ILR fee: what settlement costs per person and per family
Indefinite leave to remain costs £3,226 for each person on the application, adults and children alike, with no health surcharge. A couple with two children pays £12,904 before any faster service.
Settlement fees for your household
Total to pay when you apply
£12,904
Indefinite leave to remain (each person) · Home Office fees of 8 October 2026
| Person | Fee | Surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | £3,226 | £0 |
| Partner | £3,226 | £0 |
| Child 1 | £3,226 | £0 |
| Child 2 | £3,226 | £0 |
| Application fees | £12,904 |
| Health surcharge (not applicable) | £0 |
| Total | £12,904 |
No surcharge on a settlement application.
Calculated in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere. Not legal advice; not affiliated with the Home Office.
Published by Radif Partners · How we calculate · Home Office fees of 8 October 2026, rules checked 13 October 2026
The Home Office fee table in force from 8 October 2026 prices indefinite leave to remain at £3,226 for the main applicant and the same for every dependant, whatever their age. There is no immigration health surcharge on a settlement application, and giving fingerprints and a photo at the UKVCAS appointment is free. Adults aged 18 to 64 also need a Life in the UK pass, at £50 per attempt. To shorten the usual 6-month wait you can add £500 for a decision within 5 working days or £1,000 for super priority, charged once per application. The fee has risen twice since early 2024, from £2,885 to £3,226, so check the current table before you budget. A family of four settling together pays £12,904, or £13,904 with super priority. The calculator above prices your own household.
One flat fee, charged per head
Unlike a work or family visa, settlement has no length to price and no surcharge to add: the £3,226 buys permanent permission, and each person on the form pays it. A newborn on the application costs the same as the main applicant. What changes the bill is the number of people and whether you pay to be decided faster.
| Household | Application fees | With super priority |
|---|---|---|
| One adult | £3,226 | £4,226 |
| Couple | £6,452 | £7,452 |
| Couple with two children | £12,904 | £13,904 |
Two smaller costs sit around the fee. Each adult who has to sit the Life in the UK test pays £50 per booking, again for each resit, and only gets a refund if they cancel at least three days before. The other is the cost of evidence: certified translations, and for some routes an English test. GOV.UK lists no fee for the biometrics itself.
Paying for a faster decision
The £500 priority service aims for a decision within 5 working days of your biometrics; £1,000 super priority aims for the end of the next working day after a weekday appointment, or 2 working days after a weekend one. Working days exclude bank holidays. Availability is limited, and the GOV.UK long residence page lists only the super priority option, so check what the form offers on the day. The extra fee is worth it mainly when you have a reason to travel soon, since you must stay in the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until the decision. The processing time page has a date calculator.
How the fee line has moved
The settlement fee follows the Home Office tables, which have changed several times a year since 2024, though not every revision touched this line. Here are the tables where the amount actually changed:
| Fee table from | ILR fee per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 31 January 2024 | £2,885 | |
| 9 April 2025 | £3,029 | +5.0 % |
| 8 April 2026 | £3,226 | +6.5 % |
Over the period the fee rose by £341 per person, or £1,364 for a family of four. The history tool below follows the same line table by table.
Home Office fee history
Fee in the table of 8 October 2026
£3,226
12 % since 31 January 2024
| From 31 January 2024 | £2,885 |
| From 9 April 2025 | £3,029 (+5 %) |
| From 8 April 2026 | £3,226 (+7 %) |
Calculated in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere. Not legal advice; not affiliated with the Home Office.
Settling together or one at a time
Dependants do not have to settle with the main applicant. A partner who has not yet completed five years as your dependant, or a child who does not qualify, can apply later on their own form, and in the meantime keep extending as a dependant even after you settle. Waiting is not free, though. A Skilled Worker dependant extending inside the UK for three years pays the visa fee of £943 plus £3,105 of health surcharge, £4,048 in all, and then the settlement fee on top. When everyone qualifies, one application is almost always the cheaper path. Check the children first: a child can join your form when both parents are settling or already settled (or you have sole responsibility), and a child who has turned 18 only if they were under 18 when first granted as your dependant and still live as part of the family, with the Life in the UK test and English to pass. The visa cost calculator prices the extension route, and the citizenship cost page the next step after settlement.