One dated, gov.uk-sourced guide to everything that changed for UK visas in 2026 — the 8 April fee rise (in pounds and indicative baht), the eVisa that replaced passport stickers, the IHS that stayed the same, the £29,000 partner income held and the £38,700 rise that is paused — plus the one correction nobody gets right: Thai nationals need a full visa, NOT an ETA.
Written & reviewed by Sunaree Ko, Founder · Sourced from GOV.UK
Last updated: 22 June 2026. General information from public gov.uk sources — not regulated immigration advice. Government fees and rules change; confirm the current figures on gov.uk before you apply.
UK visas changed in several ways in 2026, and stale figures are everywhere online. Here is the whole year on one page, dated and gov.uk-sourced, with every fee in pounds and indicative baht. For the full route-by-route fee table see our 2026 UK visa fees hub.
Three dates drive 2026. Each node below shows the date, what changed and who it affects; the full detail is in the sections that follow.
| Date | What changed | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Feb 2026 | eVisa fully replaces passport vignette stickers for visitor applicants; airline 'no permission, no travel' checks. | All new applicants (digital status). |
| 8 Apr 2026 | Visa application fees rose about 6–7% across most routes. | Everyone applying on or after this date. |
| ~30 Jun 2026 | UKVI-account migration deadline for physical-card (BRP) holders. | BRP holders already in the UK — not most new Thai applicants. |
Dates from gov.uk (eVisa, fees and UKVI-account guidance). The ~30 June 2026 date is widely cited but should be confirmed on gov.uk. Last reviewed June 2026.
The biggest change is money. From 8 April 2026 most UK visa application fees rose by roughly 6–7%. The table below gives the new fee for each main route, in pounds and indicative baht, and whether the NHS health fee (IHS) is paid on top. Every pound figure is from the gov.uk 8 April 2026 fees table.
| Route | Validity | New fee £ (8 Apr 2026) | New fee ฿ (approx) | IHS on top? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Visitor | 6 months | £135 | ≈ ฿5,900 | No |
| Standard Visitor | 2 / 5 / 10 years | £506 / £903 / £1,128 | ≈ ฿22,000 / ฿39,300 / ฿49,100 | No |
| Spouse / Partner (entry) | 33-month entry | £2,064 | ≈ ฿89,800 | Yes — large |
| Spouse / Partner (in-country FLR-M) | Extension | £1,321 | ≈ ฿57,500 | Yes |
| Student | Course length | £558 | ≈ ฿24,300 | Yes — £776/yr |
| Short-term study | 6–11 months | £228 | ≈ ฿9,900 | No |
| Skilled Worker | Up to 3 yrs / over 3 yrs | £819 / £1,618 | ≈ ฿35,600 / ฿70,400 | Yes — £1,035/yr |
| Skilled Worker (ISL discount) | Up to 3 yrs / over 3 yrs | £628 / £1,235 | ≈ ฿27,300 / ฿53,700 | Yes |
| Transit / ETA | Short / per trip | £74.50 / £20 | ≈ ฿3,240 / ฿870 | No (ETA not for Thais) |
All fees from the gov.uk Home Office fees table (8 April 2026), applied for from outside the UK. The Skilled Worker fee is lower (£628 / £1,235) for Immigration Salary List (ISL) jobs. The ETA (£20) is shown for context only — Thai nationals are not eligible for it. Baht is indicative at ~฿43.5/£1. The settlement (ILR) fee is not in our source list — confirm it on gov.uk. Last reviewed June 2026.
What did NOT go up: the IHS is unchanged (£1,035 adult / £776 student-child), the partner income requirement is unchanged (£29,000), and priority (£500) / super priority (£1,000) are unchanged. Don't let the fee rise make you think the health fee or income rule also jumped — they didn't.
The fee you are charged is the rate in force on the date you submit and pay — not the date a decision is made. Because 8 April 2026 has now passed, the new rates apply to every current application, so there is nothing to 'beat' by rushing. The practical takeaway is simpler: if a Thai blog quotes a lower figure, it is almost certainly pre-April and out of date. Confirm the live fee on gov.uk, and use the calculator below to convert it to baht.
UK visa fees are set under powers in the Immigration Act 2014, which lets the Home Office price applications above the administrative cost of processing them. That is why UK fees are several times higher than many peer countries. It is a policy choice, not an error in the figures you see.
The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) did not change in 2026. It is £1,035 a year for adults and £776 a year for students and under-18s, paid up front for the whole length of the visa and rounded up by 6-month blocks. Visitors and transit applicants are exempt, and the IHS is refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn. What surprises people is not the rate but how it multiplies across the years of a long visa.
| Application fee (from outside the UK) | £2,064 ≈ ฿89,800 |
| IHS — 33 months rounds up to 3 years × £1,035 | ≈ £3,105 ≈ ฿135,100 |
| Government charges alone | ≈ £5,169 ≈ ฿224,900 |
That £5,169 is before the TB test, an English test, certified translation and any VFS options. The IHS (£3,105) is bigger than the fee itself — and is refunded if the application is refused. Baht is indicative at ~฿43.5/£1.
For the full all-in totals on every route — fee, IHS, tests and translation in baht — see our complete UK visa cost in baht guide.
