Wondering what a UK visa really costs from Thailand? This page lists every 2026 government fee plainly, explains the UK NHS health fee (IHS) and the extra tests, and shows the difference between money you pay and money you only have to show — then works out your all-in total in baht.
The cost of a UK visa has two parts that people often mix up: the money you actually pay, and the money you only have to show. What you pay is the government application fee, the UK NHS health fee (IHS) on most longer visas, any tests, optional VFS services, and our service fee.
What you show is savings or income that proves you can support yourself — that money stays in your account. This page sets out the 2026 fees for every main visa, explains the health fee and the extras in plain words, works through a real spouse-visa example, and points you to a calculator that adds everything up in baht.
These are the fees the UK government charges to apply, by visa type. They do not include the NHS health fee, tests, VFS options, or our service fee — those are explained below.
Figures are for applications made from outside the UK, in pounds; the calculator further down converts everything to baht.
| Visa type | What it is for | Government fee |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor — 6 months | Tourism, family, short business | £135 |
| Visitor — 2 years | Many visits, 6 months each | £506 |
| Visitor — 5 years | Many visits, 6 months each | £903 |
| Visitor — 10 years | Many visits, 6 months each | £1,128 |
| Student | Study at a UK school, college or university | £558 |
| Skilled Worker — up to 3 years | A UK job offer (Certificate of Sponsorship) | £819 |
| Skilled Worker — over 3 years | A UK job offer (Certificate of Sponsorship) | £1,618 |
| Spouse / Partner | Joining a husband, wife or partner in the UK | £2,064 |
| Fiancé(e) | To marry in the UK, then switch to a spouse visa | £2,064 |
Fees from the gov.uk fees table (8 April 2026), applied for from outside the UK. The skilled worker fee can be lower (about £628 / £1,235) for jobs on the Immigration Salary List. The fiancé(e) visa pays no NHS fee at entry because it is under 6 months; you pay the NHS fee later when you switch to a spouse visa. Always confirm current figures on gov.uk.
On almost every visa longer than 6 months you also pay a health fee called the UK NHS health fee (IHS). It lets you use the UK's National Health Service while your visa lasts. It is £1,035 a year for adults and £776 a year for children and students, paid up front for the whole length of the visa.
Important: the NHS fee is charged per 6-month block, and any part-year over 6 months counts as a whole year — so a 33-month (2 years 9 months) spouse grant is charged as 3 full years. Visitors (tourists) do NOT pay it.
This is often the largest single cost: a 5-year skilled worker visa, for example, means £1,035 × 5 = £5,175 of health fee on top of the application fee. If your application is refused, the health fee is refunded in full.
A part-year over 6 months counts as a whole year — so a 33-month spouse grant is charged 3 full years of NHS fee, about £3,105 paid up front.
The spouse/partner visa is the route most people underestimate, because the NHS health fee is paid for the whole entry grant up front. The first (entry) grant from outside the UK lasts 33 months (2 years 9 months).
That part-year counts as 3 years of NHS fee, so the NHS fee at entry is about £3,105 (£1,035 × 3), paid in one go. Here is the typical government cost for one adult applying from Thailand:
| Item | Cost (GBP) |
|---|---|
| Application fee (from outside the UK) | £2,064 |
| NHS health fee (IHS) for the 33-month entry grant (counts as 3 years) | ≈ £3,105 |
| English test (basic A1 level) — approx in baht | ≈ ฿5,800 |
| TB (tuberculosis) test — approx in baht | ≈ ฿3,800 |
| Government charges at entry (fee + NHS) | ≈ £5,169 |
So the spouse visa is roughly £5,169 in UK government charges at entry for one adult — about ฿225,000 at an indicative rate — before the small tests in baht and our separate service fee. Later, to extend and then to settle, you pay further fees and more NHS fee.
Adding a child to the application adds the child's own application fee plus £776 a year of NHS fee. The calculator below builds your exact figure.
Indicative baht figures use a sample rate; your card or bank will charge more. NHS-fee rounding (part-years over 6 months counting as a full year) confirmed on the gov.uk healthcare-surcharge page. Confirm current figures on gov.uk.
If your spouse or children join you on a student or worker visa, each person is a separate applicant. As a rule each dependant pays the same government application fee as the main applicant, plus their own NHS health fee for the same length of visa — £1,035 a year for an adult partner, £776 a year for a child.
There is no family discount. For example, a worker on a 3-year visa bringing a partner and one child pays three application fees and three lots of NHS fee (the child's at the lower £776 rate).
No family discount — each person pays in full.
Children are exempt from the English test. Use the calculator to add dependants and see the combined baht total.
When you attend the VFS visa centre in Bangkok or Chiang Mai to give your fingerprints and photo, you will be offered optional paid extras. None of them is required — a standard appointment with no add-ons is free. The common options are:
| Optional service | What you get | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Premium lounge | Faster, quieter service in a separate area | ≈ ฿4,000 |
| Prime time appointment | Early-morning or weekend slot | ≈ ฿3,850 |
| Document scanning help | Staff scan and upload your papers for you | ≈ ฿880 |
| Passport courier return | Passport posted back so you don't collect in person | ≈ ฿480 |
There is also a 'keep my passport while you wait' option at some centres, so you keep your passport during processing, and SMS or photo services.
