Ancestry Visa

You can apply for a UK Ancestry visa if you satisfy both eligibility and ancestry requirement. You can stay in the UK for 5 years on this visa.

Eligibility

•     You are a Commonwealth citizen

•     You are able and planning to work in the UK

•     You are 17 or over

•     You have enough money without help from public funds to support and house yourself and any dependants

•     You can and plan to work in the UK

Ancestry

You have a grandparent born in one of the following circumstances:

•     in the UK,

•     in the Channel Islands

•      in the Isle of Man

•     In Ireland only if they were born before 31 March 1922

•     on a ship or aircraft that was either registered in the UK or belonged to the UK government

You can claim ancestry if:

•     you were legally adopted by someone who has a parent born in the UK and Islands

•     your parent was legally adopted by someone born in the UK and Islands

•     your parents or grandparents were not married

You cannot claim UK ancestry through step-parents where no legal adoption has taken place.

Commonwealth

You must be a Commonwealth citizen on the date when the application is valid. You must prove this with a valid passport or travel document issued by a Commonwealth country.

You do not have to have been a Commonwealth citizen from birth – you can qualify if, for example, you have recently naturalised as a Commonwealth citizen.

A Commonwealth citizens means a citizen of a country listed in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981 for the purposes of the UK Ancestry route.

Specific Countries

For any application considered on or after 1 February 2020, a Maldives citizen will meet the Commonwealth citizenship requirement.

Zimbabwe remains on the list of Commonwealth countries in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981 and it is continued to accept applications on the UK Ancestry route from citizens of Zimbabwe.

For nationals of Cyprus and Malta, they are eligible to apply on the UK Ancestry Route if the application is for entry clearance, and is submitted before 11 pm on 31 December 2020. An application for permission to stay from a national of Cyprus or Malta (or any other European Economic Area (EEA) country) submitted under Appendix UK Ancestry before 11 pm on 31 December 2020 is invalid and must be rejected. Applications from nationals of Cyprus or Malta submitted after the end of the implementation period must generally be considered in the same way as applications from any other nationality.

Your dependant

You dependant can apply to join you in the UK if they are eligible.

A ‘dependant’ is any of the following:

•     your partner

•     your child under 18

•     your child aged 18 or over who was previously on your or your partner's visa as a dependant

Your partner

You must be able to prove one of the following:

•     you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK

•     you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply

Your child

They must:

•     live with you (unless they’re in full time education at boarding school, college or university)

•     not be married, in a civil partnership or have any children

•     be supported by you without using public funds

Fees

A UK Ancestry visa costs £516.

Questions

Can I extend my visa?
You can apply to extend your visa and stay in the UK for a further 5 years. You must apply before your current visa expires.

You can extend this visa as many times as you like, as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.

Can I apply for settlement with this visa?
Yes you apply to settle in the UK permanently if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years on this visa.