UK immigration status is now digital. From 25 February 2026 successful visitor-visa applicants no longer get a vignette sticker in their passport (entry-clearance applications stopped getting one from 15 July 2025). Instead your status is held as an eVisa in a free UKVI account on gov.uk. You prove it with a share code — a 16-character code, valid 90 days — that you give to airlines, employers or landlords. The eVisa replaces both the old vignette and the physical Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). From 25 February 2026, airline 'no permission, no travel' checks rely on this digital record.
| New Thai applicant (in Thailand) | Already in the UK on a BRP |
|---|---|
| You get a fresh eVisa on your first grant — no sticker, no BRP. You create your UKVI account from the post-decision email. The ~30 June 2026 deadline mostly does NOT apply to you. | You must create a UKVI account to move your existing status from the physical card to an eVisa, before the migration deadline below. |
eVisa and UKVI-account context from the gov.uk eVisa page. Vignette/BRP dates are medium-confidence — confirm on gov.uk. Last reviewed June 2026.
The steps are the same digital process for everyone:
This deadline is aimed at people who hold (or held) a physical BRP card and need to migrate to a digital eVisa. BRP cards can generally be used up to their printed expiry while the migration window runs. A brand-new Thai applicant who has never had a BRP is not racing this deadline — you receive an eVisa from your first grant. Treat the exact date as widely-cited but to be confirmed on gov.uk. The VFS step-by-step guide covers the biometrics and eVisa journey.
This is the area with the most misinformation on Thai pages, so here it is plainly. The partner financial requirement is still £29,000 a year (gross) for spouse, fiancé and family-partner routes. For a new applicant — anyone whose first application is on or after 11 April 2024 — the £29,000 figure is flat and does not increase for any children. If you cannot meet it from income, the savings-only route is £88,500. These are gov.uk figures, stated for information, not an assessment of any case.
Rumoured vs in-force: the staged rise £29,000 → £34,500 → £38,700 was paused. The Migration Advisory Committee reported on 10 June 2025 advising against the £38,700 alignment and recommending a lower range (around £23,000–£28,000). As of June 2026 nothing is implemented — £38,700 is NOT in force, and £29,000 still applies.
The £18,600 figure still circulating on Thai pages is the old base that was replaced by £29,000 on 11 April 2024. It only survives for those whose first successful partner application (with the same partner) was before that date. A Thai applicant applying fresh now is a new applicant under the £29,000 flat rule. The neutral checker below lets you compare your situation against the published evidence types — it shows options, not a pass or fail. For the rule in full, see the £29,000 income requirement explained and the spouse visa hub.
Thailand is NOT on the gov.uk ETA-eligible list, so Thai passport holders cannot use the £20 Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). For a short trip you apply for a full Standard Visitor visa (£135). The ETA is a lighter pre-travel permission for some other nationalities; travel ads and older blogs sometimes blur the two. Always check 'do I need a UK visa' on gov.uk for your own passport.
Here is what 2026 actually means for the four most common Thai applicant types. Each row links to the route page for the full requirements.
| Applicant type | What 2026 means for you | Route page |
|---|---|---|
| Thai visitor | Fee now £135; no IHS; eVisa not a sticker; you need a visa, not an ETA. | UK Standard Visitor visa (£135) |
| Thai spouse of a UK sponsor | Fee now £2,064; income £29,000 unchanged (£38,700 paused); IHS for the 33-month grant; eVisa. | UK spouse visa requirements & cost |
| Thai student | Fee now £558; IHS £776/yr; maintenance £1,529 (London) / £1,171 (outside) a month for up to 9 months. | UK student visa cost & documents |
| Thai worker (Skilled Worker) | Fee from £819; salary floor £41,700 (or £33,400 discounted); B2 English from 8 Jan 2026; IHS £1,035/yr. | UK Skilled Worker visa fees |
Figures from gov.uk (fees table 8 April 2026; student maintenance; Skilled Worker salary & English level). Baht indicative at ~฿43.5/£1. The £33,400 discounted floor and the B2 English level apply to new/switching Skilled Worker applicants. Last reviewed June 2026.
Not sure which route is yours? Our router can point you the right way — it suggests options, never a single verdict.
Every figure on this page traces back to gov.uk. Use these official pages to confirm the current rules before you apply — fees and dates can change after our last review.
We are a document-assistance service: document preparation, certified Thai→English translation and VFS appointment booking. We are not solicitors or IAA-registered advisers, and we do not give regulated immigration advice or assess anyone's eligibility or chances. For appeals, refusals or whether a rule applies to your case, speak to an IAA-registered adviser or a solicitor. Start your free document check or get a quote below.
Last reviewed: 22 June 2026. This page is general information based on public gov.uk sources, not regulated immigration advice. Government fees, the IHS, dates and exchange rates change — always confirm the current pound figures on gov.uk before you apply or pay. The pound figure is the source of truth; the baht is an approximate conversion at ~฿43.5/£1.
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Sunaree founded UK Visa From Thailand and writes and reviews the guides on this site. We're a document-preparation and certified-translation service — not a law firm and not IAA-registered — and every figure here is sourced from GOV.UK. Read Sunaree's full bio →
