A dependant visa allows the partner and children of someone holding a qualifying UK visa to join or accompany them. It is not a standalone category — it exists entirely by reference to the main applicant’s visa, and what it permits depends on which visa that is.
That dependency is the thing to understand first. If the main applicant’s visa ends, is curtailed or is refused on renewal, the dependants’ visas follow it. And not every UK visa permits dependants at all.
Eligibility and Entry Requirements at a Glance
The requirements attach to the relationship, the main applicant’s status, and finances.
- The main applicant must hold, or be applying for, a visa category that permits dependants
- You must be the main applicant’s partner — spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner meeting the prescribed relationship period — or their child under the prescribed age
- Proof that the relationship is genuine and subsisting
- Proof of meeting the applicable financial requirement, which differs by route
- Payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge, where it applies
- English language ability, where the specific route requires it of dependants
- A valid passport, biometrics, and a completed online application with the fee paid
Passport and Travel Document Requirements
Check first whether the main visa permits dependants. Skilled worker and student routes generally do, subject to conditions that have changed; short-term and visitor routes generally do not. Restrictions on dependants for certain student courses were introduced and have been amended. Confirm the current position for the specific route rather than relying on older guidance.
Unmarried partners must prove the relationship period. Where you are not married or in a civil partnership, the rules require the relationship to have subsisted for a prescribed period, evidenced by joint documentation — shared address, joint accounts, correspondence over time. Assembling that retrospectively is difficult, so start collecting it early.
The financial requirement differs by route and is the commonest reason for refusal. The amount, whose income counts, what evidence is accepted and over what period are all prescribed in detail, and the rules are unforgiving about the form of evidence. Read the specific financial requirement guidance for your route carefully.
Children have their own requirements, including proof of the relationship, and where only one parent is applying or present, evidence of sole responsibility or of the other parent’s consent. South African unabridged birth certificates are needed and take time to obtain.
The Immigration Health Surcharge is payable per person for the full period of the visa and is paid up front as part of the application. For a family over several years it is a substantial sum, and it surprises applicants who budgeted only for visa fees.
Visa and Supporting Document Requirements
The evidence set for a dependant application.
- Valid passport for each dependant, with sufficient validity
- Completed online application and proof of fee and health surcharge payment
- Biometrics appointment confirmation
- The main applicant’s visa, or their application reference where applying together
- Marriage or civil partnership certificate, apostilled and translated where required
- For unmarried partners: evidence of cohabitation over the prescribed period
- Unabridged birth certificates for children, apostilled and translated where required
- Evidence of sole responsibility, or the other parent’s consent, where applicable
- Financial evidence in the form the route prescribes
- Proof of accommodation in the UK
- Tuberculosis test certificate, where required for applicants from South Africa
- English language evidence, where the route requires it of dependants
Financial, Health and Entry Conditions
Confirm every figure and requirement before you apply. Visa fees, processing times, forms and document lists change frequently and differ between missions and application centres. Work only from the issuing authority’s own official website, and treat anything else — including this page — as orientation rather than as the requirement.
What a dependant may do differs by route. On some routes dependants may work and study without restriction; on others there are limits. Confirm the specific conditions rather than assuming, because working outside them is a breach affecting the whole family’s status.
Dependants’ visas are tied to the main applicant’s. They are granted to expire with it, must be extended alongside it, and are curtailed if the main visa is. A change in the main applicant’s circumstances — losing sponsored employment, for instance — affects everyone.
Settlement follows the main route. Where the main applicant is on a route leading to indefinite leave to remain, dependants may in defined circumstances qualify alongside them, subject to their own residence and other requirements. Continuous residence rules apply and absences are counted, so keep a record of every trip out of the UK from the first day.
Documents from South Africa need legalisation. Unabridged birth certificates and marriage certificates generally require an apostille, and obtaining them from Home Affairs takes time. Start well before you need them.
Truthfulness matters most here. Relationship-based applications attract scrutiny, and a relationship presented as something it is not is treated as deception, with a long re-entry ban. Present the relationship as it actually is, with whatever evidence exists.
On agents and “guaranteed” visas. You do not need an agent, applications can be made directly, and official fees are published. Nobody can guarantee a visa outcome. Anyone offering to obtain one outside the normal process, or asking for payment to influence a decision, is not operating lawfully — and false documents in an application result in refusal and, commonly, a multi-year ban.
How to Prepare or Apply
Applications are made online through the UK government’s own service, followed by biometrics at a visa application centre. Dependants can generally apply at the same time as the main applicant or later, and applying together is usually simpler.
Start with two things: confirming the main route permits dependants under the current rules, and requesting the South African civil documents you will need. Those two determine the timeline.
- Confirm the main applicant’s route currently permits dependants
- Request unabridged birth and marriage certificates from Home Affairs early
- Arrange apostilles and sworn translations for foreign-language documents
- Read the financial requirement guidance for your specific route carefully
- Collect relationship evidence over time if you are unmarried partners
- Budget for the Immigration Health Surcharge per person, up front
- Confirm what work and study each dependant is permitted
- Keep a record of every absence from the UK from day one
- Work only from the UK government’s official guidance
Frequently Asked Questions
Can every UK visa holder bring dependants?
No. Some routes permit dependants and others do not, and restrictions on certain student routes have been introduced and amended. Confirm the current position for the specific route.
What if we are not married?
Unmarried partners must show the relationship has subsisted for the prescribed period, evidenced by joint documentation. Start collecting that evidence early — it is hard to assemble retrospectively.
What is the Immigration Health Surcharge?
A charge payable per person for the full visa period, paid up front with the application. For a family over several years it is substantial and is separate from the visa fee.
What happens if the main applicant loses their job?
Dependants’ visas are tied to the main visa. If it is curtailed, theirs follow. Take advice promptly if the main applicant’s circumstances change.
Eligible routes, financial requirements, the health surcharge and evidence rules are set by the UK government and are revised frequently. Confirm current requirements on the UK government’s official website before applying.