UK Spouse Visa With Children: Documents for Your Child

If your child is applying with you on a UK spouse or partner visa, the documents for the child usually come down to four things:

1. The child's passport or other valid travel ID
2. The child's birth certificate, showing who their parents are
3. Something about the other parent, if your partner is not the child's other parent
4. A certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh

Each child also pays their own application fee and health surcharge. For a first visa from outside the UK, that is £4,392 per child.

All figures and rules were checked on GOV.UK on 18 October 2026. Fees and rules can change, so confirm on GOV.UK before you pay.

Who can be added as a child

GOV.UK says you can add children to your application as dependants if both of these apply:

• they are under 18 when you apply, or were under 18 when they were first granted leave
• they do not live an independent life

GOV.UK gives an example of an independent life: the child has left home, got married and had children.

The application form asks about all your children, and your partner's children, even the ones who are not applying. It asks for each child's name, nationality, date of birth and passport details. It also asks who the child normally lives with, and about any other people with parental responsibility, for example your stepchildren's other parent. Have these details ready before you start the form. Our guide to the spouse visa online application form covers the other sections.

1. The child's passport

GOV.UK asks each applicant for a current passport or other valid travel ID, plus copies of the photo page and any visa or entry stamps in previous passports. A child applying with you is an applicant too, so the same applies to them.

Check the expiry date early, so there is time to renew the passport if needed.

2. The child's birth certificate

The birth certificate is the usual document that links the child to you. The rules for a child joining a parent on this route (Appendix FM, paragraph E-ECC.1) are about the child's relationship to their parent, so the certificate needs to show the parent's name.

For a child born in the UK, this matters. GOV.UK says there are two versions of a UK birth certificate:

Only the full version shows the parents, so that is the one that links the child to you. GOV.UK says both versions cost £12.50, and you can buy more copies from the register office.

For a child born outside the UK, upload the birth certificate from the country of birth, and a certified translation if it is not in English or Welsh (see section 4).

Home Office caseworker guidance also says caseworkers must not require DNA evidence. Applicants can choose to provide it, but they do not have to.

3. The other parent

Paragraph E-ECC.1.6 of Appendix FM describes three situations for a child joining a parent:

• the parent's partner (the person the parent is applying with or joining) is also the child's parent, or
• the parent applying has had, and still has, sole responsibility for the child's upbringing, or
• there are serious and compelling family or other reasons, and suitable arrangements have been made for the child's care.

When both of you are the child's parents, the birth certificate usually shows this already.

When your partner is not the child's other parent, the form asks about the other people with parental responsibility. Documents that can be relevant here include:

• A letter from the child's other parent agreeing to the application. Paragraph CHI 5.2 of Appendix Children of the Immigration Rules sets out what a parent's written consent must contain: the parent's contact details, and confirmation that they consent to the application, to the child's living and care arrangements in the UK, and, if the application is for entry clearance, to the child's travel to, and reception arrangements in, the UK.
• Evidence of sole responsibility. Home Office guidance (Annex FM 3.2) says a parent claiming sole responsibility must show they have, usually for a substantial period of time, been the chief person exercising parental responsibility. For a different route, the parent visa, GOV.UK lists examples of evidence that a parent is caring for a child: letters from the child's school, the local council, or the child's doctor, dentist or health visitor, and court order paperwork (with written proof that the court has given permission). GOV.UK says this evidence must come from the government, a school, a court or a medical professional, and be less than 4 years old.

Which of these fits a family is a question about that family's situation. If you are unsure, an IAA-regulated adviser or a solicitor can look at your case.

4. Translations

Paragraph 39B(f) of Part 1 of the Immigration Rules covers documents such as birth certificates. If a document is not in English or Welsh, you provide the original and a full translation that can be independently verified by the Home Office. The translation must be dated and include:

• confirmation that it is an accurate translation
• the full name and signature of the translator, or of an authorised official of the translation company
• the translator's or company's contact details

If you apply from inside the UK, the translation must also be certified by a qualified translator, with details of their credentials. Our guide to certified translations for a spouse visa explains this in more detail.

Fees for a child

GOV.UK's family visa page lists a fee for each person, and a lower health surcharge for children under 18:

For adults, the surcharge is £3,105 for 2 years 9 months and £2,587.50 for 2 years 6 months. Our spouse visa fees breakdown shows the full cost for the adult applicant.

Children and the financial and accommodation rules

Income. GOV.UK says that for a new partner application, you and your partner usually need a combined income of at least £29,000 a year. GOV.UK lists extra amounts for children (£3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each additional child) only for people extending a visa they first applied for before 11 April 2024. Even then, if the total would be more than £29,000, you only need to show £29,000.

Accommodation. Paragraph E-ECC.2.4 of Appendix FM asks for adequate accommodation for the family, which the family owns or occupies exclusively, and which is not overcrowded.

Checklist for each child

• Current passport or travel ID, and photo page copies of any previous passports
• Birth certificate showing the parent's name (full version if born in the UK)
• If your partner is not the child's other parent: the other parent's letter, or sole responsibility evidence
• Original and certified translation for any document not in English or Welsh
• Child's details ready for the form: nationality, passport details, who they live with
• Fee and health surcharge budgeted for each child

Frequently asked questions

Does my child need a separate application for a UK spouse visa? GOV.UK says you can add children to your application as dependants if they are under 18 when you apply and do not live an independent life. Each child still pays their own application fee and health surcharge.

Which birth certificate do I need for a child born in the UK? GOV.UK says the short version contains only the baby's details, and the full version also contains the parents' details. Only the full version shows the child's parents.

How much is the health surcharge for a child on a spouse visa? GOV.UK lists £2,328 for 2 years and 9 months and £1,940 for 2 years and 6 months for a child under 18.

Does the £29,000 income go up if I have children? For new partner applications, GOV.UK gives the £29,000 figure with no extra amount for children. Extra amounts for children apply only to some extensions of visas first applied for before 11 April 2024.

Do I need a DNA test for my child? Home Office caseworker guidance says caseworkers must not require DNA evidence. Applicants can choose to provide it.

How Stratovisa helps

A child's documents are easy to lose track of next to your own: a passport about to expire, a short birth certificate instead of the full one, a translation still at the translator. When you tell Stratovisa's intake that children are applying with you, your checklist adds a slot for the children's identity documents (passport, birth certificate or other official ID), with room for a certified translation. If your partner is not the parent of every child, it also adds a slot for the other parent's consent letter or sole responsibility evidence. You upload each document to its slot and can see what is still missing. When everything is in, you download one organised package for the online application. See how it works for the spouse and partner visa.