UK Ancestry visa: the grandparent rule, cost and settlement
A Commonwealth citizen aged 17 or over with a grandparent born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man can come for 5 years to work. The visa costs £726, plus the surcharge.
UK Ancestry visa cost, five years
Total to pay when you apply
£16,408
UK Ancestry, first visa · Home Office fees of 8 October 2026
| Person | Fee | Surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | £726 | £5,175 |
| Partner | £726 | £5,175 |
| Child 1 | £726 | £3,880 |
| Application fees | £2,178 |
| Health surcharge (5 years) | £14,230 |
| Total | £16,408 |
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 UK Ancestry visa lets a Commonwealth citizen aged 17 or over live and work in the country for 5 years if one grandparent was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, or in what is now Ireland before 31 March 1922. There is no sponsor, no salary threshold and no English test at entry: you must be able and intend to work, and support and house yourself and any family without public funds. The first visa costs £726 from abroad, and you cannot switch into the route from another visa. The immigration health surcharge of £1,035 a year is added for each adult, so one person pays £5,901 for five years. A further 5-year grant costs £1,407 from inside the country, but after 5 continuous years most holders can apply for indefinite leave to remain instead, with the Life in the UK test and English at B1, or B2 from 26 March 2027.
The grandparent: where and how they were born
The claim rests on one grandparent, on either side of the family. Rule UKA 4.1 of Appendix UK Ancestry asks only that they were born in the UK or the Islands; GOV.UK adds two other places of birth that count: what is now the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922, and a ship or aircraft registered in the UK or belonging to the UK government. Adoption counts (yours or your parent's), and so does descent through parents or grandparents who were not married. Descent through a step-parent does not.
The evidence is a chain of full birth certificates: yours, the parent's through whom you claim, and the grandparent's. Where a surname changed, add the marriage or civil partnership certificate or deed poll that links the names, and adoption papers if relevant. Every link has to be documented, so obtain any missing certificate before you start the form.
Who else meets the conditions
GOV.UK lists five groups who can apply: Commonwealth citizens, British overseas citizens, British overseas territories citizens, British nationals (overseas) and citizens of Zimbabwe. You must be at least 17 on the date you intend to arrive. Two further tests apply. The work test asks that you are able to work and intend to seek and take a job; a job offer helps but is not required, and self-employment counts, so a business plan is acceptable evidence. The money test asks that you can maintain and house yourself and any dependants without public funds; bank statements must be dated within 31 days of the application, and a credible promise of support from a relative or friend can be taken into account under UKA 5.3.
Five years, then a choice
Each grant lasts 5 years. During it you can work in any job, paid or voluntary, employed or self-employed, full or part time, and study. A partner and children can join you; they apply separately and pay £726 each, and a child is surcharged at the reduced £776 a year. A couple with one child applying together for five years pays £2,178 in fees and £14,230 in surcharge, £16,408 in total.
At the end of the five years there are two paths. An extension costs £1,407 and another five years of surcharge, £6,582 for one person, and can be repeated as often as you like. Settlement under UKA 13 to 16 needs 5 years on the route, continuous residence (no more than 180 days outside the country in any 12 months), the same work and money tests, Commonwealth citizenship on the date you apply, English at B1 for an application before 26 March 2027 and B2 from that date, and the Life in the UK test if you are 18 to 64. You may apply up to 28 days early; the fee is £3,226 per person. The absence calculator checks your trips against the 180-day rule before you pay.