UK Visa Fees Demystified Including Hidden Charges You Might Miss

If you have ever applied for a visa to visit another country, you are aware that there’s a visa processing fee you need to pay. Visa fees vary depending on your destination, visa type, your circumstances, and sometimes on the location from where you apply.

The Home Office website has a full list of UK visa fees, which is updated on a real-time basis as and when a fee change occurs. However, you must be aware that there may be additional surcharges or costs involved in a UK visa application process. Even if you have a sponsor, factor in certain out-of-pocket expenses while planning to apply for a visa.

Applying for a UK Visa: What Costs I Must be Aware of

If you are a visa-required foreign national for the UK, you must pay a processing fee as part of your visa/immigration permit application process. This is a non-refundable fee, so even if the Home Office refuses your visa application, you will not get a refund.

UK visa fees vary depending on your visa type, the proposed length of your leave to remain, and where you are applying from (i.e., inside or outside the UK). Plus, you may need to pay an additional immigration health surcharge (IHS) for certain visa categories. If you want to opt for any premium services offered by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), you will have to pay extra.

There may also be associated costs depending on your nationality/country of residence. For example, if you come from a predominantly non-English speaking country, your supporting documents may not be in English (or Welsh). In such a scenario, you will have to get the original documents translated by an official translator, one that is approved by your UK embassy or consulate, for a considerable fee.

Likewise, you will have to get yourself (and your accompanying family) tested for tuberculosis from an approved clinic if you are coming from a listed country. These tests will also incur an additional cost. Last but not the least, you must account for the legal and professional fees if you need to consult with an immigration lawyer for your visa application.

Recent Increases in the UK Visa Fees

In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the UK visa fees. The application fees for most UK visas increased between 15-35% in 2023 and 2024. The Home Office further increased certain UK visa fees effective from 9 April onwards, in a bid to reduce the rising pressure on taxpayers’ money for managing the migration and border control system.

From 21 October 2025, both business sponsors and educational institutions need to pay £350 (a 75% increase from the previous £200) for a fast processing of sponsorship management requests for workers/temporary workers or international students. Priority service for sponsor licence applications has also increased by 50% to £750 from £500.

This article provides the current fee structure for most popular UK visas and immigration pathways. For more details, visit the Home Office page titled ‘Home Office immigration and nationality fees: 21 October 2025’. You may also use this online visa fee calculator to estimate your UK visa fees.

Most Popular UK Visa Fees

UKVI Premium Services

There are certain premium services offered by UKVI to visa applicants at an additional cost. They are optional in nature, meaning you will be required to pay the concerned fees only when you have explicitly opted for them.

For example, you may be able to get a faster decision on your visa application by paying extra. Through the priority visa service, you will get a decision usually within five working days (or 30 days for family visas) for an additional fee of £500. The super priority service can be availed for £1,000 to get a decision by the end of the next working day.

Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS)

If you are a foreign national coming to the UK for more than six months to work, study, set up or run a business, or for family reunification purposes, in most scenarios you will be required to pay the IHS (in addition to your visa processing fees) for both yourself and your eligible dependent family members (if any).

Standard Visitor visa holders or people applying for ILR are not required to pay the IHS. Health and Care Worker visa applicants are also exempt.

Who Doesn’t Need to Pay UK Visa Fees?

Irish citizens do not need a visa to enter (or live, work or study) in the UK. So, you will be automatically visa fee-exempt if you hold an Irish passport. Likewise, visa-exempt foreign nationals don’t have to pay UK visa fees, for obvious reasons.

Foreign government personnel and members of any international organisations on official visits to the UK, diplomatic postings, or transit for official purposes are exempt. Members of the armed forces exempt from immigration control don’t have to pay visa fees for themselves or their dependants. On humanitarian grounds, refugees and stateless persons are also exempt.

Plus, if you are applying from within the UK for permission to stay in the country, you may ask for a visa fee waiver if you meet the following criteria:

• You are one of the following:
  • Spouse/partner/parent or dependant child of someone on a family visa or who has permission to stay in the UK on the basis of their private life
  • Have ‘Discretionary Leave’ or ‘Leave outside the Immigration Rules’
  • Have permission to stay as a victim of modern slavery or human trafficking

AND

• You don’t have, and cannot afford, a place to live in the UK, or 
• You have a place to live but cannot afford essential living costs, or
• Your income is very low, and paying the fee will harm your child’s wellbeing