Proof of Relationship Documents for a UK Spouse Visa

For a UK spouse or partner visa, GOV.UK asks for relationship evidence that comes from the government, a bank, a landlord, a utility provider or a medical professional, and that is less than 4 years old. The usual examples are a marriage certificate, a tenancy agreement, council tax or utility bills at the same address, and joint bank statements. This page sets out what the official pages list, how the Home Office's own guidance groups these documents, and a simple way to organise them before you upload.

Details checked on GOV.UK on 25 September 2026. The Home Office guidance quoted below is version 29.0, published on 5 August 2026.

Proof of relationship documents GOV.UK lists

GOV.UK says the evidence you send should:

• come from the government, a bank, a landlord, a utility provider or a medical professional
• confirm your relationship with your partner, for example that you live together, share expenses, or are married or in a civil partnership
• be less than 4 years old

It then gives these examples:

If you do not have any evidence like this, GOV.UK lists other documents you can provide instead. These include a one-off bill such as vet's fees or home repair costs, letters showing you are both on the voting register at the same address, and student finance paperwork showing the same address.

When you fill in the online form, you will also be asked about your relationship: how you met, how often you see each other, how long you have lived together, and the things you pay for together.

How the Home Office guidance groups relationship evidence

The Home Office publishes the guidance its caseworkers use for partner applications. It is called "Family life (as a partner or parent) and exceptional circumstances", and it has a section called "Supporting document tiers".

That section gives a list of evidence that applicants can submit to confirm their relationship. The guidance says the list is not complete, and that it "has been tiered to reflect the significance of the documents when making a decision, tier 1 being the most valued pieces of evidence and tier 3 the least." Here it is, in shorter wording.

Tier 1

• Tenancy agreement
• Council tax bill
• Utility bill
• Marriage certificate
• Joint bank statement
• DWP or HMRC letters that show the family unit as claimed
• Car finance documents that show the address as claimed
• Insurance documents that show the address as claimed
• Medical letters and GP registration documents
• Evidence of joint finances, business ventures or commitments, such as tax returns, business contracts or investments

Tier 2

• Electoral register confirmation
• Student finance documents that show a UK address
• Other dated household bills with a UK address, for example vet bills or home repairs

Tier 3

• Greetings cards
• Documents from more than 4 years before the application date
• Message transcripts
• Photographs
• Shopping or meal receipts
• Train and flight tickets
• Wedding or engagement invitations
• Letters of support from friends, relatives or religious leaders with British citizenship
• Holiday booking confirmations

Two things are worth noticing. First, the main GOV.UK examples above all appear in tier 1, and the "instead" examples all appear in tier 2. Second, the guidance does not give a number of documents, or say which mix to send. It is a list of examples, not a checklist.

Unmarried partner visa: proof of living together

If you are not married or in a civil partnership, GOV.UK lists two options. You can show that you have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply. Or you can show that you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years but cannot live together, for example because you work or study in different places, or because it is not accepted in your culture.

The caseworker guidance adds that the 2-year period must be complete before the date you apply, and that it "does not require evidence of cohabitation for the period". Read both pages against your own situation.

The documents that show a shared address are the same ones in the table above: a tenancy agreement, council tax or utility bills, bank statements, and letters from a doctor or dentist. The GOV.UK page on the information you need gives council tax bills as an example of proof of how long you have lived together.

If you do not live together

GOV.UK says that if you cannot live together because of work, study or cultural reasons, you need to show an ongoing commitment to each other. It lists four kinds of evidence. The right-hand column shows related items from the Home Office list above, where there is one:

Spouse visa relationship evidence: photos and chats

Photographs and message transcripts are both on the Home Office list, in tier 3. The guidance does not say how many to include. If you include them, the work is making each one easy to read and to place in time.

Photos. Add a short caption to each one with the date, the place, and who is in it. If you put several photos on one page of a PDF, the captions keep them clear.

Chats. Check that each page shows the dates and makes it clear who is writing. Keep the pages in date order. A long chat is easier to follow as one file than as hundreds of separate screenshots.

Other languages. GOV.UK asks for a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh. If your messages or cards are in another language, plan the translation time and cost early. Our spouse visa fees guide lists translation among the other costs to plan for.

How to organise and label your relationship documents

A few simple habits make a pile of papers easier to check.

1. Group by what each document shows. For example: marriage or civil partnership, shared address, shared money, and time together.
2. Put each group in date order. Oldest first makes the timeline easy to follow.
3. Name each file clearly. Something like 2025-03 council tax bill, both names.pdf tells you what it is without opening it.
4. Check the dates. GOV.UK's main list asks for documents less than 4 years old.
5. Check what each document shows. For shared-address evidence, look for both names or the shared address on the page itself.

You will be told how to provide your documents when you apply online. For the other groups in a spouse visa application, such as identity and money, see how to organise your UK spouse visa documents.

Frequently asked questions

What documents count as proof of relationship for a UK spouse visa? GOV.UK gives these examples: a marriage or civil partnership certificate, a tenancy agreement, utility or council tax bills at the same address, a joint bank statement or one showing the same address, and a letter from a doctor or dentist confirming the same address. The Home Office guidance has a longer list, grouped into three tiers.

Can I use photos and WhatsApp chats as relationship evidence? Photographs and message transcripts are both on the Home Office list of evidence that applicants can submit. The guidance places them in tier 3. It does not say how many to include.

How old can relationship evidence be? GOV.UK says the evidence should be less than 4 years old. The Home Office guidance lists documents from more than 4 years before the application date in tier 3.

Do unmarried partners need to have lived together for 2 years? GOV.UK lists two options: living together in a relationship for at least 2 years, or being in a relationship for at least 2 years but unable to live together, for example because of work, study or culture. The caseworker guidance says the 2-year period does not require evidence of cohabitation.

Do I need to translate messages that are not in English? GOV.UK asks for a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh.

How Stratovisa helps

Stratovisa gives you a labelled slot for each relationship document your visa type asks for, alongside the rest of your application, and shows what is still missing. When you are ready, you download one organised package for the online application.

If most of your contact is in WhatsApp or LINE, you can upload the chat export. Stratovisa pulls out a timeline of relationship milestones from your messages, which you check and edit, and it can help turn that into a personal statement. There is more on the Stratovisa family visa page.