus £1,035 a year for the surcharge, a total of £2,889.

Who this visa cost guide is for

Anyone budgeting for a work, study or visit application, alone or with family. Figures come from the Home Office fee table in force from 8 April 2026. The table for 8 October 2026 (updated 10 September 2026) does not change any amount on this page. Always check GOV.UK before you pay.

Part one: the application fee

Every applicant pays, including children. For Skilled Worker, the fee depends on sponsorship length, where you apply from, and whether the job is on the Immigration Salary List.

Route	Situation	Fee per applicant
Skilled Worker	Outside the UK, up to 3 years	£819
Skilled Worker	Outside the UK, more than 3 years	£1,618
Skilled Worker	Inside the UK, up to 3 years	£943
Skilled Worker	Inside the UK, more than 3 years	£1,865
Skilled Worker, Immigration Salary List job	3 years or less / more than 3 years	£628 / £1,235
Health and Care Worker	3 years or less / more than 3 years	£324 / £628
Student and dependants	Inside or outside the UK	£558
Graduate	Inside the UK only	£937
Standard Visitor	Up to 6 months	£135
Electronic travel authorisation (ETA)	Eligible nationalities	£20

Skilled Worker dependants pay the fee matching the main applicant’s sponsorship length, even if they apply later. GOV.UK’s example: a child joining a parent whose 5-year certificate expires in 2027 pays the “more than 3 years” fee.

Part two: the Immigration Health Surcharge

You pay it with your online application, per person and per year of the visa.

Who	Per year
Students, their dependants and Youth Mobility Scheme applicants	£776
Applicants under 18 at the time of application	£776
All other applicants	£1,035

How part years are charged

6 months or less from outside the UK: no surcharge.
6 months or less from inside the UK: half the yearly rate, £388 for students and under-18s or £517.50 for others.
More than 6 months but under a year: the full yearly rate.
After whole years, an extra period of up to 6 months counts as half a year, and more than 6 months as a full year.

Exempt groups include health and care workers eligible for a Health and Care Worker visa and their dependants, people applying for indefinite leave to remain, and visitor visa applicants. The surcharge does not make everything free: prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests are still charged in England. See our healthcare guide.

Part three: faster decision services

Priority costs £500 on top of the application fee and usually gives a decision within 5 working days for most visa applications, or 30 working days for settlement, citizenship and Family visas from outside the UK. Super priority costs £1,000 and usually gives a decision by the end of the next working day; it is not available for citizenship. GOV.UK warns decisions can take longer, for example if more information is needed, and you will not usually get your money back. The fee is per applicant.

What sits outside government fees

Item	Who sets the price	When you need it
TB test	A Home Office-approved clinic	Coming for 6 months or more from a listed country. The certificate is valid for 6 months from your X-ray
Secure English Language Test (SELT)	The approved provider	Routes requiring English. Results must be from the two years before you apply
Certified translation	The translator	Every document not in English or Welsh
Optional visa centre services	The centre operator	Optional, depending on country
Travel, flights and first accommodation	You	Always

The TB list includes, for example, Algeria, Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Iraq, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sudan; Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states were not on it when we checked. Approved SELT providers include the IELTS SELT Consortium, LANGUAGECERT and Pearson, plus PSI outside the UK and Trinity College London inside it. GOV.UK says agents’ fees should be the same as, or lower than, the provider’s own price.

Money you must show is not a fee

Skilled Worker: usually at least £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, unless your employer certifies maintenance or you have been in the UK on a valid visa for 12 months.
Student: £1,529 a month for up to 9 months in London or £1,171 elsewhere, plus a year’s course fees from your CAS, and more for dependants. For applications made on or after 30 November 2026, the monthly amounts become £1,570 in London and £1,203 elsewhere.

This money stays in your account; plan for it before you apply. See working in the UK and study in the UK.

How to build your budget, step by step

Choose the route and whether you apply inside or outside the UK.
Estimate the visa length in months (sponsorship length for work; for study it can exceed the course).
Count applicants, noting who is under 18 on the application date.
Multiply the fee by the number of applicants, then add each person’s surcharge.
Add priority per applicant if needed, then outside costs.
Compare with the figure in the official application before paying.

Worked examples

These use the same figures as our visa cost calculator.

One skilled worker, 2 years, from outside the UK

£819 + (2 × £1,035 = £2,070) = £2,889, matching GOV.UK’s example.

Skilled worker, partner and two children, 5 years, from outside the UK

Fees: 4 × £1,618 = £6,472
Surcharge per year: (2 × £1,035) + (2 × £776) = £3,622; for 5 years, £18,110
Total: £24,582, or £26,582 with priority for all four (4 × £500)

One student, 16-month visa, from outside the UK

£558 + (1.5 × £776 = £1,164, because the extra 4 months counts as half a year) = £1,722, before the TB test, English test and proof of funds.

Later costs worth planning for

Indefinite leave to remain costs £3,226 per applicant in the current table, and the Life in the UK test is £50; ILR applicants do not pay the surcharge. The government has consulted on settlement reform, so read our absence records guide before planning.

Common mistakes

Counting one fee for the whole family. Every applicant pays.
Charging the surcharge on course length instead of visa length.
Treating maintenance funds as fees. You show them; you do not pay them.
Relying on an estimated exchange rate. Your bank may use a different rate and add charges.
Treating priority as a guarantee. It is not usually refunded if the decision is late.
Paying an agent more than the published government fee. The official amount appears in the application.

What this page and the calculator do not do

We do not assess eligibility, and we cannot promise the final amount will match, because the permission granted or fees may change. The calculator does not cover every route, such as long-term visit or family visas. This is not legal advice; for complex cases use an SRA-regulated solicitor or an Immigration Advice Authority-registered adviser through our immigration lawyers directory.

Frequently asked questions

Does a baby pay a visa fee?

Yes, every applicant pays. Under-18s pay the reduced surcharge of £776 a year unless exempt as dependants of a Health and Care Worker.

Is the surcharge refunded if my visa is refused?

Yes. GOV.UK says it is refunded if you are refused, withdraw before a decision or paid twice. You get a partial refund if given less time than requested, and only a refused dependant’s surcharge if one dependant is refused. Application fees follow different rules.

Are fees going up in October 2026?

The 8 October 2026 table shows the same amounts for every item on this page.

Is the TB test a government fee?

No. You pay the approved clinic, which sets its own price.

Is there a fee for fingerprints?

For a visitor extension, GOV.UK says there is no fee for fingerprints and a photo. Visa centres may charge for optional extras.

Sources

Your next step

Enter your family’s details in the visa cost calculator, then add outside costs to your cost of living plan. For certified translations, browse the translators directory.

Reviewed 17 October 2026.