UK Ancestry Visa

1. Residence permit60 months
2. Renew60 months at a time
3. Permanent residencyafter 5 years
4. Citizenshipafter 6 years

• Permanent residency 5 years
• Citizenship 6 years
• Dual citizenship allowed
• Language required for citizenship B1

Country

United Kingdom

Program

UK Ancestry Visa

Type

Ancestry

Status

Active

Initial duration

60 months

Renewable

Yes (60 mo)

Five-year visa for a Commonwealth citizen aged 17 or over who has a grandparent born in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or in Ireland before 31 March 1922. It allows employment and self-employment. It can be extended for further periods of five years, and settlement is possible after five years.

Tax regime

Worldwide

Regime name

2026-27 main rates 20%, 40% and 45%

Foreign income taxed

Yes

Capital gains taxed

Yes

Method

online

Processing time

21–56 days

Apply from abroad

Yes

Generational limit

2 generations

Ancestor must have been citizen

No

The entry-clearance fee is £726 per person, about USD 960. An in-UK extension is £1,407 per person, about USD 1,861. The public guide prices the visa at £726 and prices each extension applicant at £1,407. It does not publish a lower child fee. USD figures use the Bank of England sterling spot rate of 8 October 2026, £1 = 1.3226 USD. The 9 October rate was not on that table yet. The Immigration Health Surcharge is separate. Adults pay £1,035 a year, so a five-year grant is £5,175, about USD 6,844. Applicants under 18 pay £776 a year, which is £3,880 over five years. The surcharge is how the holder accesses the NHS. It is not private health insurance. An extension charges the surcharge again for the full new five years, even if the holder will qualify for settlement soon after. There is no fixed savings or income figure. The applicant must be able to maintain and accommodate themselves and any dependants without public funds. Credible third-party support can be counted. Bank evidence must be dated within 31 days of the application. The applicant must be able to work and must intend to seek and take employment in the UK. That work can be employed or self-employed, full-time or part-time, paid or voluntary. Entry clearance has to be obtained before arrival. A person in the UK on another visa cannot switch into this route. The first grant and each extension are five years, and there is no cap on the number of extensions. A decision is usually made within three weeks from outside the UK and within eight weeks for an extension. Settlement on the standard service is usually decided within six months and costs £3,226 per person. Super priority for settlement is an extra £1,000. The applicant must be a Commonwealth citizen at entry and again at settlement. In the Immigration Rules, that includes a British overseas territories citizen, a British national (overseas), a British overseas citizen or a British subject, and a citizen of a country listed in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981. Zimbabwe left the Commonwealth in 2003 and remains on that schedule, so Zimbabwean citizens can still apply. The qualifying grandparent is a biological grandparent, or a grandparent through an adoption recognised in the UK. Birth in Ireland counts only if it was before 31 March 1922. Birth on a British-registered or British-government ship or aircraft can count. Step-parents do not count. The grandparent's own citizenship is not the test. A partner can be a spouse, a civil partner, or a partner in a relationship of at least two years. A child must be under 18 at the first grant, live with the applicant unless at boarding school, and not be married or have children. A child who is already a dependant can stay on the route after turning 18 if they are not living an independent life. Parents are not dependants. Dependants can work except as a professional sportsperson or coach. A partner or child can settle after five years on this route. Settlement also requires enough money to live without public funds, a continuing intention to work, and no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period. Applicants aged 18 to 64 need English and the Life in the UK test. English for settlement is B1 in speaking and listening before 26 March 2027, and B2 from that date. The visa itself has no English requirement. Citizenship proof remains available from B1. Naturalisation is usually six years from entry: five years to settlement, then 12 months of indefinite leave. A spouse or civil partner of a British citizen can apply after three years once they hold indefinite leave. Absences for naturalisation should not exceed 450 days in five years, or 90 days in the last 12 months. The citizenship fee is £1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee. The UK allows dual citizenship. A UK resident is taxed on worldwide income. For 2026-27 the main rates are 20%, 40% and 45%. Scotland sets its own rates on non-savings, non-dividend income. From 6 April 2026, capital gains tax is 18% or 24%, with a £3,000 annual exempt amount. Since 6 April 2025, a qualifying new resident can claim the foreign income and gains regime for up to four tax years after at least ten years of non-residence. The claim is optional and is not a feature of this visa. A proposed earned-settlement reform had not replaced the five-year rule on the pages checked.

1. Oct 10, 2026
   • Application fee (USD) 768 960

   replaced the combined 20-45% tax label with the 2026-27 main rates of 20%, 40% and 45% (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/11/part/1/crossheading/income-tax-charge-rates-and-allowances/enacted).