UK Spouse & Fiancé Visa from Bangladesh — Evidence Guide

Applicable visa categories

• Spouse or Civil Partner Visa (Family visa) (Appendix FM) — GOV.UK: usually a decision within 12 weeks when applying from outside the UK; can take longer, varies by case
• Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner Visa (6 months) (Appendix FM) — GOV.UK: usually a decision within 12 weeks when applying from outside the UK; can take longer, varies by case
• Unmarried Partner Visa (relationship of at least 2 years) (Appendix FM) — GOV.UK: usually a decision within 12 weeks when applying from outside the UK; can take longer, varies by case

What is different for Bangladeshi applicants

• TB certificate: Bangladesh is on the Immigration Rules list of countries where a tuberculosis test is required. If you have been living in Bangladesh for 6 months or more and were still there within the 6 months before you apply, you need a certificate from a Home Office-approved clinic (GOV.UK lists clinics in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet), issued within the 6 months before your application. This applies to fiancé(e) applicants too, even though that visa lasts 6 months.
• English language: Bangladesh is not on the Appendix FM list of majority English-speaking countries, so unless an exemption applies (for example, age 65 or over, or a disability that prevents it) the applicant needs either a Secure English Language Test (SELT) pass in speaking and listening at CEFR A1 or above, taken at an approved centre within the 2 years before applying, or a degree taught in English (confirmed by Ecctis if not awarded by a UK institution). The Home Office list of approved SELT centres outside the UK includes centres in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet.
• Financial requirement: first-time partner applicants usually need to show gross income of at least £29,000 a year, qualifying cash savings, or a mix, evidenced in the form Appendix FM-SE specifies. The applicant’s own earnings from a job in Bangladesh do not count, because Appendix FM-SE only counts an applicant’s employment income if they are in the UK and working legally; the UK partner’s overseas earnings count only in the circumstances Appendix FM sets out for a partner returning to the UK with the applicant.
• Marriage records: every marriage solemnized under Muslim law in Bangladesh must be registered by a licensed Nikah Registrar under the Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Registration) Act 1974, and the Registrar gives the parties an attested copy of the register entry. Appendix FM-SE accepts evidence of a marriage outside the UK that is a reasonable equivalent of the UK evidence it lists and valid under local law, and GOV.UK asks for a certified translation of any document not in English or Welsh.

Document authentication (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh's accession to the Hague Apostille Convention took effect on 30 March 2025, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now issues QR-coded e-Apostilles online. Twelve Contracting States objected to the accession, including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and France, and the Convention does not apply between Bangladesh and those states.

Issuing authority: Ministry of Foreign Affairs — e-Apostille (MOFA Bangladesh).

Civil documents commonly required

• Birth Registration Certificate (জন্ম নিবন্ধন সনদ, BRC) with a 17-digit Birth Registration Number (BRN)
• Marriage certificate (Nikah Nama) from the Nikah Registrar under the Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Registration) Act, 1974; Hindu marriages can be registered under the Hindu Marriage Registration Act, 2012
• National Identity Card (NID)
• Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) from Bangladesh Police, applied for online

Official form guides

• FLR (M): Extend your stay in the UK as a partner or dependent child
• SET(M): Settle in the UK as the partner of a person, or parent of a child, who is in the UK and settled here

Common refusal grounds at British High Commission Dhaka

• Relationship requirements not met: the decision maker is not satisfied that the relationship is genuine and subsisting (Appendix FM E-ECP.2.6) or that the couple have met in person (E-ECP.2.5). Home Office guidance says not having met in person can be the sole ground for refusal.
• Financial requirement (E-ECP.3.1) not met or not evidenced in the form Appendix FM-SE specifies, for example payslips or bank statements missing for the required period, savings not held for the full 6 months before applying, or reliance on income that does not count, such as the applicant’s earnings in Bangladesh.
• English language requirement (E-ECP.4.1) not met, for example a test that is not an approved SELT, was not taken at an approved test centre, or was taken more than 2 years before the application.
• TB certificate requirement not met: Appendix TB says a covered applicant must provide a valid certificate from a Home Office-approved clinic, issued within the 6 months before the application. The decision maker may waive it only if satisfied the applicant cannot obtain one and a waiver is reasonable on the facts of the case.
• Suitability: false representations, false documents or information, or not disclosing relevant facts can lead to refusal under Part Suitability, and a document the decision maker has reasonable cause to doubt and cannot verify as genuine is discounted (Appendix FM GEN.1.5).

What officers scrutinize on this corridor

• Official documents first: the Home Office’s Appendix FM caseworker guidance puts the marriage certificate, joint bank statements, tenancy agreements, and utility or council tax bills in Tier 1, its most valued relationship evidence.
• Ongoing commitment while living apart: for couples who cannot live together because of work, study or cultural reasons, GOV.UK asks for evidence that you communicate regularly, support each other financially, care for any children you have together, and spend time together as a couple, for example on holiday or at events.
• Message transcripts, photographs, flight tickets and holiday booking confirmations are listed as Tier 3, the least valued tier, in the same guidance. They can help show contact and visits over time, but carry less weight than Tier 1 documents.
• Certified English translations of any document that is not in English or Welsh, such as chat excerpts in Bangla or a marriage register entry written in Bangla; the caseworker guidance says decision makers cannot verify or accept documents as supporting evidence without English translations.
• Recent evidence: GOV.UK asks for relationship evidence from the government, a bank, landlord, utility provider or medical professional that is less than 4 years old, and the caseworker guidance lists documents more than 4 years old as Tier 3.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• GOV.UK — Family visa: apply as a partner or spouse
• GOV.UK — Financial requirements for partners
• GOV.UK — Family visa: information and evidence you must provide
• GOV.UK — Family visa: knowledge of English
• Immigration Rules — Appendix FM: family members
• Immigration Rules — Appendix FM-SE: specified evidence
• Home Office — Family life (as a partner or parent) and exceptional circumstances (caseworker guidance)
• Immigration Rules — Appendix Tuberculosis (TB)
• GOV.UK — Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants
• GOV.UK — Bangladesh: TB test clinics for a UK visa
• GOV.UK — Secure English Language Tests (SELT)
• GOV.UK — Find a visa application centre
• GOV.UK — Visa processing times: applications outside the UK
• GOV.UK — Faster decisions when applying from outside the UK
• Immigration Rules — Part Suitability
• British High Commission Dhaka
• HCCH — Apostille Convention status table
• HCCH — Objections to Bangladesh’s accession
• HCCH — Bangladesh competent authority (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Bangladesh Laws — Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Registration) Act 1974

Related corridors

• UK Spouse Visa from Pakistan — UK Spouse Visa evidence guide for Pakistani applicants — Union Council MRC, VFS Global VAC, TB test, £29,000 financial requirement.
• UK Spouse Visa from India — UK Spouse Visa evidence guide for Indian applicants — VFS Global VACs, TB test, translations, financial requirement.
• UK Spouse & Fiancé Visa from the Philippines — UK spouse, partner and fiancé(e) family-visa evidence guide for Filipino applicants — financial requirement, English test, CFO certificate, PSA documents.
• UK Spouse & Fiancé Visa from Thailand — UK Spouse, Fiancé(e) & Unmarried Partner visa evidence guide for Thai applicants — A1 English test, TB certificate, district-office marriage registration, VFS Global.
• UK Spouse & Fiancé Visa from the USA — UK spouse, fiancé(e) and unmarried-partner visa guide for American applicants — no English test, income rules for returning British partners, visitor-switching limits.