Healthcare surcharge question

Hi all,
So since I'm applying as a fiancee and not a spouse, but still applying with the "apply to join family" visa...do I need to pay the healthcare surcharge for that visa or just when I apply for my FLR-M?

I've been told I won't have health insurance while I'm there on the "fiancee" visa so not sure why I would need to pay the surcharge. I just want to make sure I don't NOT get it and then my visa gets denied.

No, there is no IHS surcharge for a fiancé visa because only visas valid for more than 6 months have to pay it.

However, that means that until you have your FLR(M) you will not be entitled to any free NHS care... you will have to pay for any treatment you have.

So you MUST purchase private health insurance to cover you until you have the FLR(M) - and you should show this when you apply for the visa. If you get treatment and do not have health insurance you will be charged 150% of the cost of your treatment.

Note: the NHS is not health insurance, it is universal healthcare. The IHS surcharge is therefore not a charge for insurance but it is a 'contribution' towards your healthcare so that you don't have to pay for any of it at point of service.

Therefore because you are not entitled to healthcare on a fiancé visa, you must have health insurance until you can qualify for NHS care.




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Also, if the IHS surcharge is required, it will prompt you to pay it when you apply online.

As you are applying for a fiance visa, there is no surcharge to pay, and therefore you will not be prompted to pay it. If it tells you to pay it, that means you have selected the wrong visa type and will need to go back and start again.

For a fiance visa, you select: Settlement -> Settlement -> Marriage as the visa type

If it was a spousal visa, you would select: Settlement -> Settlement -> Wife (or Husband)

Thanks for the info.

We're applying within the next week or two depending on when my documents arrive, but I'm not leaving until July. Right now I'm covered under my job but won't be after the end of May. Do I need to purchase additional healthcare now to show documentation that I have it for the 6 months I'm not covered. I'd hate to pay for 3 extra months of travelers insurance that I don't need.

You should probably show you will have travel insurance... though I guess you could just state that you will purchase it when you get the visa and maybe print out an example policy that you plan to purchase.

Alternatively, normally you can specify the start date of your travel insurance when you purchase it - for example, you could buy it now and have it not start until July.


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Ok thanks,
Do you think they'll be particular about dates? The plan I'm looking at only goes up to 180 days which is exactly 6 months, so I have the dates set out at 10th July(my intended leave  date)-5th January 2017. I plan on applying for my FLR-M way before that but I can't know ahead of time the date they're going to give me that I can leave meaning that the end of the 6 months window could vary a bit.

No, I don't think they are particular about dates for insurance.  I don't even think it's a requirement to show you have it for the visa.  But you definitely WANT it, if you know what I mean.  Not having it could potentially prevent the FLR(M) visa from being approved.   

Yeah, it's not clear whether you have to show you have it for the fiancé visa application, so it may well be enough just to mention that you will purchase it when the visa has been approved - to show you know you need it.


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Thank you both,
I'm going to go ahead and get it now and use my intended travel date as the start of it. That way, it's sort of extra clarity as well that I want my visa to start on said date.

The fiancee sent me all the documents today, I should get them Monday. We've decided we're going to sit down and fill out the application on the 9th because I'm off that weekend! Eek! It's happening!

One more quick question about the biometrics....is that something I have to make an appointment for separately (so I could book it now in theory?) or is it part of the application that you can navigate to? And also with the priority processing and shipping, I've been to the VFS site. I can pay that after I've paid the visa fee and finished the application?

Biometrics can only be booked at the time of submitting and paying for the online application.

You can purchase the priority and shipping whenever you like though.


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Ok then

I've read on another post that there are some issues with the VFS website sooooo I'm going to wait on that and hopefully it sorts itself out.

Thanks again for all the help. Much appreciated.