For the decision itself, two faster-decision services exist, paid to the UK government, not VFS: Priority at about £500, which for family/settlement applications from outside the UK usually targets a decision within about 30 working days; and Super Priority at about £1,000, which aims for the next working day.
Super Priority is generally framed as an inside-the-UK option and is not always offered for out-of-country settlement, so check availability in Thailand first. If the Home Office asks for more information, the faster clock can pause, and the priority fee is usually not refunded for ordinary delays.
*Super Priority is usually an inside-the-UK option and not always offered for out-of-country settlement — check availability in Thailand first.
VFS prices change often — confirm the current list on the VFS Global Thailand website.
VFS optional-service prices are indicative, from third-party listings, and change without notice — check the official VFS Global Thailand portal. Priority/Super Priority fees and timings from the gov.uk 'Get a faster decision' guidance. Confirm on gov.uk.
Some visas need an English test, taken at an approved centre in Thailand — roughly ฿5,800 to ฿6,800 for the basic A1/A2/B1 level used by partner visas, and around ฿7,710 to ฿9,100 for the higher 4-skills level used by skilled worker visas. Visitor and student visas usually do not need this separate test.
A TB (tuberculosis) test is needed for any UK stay over 6 months and costs about ฿2,350 to ฿4,000. In Thailand the only UKVI-approved provider is IOM Bangkok (Migration Health Assessment Centre, Silom Road); the chest X-ray is done at Bangkok Christian Hospital.
The certificate must come from this approved provider, or it is rejected, and it is valid for 6 months. Visitors staying under 6 months do not need it; fiancé(e) applicants do need it even though that visa is short.
This is the point that confuses people the most. Money you PAY is gone — the application fee, the NHS health fee, the tests, VFS options, and our service fee.
Money you must SHOW is different: it is savings or income that proves you can support yourself in the UK, and it stays in your bank account. For example, a partner visa asks you to show £29,000 a year of income, or savings of £88,500 if you rely on savings alone — but you do not hand that money over, you simply keep it and prove it.
A student must show living costs of about £1,171 a month outside London or £1,529 a month in London. So a visa can look very expensive when you add the show money, even though what you actually pay is far less. The figures below sum up the difference.
Show-money is never handed over: a partner visa asks you to show £29,000 income or £88,500 in savings — but that money stays in your own account.
Leaves your account — you never get it back (except a refused NHS fee).
Stays in your account — you prove it, you never hand it over.
| Money you PAY (spent) | Money you must SHOW (stays yours) |
|---|---|
| Application fee · NHS health fee · English test · TB test · VFS options · priority fee · our service fee | Partner income £29,000/yr or savings £88,500 · student living costs £1,171–£1,529/month · worker maintenance £1,270 — all kept in your account, never handed over |
A big 2026 change: when you are approved you no longer get a sticker (called a vignette) glued into your passport. The UK has moved to a digital visa, the eVisa. After the decision you receive an email and set up a free UKVI account on gov.uk, where your visa is held online.
To prove your status to an airline, employer or landlord, you sign in and generate a 'share code'. Your passport is returned to you with no visa sticker in it, so do not expect one — the absence of a sticker does not mean you were refused.
There is nothing extra to pay for the eVisa or the UKVI account.
Thai passport holders are 'visa nationals', which means they must get a full visa to enter the UK. The £20 Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is only for travellers from countries that do not need a visa — it does NOT apply to Thai nationals.
So for a short trip you pay the £135 Standard Visitor visa, not the cheaper ETA. Be careful with online ads that suggest otherwise.
Use the calculator below to build your own total.
Pick the visa you want, add dependants and any options like certified translation, and it adds the government fee, the NHS health fee where it applies, and our service fee — shown in pounds and indicative baht, so there are no surprises at checkout.
You pay the government fee and the NHS health fee when you submit the online application, before your appointment.
To avoid rushing, work backwards from your travel or start date — the planner below shows when to begin preparing.
Our service fee is only for the admin work: completing your forms, translating and organising your documents, checking your pack against the published gov.uk rules, and booking your VFS appointment. It is completely separate from the government fees on this page, which you always pay directly to the UK government.
We never add a mark-up to a government fee, and the calculator keeps the two clearly apart. This is document preparation, translation and booking — not legal advice — and we never assess your chances. Only the Home Office decides the outcome.
Last reviewed: June 2026. This page is general information based on public gov.uk sources, not regulated immigration advice. UK government fees change — always confirm the current figures on gov.uk before you pay.
Tell us which visa you need and we'll come back with a clear plan and a price — no obligation.
Your details are kept private (PDPA / UK-GDPR). General information, not regulated immigration advice.
