TL;DR
A UK visa rarely costs only the Home Office application fee. The total bill includes the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), priority service add-ons, biometric enrolment, and English language test fees, plus duplicate fees for every dependant. Use the calculator below to add it up by visa type, duration and family size, with figures current to the April 2025 fee schedule and the 2026 IHS rate.
Last reviewed: 31 May 2026
Calculate your total UK visa cost
Figures based on the Home Office fee schedule effective 9 April 2025 and the Immigration Health Surcharge rate effective 6 February 2024. Adjusts for inside-UK vs outside-UK applications, dependants, priority service and IHS years.
Adjust the inputs above to see your estimated total.
What this includes: Home Office application fee, IHS surcharge per year, dependant duplicates, priority service add-on if selected.
What this excludes: biometric enrolment (£19.20 where charged), English language test (~£150-200), TB test where applicable, document translation, immigration solicitor fees, postage and travel to visa centres. These add £200-£600 per application in typical cases.
How UK visa fees actually work
The headline application fee published on gov.uk is rarely the total a household pays. Five separate charges add together for most work and study routes: the Home Office application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge, the priority service uplift if selected, the biometric enrolment charge where it applies, and a duplicate of the first three for every dependant on the application. Visitor routes skip IHS but add a per-year cost band that the calculator handles by duration.
The 9 April 2025 fee uplift raised most work-route fees by 5 to 8 percent and the IHS rate rose to £1,035 per year of leave for adults and £776 for under-18s in February 2024. Both rates are read directly into the calculator above. Figures are current as of the date stamped at the top of this page and will be refreshed when the next fee instrument is laid before Parliament.
Why the IHS is the largest single line item
For a Skilled Worker visa granted for three years with one dependant, the IHS alone comes to £6,210 (£1,035 multiplied by three years for the main applicant plus £1,035 multiplied by three years for the dependant). That figure is paid upfront with the application, not yearly. Compare it to the Skilled Worker application fee itself at £719 per person (inside UK, shortage occupation rate) and the IHS dominates the bill by roughly 4 to 1.
The IHS is refundable in specific circumstances: if the application is withdrawn before a decision, if leave is refused, or if the applicant leaves the UK before the granted leave period ends. The refund covers full IHS years not used. Details and the application form are on the gov.uk IHS refund page linked in the Sources footer below.
Inside-UK versus outside-UK fees
Most work and family routes carry a higher fee for applications made from inside the UK than from outside. The premium reflects the cost of in-country processing and biometric handling. For the Skilled Worker route the inside-UK extension fee runs about £200 higher per person than the equivalent outside-UK entry clearance fee for the same duration band. The calculator applies the correct figure based on the location dropdown.
Priority service: when it is worth paying for
Standard processing for outside-UK applications runs three to eight weeks depending on visa type and country. Priority service compresses that to five working days for an added £500, and super priority to the next working day for an added £1,000. Both add-ons are per applicant, not per family. For a worker with a sponsored job start date pinned to a quarter-end and a partner plus two children on the application, super priority across the family adds £4,000 to the bill on top of the base fees.
Dependants and the cost compounding effect
Every dependant pays a full application fee plus full IHS at the same rate as the main applicant, except that under-18s pay the lower £776 IHS rate. A Skilled Worker visa granted for five years to a couple with two children carries an IHS bill of £5,175 + £5,175 + £3,880 + £3,880, totalling £18,110 in IHS before the application fees are added. The calculator above models that compounding directly.
Fees not included in the calculator
Several costs land outside the Home Office fee schedule and so outside the calculator total. Budget for these separately:
- Biometric enrolment at the visa application centre (£19.20 where charged, free for in-country super-priority appointments at certain centres)
- Approved Secure English Language Test if not exempt (£150 to £200 depending on provider)
- Tuberculosis test certificate for applicants from listed countries (£70 to £130)
- Document translation by an accredited translator (£15 to £40 per page)
- Travel and overnight stays for visa centre appointments where the nearest centre is in another city or country
- Immigration solicitor or OISC adviser fees if used (£800 to £3,500 for a standard work visa application)
For applicants from countries without a UK visa application centre in-country, the travel cost to the nearest centre frequently runs higher than the application fee itself.
Important
Fee figures change at most twice a year and are set by the Home Office under the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations. The calculator above uses figures current at the date stamped at the top of this page. For applications dated more than 60 days after that date, verify against the latest UK Visas and Immigration fee schedule on gov.uk before transferring funds.
Frequently asked questions
Is the UK visa application fee refundable?
The application fee itself is not refunded if a visa is refused. It is refunded if the application is withdrawn before the Home Office begins processing. The Immigration Health Surcharge is refunded in full if leave is refused, and pro-rated if the holder leaves the UK before the leave end date.
Do dependants pay the same fee as the main applicant?
Dependants pay the same Home Office application fee as the main applicant on most work routes. Dependant children pay the lower IHS rate of £776 per year. There is no family discount: each person on the application is a separate fee event.
Does the calculator include the biometric enrolment fee?
No. The biometric enrolment fee of £19.20 is charged separately at the visa application centre and is not included in the figures above. For super-priority appointments at certain in-country centres, the biometric capture is included in the priority fee. The exclusion is flagged in the footnote under the calculator.
Why is the inside-UK fee higher than the outside-UK fee?
The Home Office charges a premium on in-country applications to reflect the processing and biometric handling cost. The premium is set in the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations and currently runs about £200 higher per person on most work routes. The calculator applies the correct rate based on the location dropdown.
How often do UK visa fees change?
Fee changes are typically introduced once a year in April, with occasional out-of-cycle adjustments. IHS rate changes happen separately and were last raised in February 2024 to the current £1,035 adult / £776 under-18 levels. Both schedules are published on gov.uk before they take effect.
Sources
- UK Visas and Immigration fee schedule (gov.uk)
- Immigration Health Surcharge rates and exemptions (gov.uk)
- IHS refund process (gov.uk)
- Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Priority and super-priority visa service (gov.uk)
Disclaimer: The figures on this page are estimates based on the Home Office fee schedule current at the date shown. Kael Tripton Ltd is not authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the OISC, or the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide immigration advice. For application-specific advice consult a regulated immigration adviser. Always verify fees against the current gov.uk schedule before transferring funds.
