UK Ancestry visa
Your partner and children
Your partner and children can apply to join you in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible.
A ‘dependant’ is any of the following:
- your partner
- your child under 18
- your child aged 18 or over who was previously on your or your partner’s visa as a dependant
You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship when you apply.
Your partner
You must be able to prove one of the following:
- you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK
- you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
- you’ve been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but you cannot live together, for example because you’re working or studying in different places, or it’s not accepted in your culture
If you’re not living together, you’ll need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other, for example by providing evidence that you:
- communicate regularly with each other
- support each other financially
- care for any children you have together
- spend time together as a couple, for example on holiday or at events
Your child
They must:
- live with you (unless they’re in full time education at boarding school, college or university)
- not be married, in a civil partnership or have any children
- be supported by you without using public funds
Apply from outside the UK
Your partner or child must apply online.
They’ll need to have their fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken at a visa application centre as part of their application.
They may be able to pay to get a faster decision.
Apply from inside the UK (extend or switch their visa)
If you extend or switch your visa, your partner or child’s current visa will still be valid until its original end date. Your partner or child need to apply to extend or switch their visa, either:
- at the same time as you
- at any time before their current visa expires
This includes children who have turned 18 during your stay.
They cannot apply to switch if they’re currently in the UK:
- on a visitor visa
- on a Short-term study visa
- on a Parent of a Child Student visa
- on a Seasonal Worker visa
- on a Domestic Workers in a Private Household visa
- on immigration bail
- because they were given permission to stay outside the immigration rules, for example on compassionate grounds
If they’re in one of those categories, they must leave the UK and apply for a UK Ancestry visa from abroad.
If your partner or child is currently in the UK on a Student visa, they can only switch if they have either:
- completed the course they were sponsored to study
- studied for a PhD for at least 24 months
Get help to apply online
You can get help with completing the online form if you:
- do not feel confident using a computer or mobile device
- do not have internet access
You can only use this service if you’re applying to extend your visa in the UK.
You cannot get immigration advice through this service.
Children born while you’re in the UK
If you have a child while you’re in the UK, they do not automatically become a British citizen.
You must apply for their dependant visa before they turn 18 if they want to stay in the UK.
You can apply online for their dependant visa. You must do this if you want to travel in and out of the UK with your child.
You’ll need to provide a full UK birth certificate for each child, showing the names of both parents.
What your partner or child can and cannot do
Your partner or child can:
- work, except as a sportsperson or coach
- study
- travel abroad and return to the UK
- apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if they’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements
They cannot apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension.
If their application is successful, they’ll get a full list of what they can and cannot do.