Spouse Visa Extension (FLR(M)): Documents and Fees 2026

To extend a UK spouse or partner visa from inside the UK, you make an online application called FLR(M). You pay £1,407 plus a health surcharge of £2,587.50 per adult, and you provide your passport, proof of your immigration status, proof of your relationship, proof of your finances and proof of your English. Most of the documents are the same kind you gave the first time. A few things are different, and those are easy to miss.

Everything below was checked on GOV.UK on 25 September 2026. Rules and fees can change, so confirm them on GOV.UK before you apply.

What the FLR(M) application is

Your first spouse or partner visa lasts up to 2 years and 9 months. Before it ends, you apply to extend your stay from inside the UK. The official name of the form is FLR(M), and you fill it in online. If the extension is granted, you can stay for up to a further 2 years and 6 months.

GOV.UK says you can extend at any time before your current permission ends. But if you extend to stay with the same partner, only up to 28 days of your current visa are added to the new one. Applying very early does not give you extra time.

Spouse visa renewal fee and cost in 2026

The health surcharge is £1,035 a year for an adult, paid up front for the whole 2 years and 6 months. For a child under 18 it is £776 a year, which is £1,940 for the extension. Each child on the application also pays the £1,407 application fee.

From inside the UK, GOV.UK says you may be able to pay an extra £1,000 for the super priority service to get a faster decision. The Home Office fees table that starts on 8 October 2026 leaves the extension fee unchanged. For the first visa, settlement and the full 5-year total, see our UK spouse visa fees 2026 breakdown.

FLR(M) documents checklist

This list follows what GOV.UK says you need to provide for a family visa, grouped so it is easier to work through. The online form will tell you exactly which documents to upload for your case, so use this to prepare, then check against the form.

Identity and immigration history

• Your current passport or other valid travel document
• Copies of the photo page and any visa or entry stamps in your previous passports
• Details of any previous immigration applications
• Your National Insurance number, if you have one
• Proof of your immigration status: an eVisa share code, or your BRP (see below)
• Details of any criminal convictions

Your partner

• Your partner's name, date of birth, nationality and passport details
• Details of your partner's right to be in the UK, for example that they are a British citizen
• Details of anyone your partner was married to, in a civil partnership with, or had children with, and evidence that any marriage ended, such as a divorce certificate

Relationship

• Your marriage or civil partnership certificate, if you are married or in a civil partnership
• Proof you live together, such as council tax bills, a tenancy agreement, utility bills or joint bank statements
• Details of things you pay for together

GOV.UK says relationship evidence should come from the government, a bank, a landlord, a utility provider or a medical professional, and should be less than 4 years old. Our guide to proof of relationship for a spouse visa goes through these documents in more detail.

Finances

If the income is from employment:

• 6 months of payslips, counting back from the day you apply
• Bank statements showing the income
• A letter from the employer, dated and on headed paper

If the income comes from somewhere else:

• Other evidence if the income comes from self-employment, a limited company, savings or a pension

GOV.UK lists what the employer letter should confirm: that the person works there, the job title, how long they have worked there, the type of contract, the salary before tax and National Insurance, how long they have been paid that salary, and that the payslips are genuine. For how to put the statements and payslips together, see spouse visa bank statements and payslips.

English language

• Your English test certificate, degree certificate or Ecctis reference, or the details of an exemption

Other

• A certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh
• Details of your children, and your partner's children, including children who are not applying

What is different from your first application

You apply from inside the UK. The extension is an online application made in the UK, even if your first visa was applied for from abroad. After you apply, you go to an appointment to give your fingerprints and photo, and you take your passport with you.

The fee is lower. £1,407 instead of £2,064, and the health surcharge covers 2 years and 6 months instead of 2 years and 9 months.

You show your immigration status. You provide either an eVisa share code or your BRP. GOV.UK says a BRP can be used for 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. If your application is approved, you get an eVisa, not a new card.

The English level may be higher. For the first visa, the English test is at least level A1. For the extension, GOV.UK says:

• if you passed level A1, you need to pass at least level A2 in speaking and listening
• if you passed level A2 or higher, you can use the same result again, as long as the certificate has not been withdrawn by the test provider
• if you were exempt the first time, you need to pass a test at level A1, unless you are still exempt

The income figure may be different. GOV.UK says the usual minimum income is £29,000 a year. It also says that if you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you are extending that visa with the same partner, the figure is £18,600 a year, with extra amounts for some children. This includes people who first applied as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner. Read the partner income page on GOV.UK and confirm which figure it describes for you. Our spouse visa financial requirement calculator does the arithmetic against the £29,000 figure.

The financial documents are new. Payslips and bank statements count back from the day you apply, so the ones from your first application do not cover this one. You gather a fresh set.

How long a decision takes

GOV.UK says that if you apply inside the UK and meet the financial and English language requirements, you will usually get a decision within 8 weeks. If you do not meet them, it currently takes about 12 months.

Frequently asked questions

What documents do I need for a spouse visa extension? Your passport, proof of your immigration status (eVisa share code or BRP), proof of your relationship and that you live together, proof of your finances, and proof of your English. The checklist above lists them in groups.

How much is the spouse visa renewal fee in 2026? £1,407 for the application, plus £2,587.50 for the health surcharge. That is £3,994.50 per adult.

Do I need to take a new English test for my spouse visa extension? It depends on the level you passed before. GOV.UK says an A1 result needs a new test at A2 in speaking and listening, while an A2 or higher result can be used again if the certificate has not been withdrawn.

Is the income requirement for the extension £18,600 or £29,000? GOV.UK says £29,000 is the usual figure, and £18,600 applies to people extending with the same partner who first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024. Check the GOV.UK page to confirm your own position.

Can I still use my BRP to extend my spouse visa? GOV.UK says you can use it for 24 months after the expiry date on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. Otherwise, you use an eVisa share code.

How Stratovisa helps

The second application often feels harder than it should. You did all this once already, but the financial documents need to be new, and a few rules have changed. Stratovisa gives you a slot for every document on the spouse visa list, shows what is still missing as you upload, and gives you one organised package for the online form. If you kept your files from the first time, organising your UK spouse visa documents shows how the groups fit together.