Fiance Visa UK from Germany
The UK Fiance Visa allows German nationals who are engaged to be married or to enter into a civil partnership with a British or Irish citizen access to enter the UK to live with their partner.
Need helping applying or appealing a UK Fiance Visa? Total Law’s team of immigration solicitors can help. Call our UK office now on 0333 305 9375 for support and advice.
What is the Fiance Visa?
In the UK, a Fiance, Fiancee or Proposed Civil Partner Visa is a type of Family Visa, allowing overseas national entry to the country to form a household with their spouse. The partners must intend to get legally wed or have a civil partnership within six months of the visa holder’s entry to the UK and they must live together permanently.
British law recognises same sex relationships and facilitates same sex marriage, so homosexual couples are able to apply for this visa in the same way heterosexual couples are.
A UK Fiance Visa grants an initial six-month stay in the country, during which time the couple must get married or enter into a civil partnership. Thereafter, the visa can be switched to a Partner or Spouse Visa and the stay extended.
Visa holders may not work or study in the UK during the six-month stay but can apply for residence thereafter and may be able to.
If the partner already in the UK has settled or pre-settled status, the German national may be able to apply through the now-expired EU Settlement Scheme, if there are reasonable grounds for the application being delayed. Contact Total Law for guidance on this – call our office on 0333 305 9375.
Eligibility criteria for a Fiance Visa
In order to be eligible for a UK Fiance Visa, both parties must meet set criteria. These are as follows:
The partner already in the UK
- Must be aged 18 or over
- Must be a British or Irish citizen; OR
- Hold settled status or Indefinite Leave To Remain in the UK; OR
- Hold ‘pre-settled status’ and have lived in the UK before 1st January 2021; OR
- Have protection status as a refugee or person with humanitarian protection; OR
- Have a Turkish Businessperson Visa or Turkish Worker Visa; OR
- Have permission to stay in the UK as a ‘stateless person’.
- Must intend to live permanently with their German national partner once they have moved to the UK
The German national partner
- Must be aged 18 or over
- Be able to demonstrate a good working knowledge of the English language
- Be able to financially support themselves and any dependents travelling with them.
Both parties
- Must intend to get married or enter a legal civil partnership within 6 months of the German national entering the UK
- Must be able to prove that any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended.
If engaged partners have dependent children together, they may be able to apply to enter the UK through other visa routes. Total Law can advise. Contact the team today on 0333 305 9375.
Prohibited Degrees of Relationship
British law dictates that a marriage or civil partnership can only take place between two parties who are not within a ‘prohibited degree of relationship’, as defined by the Marriage Act 1949 and the Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act 1986. This means that in order to be eligible for a UK Fiance Visa under the Family Visa class, the couple must not be related in any of the following ways:
- Adoptive parent or child (current or former)
- Biological parent or child
- Grandparent or grandchild
- Parent’s sibling
- Sibling
- Sibling’s child.
This does vary from laws elsewhere in the world but parties must not be related in this way if they are to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK.
UK Fiance Visa required documents
The applicant for the UK Fiance Visa must supply several evidential documents to demonstrate their eligibility. British immigration authorities reserve the right to request additional documents at any time during the application processing period, but as standard the initial documents required are:
- A valid German passport that will not expire while in the UK for the initial six-month period
- Evidence that demonstrates the relationship between the two partners – that they live together or share expenses. This proof must be less than four years old, and could include:
- A tenancy agreement or utility bill
- A bank statement from a joint bank account
- A letter from a Doctor or Dentist
- Confirmation of a joint address under the Voting Register
- A one-off bill.
- Proof of English language knowledge. This is usually demonstrated through a level A1 certificate from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). If the applicant can pass B1 level or higher, this same result can be used to apply for permanent residence at a later date
- Proof of income. This is usually demonstrated through payslips, or a letter from an employer confirming a salary. Both partners must have a combined income of at least £29,000 per annum
- Proof of financial means to support dependents was removed in 2024. You no longer need to prove extra finances for dependents
Any documents that are not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation into English.
How to apply for a UK Fiance Visa from Germany
To apply for a UK Fiance Visa, the applicant must be outside of the UK. The UK Fiance Visa application process is as follows:
Check eligibility
If you’re unsure of your eligibility for a Fiance Visa UK, call Total Law for advice on 0333 305 9375.
Collect documents
Ensure all supporting documents are available for submission with the online application form, and, if not in English or Welsh, translated.
Complete Fiance Visa UK online application form
Complete the UK Fiance Visa application form online at the GOV.UK website. The application fee must also be paid at this time.
Attend biometric information appointment
Once the UK Fiance Visa application fee has been made, the applicant must make and attend an appointment at a UKVCAS service centre to have their photograph taken and supply their fingerprints. A valid German passport should also be presented at this appointment.
Await decision on UK Fiance Visa
The British Home Office will supply a decision on the visa in writing. Once received, the applicant may attend their local UKVCAS office to collect their passport.
Travel to the UK
If a Fiance Visa UK has been granted, the applicant may travel to the UK to live with their spouse.
Get married or enter into a civil partnership
The couple must get married in the UK or enter into a civil partnership within the six-month visa period. At this point the visa may be transferred to a Spousal or Partner Visa.
Fiance Visa UK: Fees
The application fee for a UK Fiance Visa is £1,938. After the six-month period, should the couple be wed or in a legal civil partnership, the fee to transfer to a Spouse Visa is £1,321.
Submission deadlines and processing times
The Home Office SLA for processing UK Fiance Visa applications is 12-weeks. During busy periods, this is extended to a period of 60 working days.
Super priority processing is sometimes available for an additional fee of £1000 to expedite the visa decision – however, this has not been available for over a year due to demand.
How Can Total Law Help?
Engagement is an exciting time but it can be stressful for you and your partner if you’re geographically separated. Total Law understand the complexities of immigration law and can help you navigate the UK Fiance Visa application and appeals process to reunite you and legally accredit your relationship in Great Britain.
Call our UK office today on 0333 305 9375 for specialist legal advice and guidance. We always communicate jargon-free and will do all we can to help you succeed in your visa application.
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By choosing our Appeal Package, you can rely on our lawyers’ legal knowledge and experience to ensure you have the highest chance of a successful appeal. We will also fully represent you in any hearings/tribunals.
Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Spouse Visa allows the holder to stay in the UK for a period of 30 months.
The Fiance Visa class is only open to couples where both parties are aged 18 or over. There is no recourse for younger couples to enter the UK as partners.
If there is evidence for extenuating circumstances which delayed the wedding or civil partnership, you may be able to extend the UK Fiance Visa period. Speak to Total Law for guidance on 0333 305 9375.
Only relationships that meet the British legal requirements under the Marriage Act will be considered, otherwise the couple could not be legally wed or enter into a civil partnership in the UK.
Marrying a British or Irish citizen does not automatically confer British citizenship. However, once the visa holder has lived in the UK for a period of five years, they may go on to apply for Indefinite Leave To Remain status, and a year later, full citizenship.
