UK Spouse Visa Documents Required from Nigeria (2026)

Nigerian couples use the same GOV.UK partner document list as everyone else. What changes is the paperwork behind two items: which marriage certificate you hold and the TB clearance certificate. It also helps to know how the Home Office checks the papers you send, which works the same way for every country. Here is the core list first.

1. Your valid passport, and copies of the photo page and any visa or entry stamps in older passports
2. Your marriage certificate (registry, church, mosque, or customary)
3. A divorce paper or death certificate for any earlier marriage, for either of you
4. A TB clearance certificate from a Home Office approved clinic in Nigeria
5. Proof of English at level A1 or higher
6. Your UK partner's passport and proof of their UK status
7. Income evidence that reaches £29,000 a year combined, or savings instead
8. Relationship evidence, and papers for the home you will share in the UK
9. A certified translation of anything not written in English or Welsh

All figures and rules were checked on GOV.UK on 8 October 2026. Confirm them before you pay.

Which marriage certificate do you have?

Nigeria recognises four kinds of marriage. The Home Office's own country profile for its caseworkers, the Nigeria Knowledge Base profile (updated 20 April 2026), lists them as marriage under "native law and customs, Islamic law, Christian law, civil law." Each one produces a different paper.

Registry (civil) or church marriage. These must be registered under the Marriage Act. The profile says the certificate "can be issued by either a Federal Registrar or registrar of the local government where the marriage takes place." If the original is lost, "only the Federal Registrar can issue a certified copy to replace it."

Customary (traditional) marriage. The profile says "there is no law in Nigeria which makes the registration of customary or Islamic marriages compulsory." Some states let a customary marriage be registered with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. In those states, the profile says, the couple "may be required to produce a certificate from the Registrar as proof of the marriage they contracted."

Islamic marriage. Certificates "will be issued by the mosque; these may be in English or Arabic." An Arabic certificate needs a translation.

Many couples have both a traditional wedding and a registry or church wedding. Look at the "condition" column on a registry or church certificate. The profile explains that the entries "same husband" and "same wife" show that the couple "have already married under native law and customs." So that wording is normal, and it links your two ceremonies.

Why does the type matter? Appendix FM-SE, paragraph 26, asks for a marriage outside the UK to be shown by evidence that is "valid under the law in force in the relevant country". Whether a customary marriage can be registered depends on the state where it took place.

Before you scan, compare the spelling of both names, and both dates of birth, across the certificate and your passports. Check that they match, including any middle names.

Your TB clearance certificate

Nigeria is on the GOV.UK list of countries where a TB test is required. You need one if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more, you have lived in a listed country for 6 months or more, and you were living there within the last 6 months. The certificate "is valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray", and it goes in with your visa application.

The GOV.UK clinic list for Nigeria (updated 13 May 2026) shows:

On the day, take photo ID ("preferably your passport"), proof that you paid the test fee, and any medical records if you have had TB or lung disease before. A clinician sees each child and decides whether an x-ray is needed. GOV.UK says children under 11 "will not normally have a chest x-ray." The Nigeria clinic page says applicants aged 11 and above will have a chest x-ray.

Plan the date. The 6 months start at the x-ray, not at the day you submit. If other papers take longer than expected, an early test can run out.

How your documents are checked

These checks are the same for applicants from every country, not only Nigeria. Appendix FM-SE gives the decision-maker clear powers over the evidence:

• Paragraph D(a): they consider the documents sent with the application, and only look at later documents in limited cases.
• Paragraph D(b): if a document is missing or in the wrong format, they may ask for it "within a reasonable timescale specified in the request." This is not guaranteed.
• Paragraph D(d): missing details on a document can sometimes be accepted if they are "verifiable from" other documents in the application, or the website of the organisation that issued it.
• Paragraph D(f): before a decision, they may contact you "in writing or otherwise to request further information or documents."

For translations, paragraph 39B(f) of Part 1 of the Immigration Rules asks for "a full translation that can be independently verified". It must be dated, confirm that it is "an accurate translation" and carry "the full name and signature of the translator", with contact details. For Nigerian couples, this can include a mosque certificate written in Arabic. The rule covers any page that is not in English or Welsh.

What this means for your folder: send real documents from the office that issued them, keep each scan complete and readable, and make sure names, dates and addresses agree across the whole set.

English language

Nigeria is not one of the nationalities that GOV.UK lists as exempt from the English requirement. A first partner visa needs level A1 or higher on the CEFR scale. You can show this with a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider, a degree from a UK institution, or a degree taught in English from outside the UK, which needs an Ecctis assessment. People over 65, and people with a condition that prevents them from meeting the rule, are among the listed exemptions.

Documents from your partner in the UK

Your partner supplies their identity and status papers, and most of the money evidence. GOV.UK says you "usually need to prove that your combined income is at least £29,000 a year", and that savings may be used instead. For a salaried job, Appendix FM-SE paragraph 2 asks for 6 months of payslips, an employer letter and bank statements that show the same salary paid in. Under paragraph 1(l), the newest of these cannot be older than 28 days on the day you apply. The bank statements and payslips guide shows how the months should line up.

Add evidence of the relationship, for example how you met, how often you see each other, and things you pay for together, plus papers for your UK home.

Fee and timing

A partner applying from outside the UK pays a £2,064 application fee, with the health surcharge on top (see the spouse visa fees breakdown). GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within 12 weeks. The first visa lets you stay for up to 2 years and 9 months.

Frequently asked questions

What marriage evidence exists for a customary (traditional) wedding? The Home Office Nigeria profile says customary marriage registration is not compulsory, but several states allow it with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Appendix FM-SE asks for evidence that is valid under the law of the country where the marriage took place.

Our church certificate says "same husband". Is that a mistake? No. The Nigeria Knowledge Base profile explains that "same husband" and "same wife" in the condition column mean the couple have already married under native law and customs.

Where in Nigeria can I do the UK visa TB test? GOV.UK lists IOM centres in Abuja, Benin City and Ikeja, Lagos, plus Q-Life Family Clinic, St. Nicholas Hospital and The Consultants Practice in Lagos. The list is updated from time to time, so look at it again before booking.

Will the Home Office ask me for a missing document? Appendix FM-SE says the decision-maker may ask, but it is not a promise. They mainly consider what you send with the application, so it is safer to send a complete set the first time.

How Stratovisa helps

A Nigerian spouse application often mixes a Federal or local registry certificate, a TB certificate from Lagos or Abuja, and payslips and tenancy papers from the UK. Stratovisa turns your intake answers into a list of documents, with one place to upload each item and a count of how many are done. When you are ready, it puts everything into a single ZIP file, sorted into folders, with any translation filed next to its original. See how it works for the spouse and partner visa.