UK immigration health surcharge: what it costs and when you pay

The immigration health surcharge (IHS) is a fee you pay as part of most UK visa applications, and it is separate from the visa application fee itself. The amount you pay depends on how long your visa lasts, and you must pay it for each person included in your application. The official pages confirm that the surcharge is required for Student visas and that the amount varies with visa length, but the exact per-year rate is not stated in the official guidance provided. You should check the current rate on the official GOV.UK immigration health surcharge page before you apply, because the figure changes and the official guidance does not give it.

What the immigration health surcharge is

The immigration health surcharge is a compulsory payment that sits alongside the visa fee when you apply to come to or stay in the UK. The GOV.UK Student visa guidance states that you “have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application” and that “how much you pay depends on how long your visa lasts.” It is not an optional extra, and it is not a deposit or a refundable payment.

The surcharge is charged per person. The Student visa page says: “You must pay the visa fee for each person that joins you,” and the same principle applies to the surcharge—if you include a partner or child as a dependant on your application, they each attract their own surcharge.

How the surcharge is calculated

The official guidance does not state a specific per-year or per-month figure for the immigration health surcharge. What it does make clear is the basis of the calculation:

• The amount depends on how long your visa lasts.
• You pay it as part of the application, not separately afterwards.
• It applies to Student visas, and the same structure applies to other categories.

The practical implication is that a longer visa means a higher surcharge. If you are applying for a Student visa for a course that lasts several years, you will pay more than someone applying for a shorter course. The exact figure is set by the Home Office and is subject to change, so you must verify it on the official page.

Where the surcharge appears in the application process

The surcharge is collected as part of the online application. You cannot pay the visa fee and defer the surcharge; both are required before your application is considered complete. The GOV.UK Student visa guidance lists the surcharge immediately after the visa fee, which signals that it is a standard component of the cost of applying.

For a Student visa, the visa fee itself is £558 whether you apply from inside or outside the UK. That figure is stated in the official guidance. The surcharge is additional to that £558 and is not included in it. So the total cost of a Student visa application is the £558 fee plus the surcharge, plus any other costs such as the tuberculosis test if required, the ATAS certificate if your course requires it, and the cost of biometric enrolment if applicable.

The surcharge for dependants

If you bring a partner or children as dependants on your visa, each of them also attracts the surcharge. The Student visa page says you “may be able to bring your partner and children (‘dependants’)” and that you must pay the visa fee for each person that joins you. The same logic applies to the surcharge—it is a per-person charge, not a per-application charge.

This matters for budgeting. A family of four applying together will pay four times the surcharge, on top of four times the visa fee. The official guidance does not give the exact surcharge amount, but it is explicit that the surcharge is part of the application cost and that it varies with visa length.

The surcharge for indefinite leave to remain

The official guidance for the UK Ancestry visa settlement route does not mention the immigration health surcharge. It lists a fee of £3,226 for indefinite leave to remain and notes that you must pay it for each person applying. It does not say whether the surcharge applies to settlement applications.

This is an important gap. The official guidance does not confirm whether the surcharge is payable on an indefinite leave to remain application. You should check the specific settlement guidance for your route and the immigration health surcharge page to see whether the surcharge applies at the settlement stage. Do not assume it does or does not—verify it.

What the surcharge does and does not cover

The official guidance does not describe the scope of the surcharge in detail. It states that you must pay it as part of your application and that the amount depends on visa length. It does not list what the surcharge entitles you to in terms of NHS access.

The safest reading is that the surcharge is a condition of the visa, not a description of a service package. You should not infer from the official guidance that the surcharge gives you unlimited or specific NHS coverage. The official immigration health surcharge page will set out what the surcharge covers.

How to verify the exact amount

Because the official guidance does not give a per-year figure, you must check the current rate before you apply. The official GOV.UK immigration health surcharge page is the authoritative source. It will tell you:

• The current rate per year.
• Whether the rate differs for students or other categories.
• How the surcharge is calculated for dependants.
• Whether the surcharge applies to settlement applications.

The Student visa page also links to guidance on how long you can stay, which affects the surcharge calculation. If your course is at degree level and you are 18 or over, you can usually stay up to 5 years; if it is below degree level, you can usually stay up to 2 years. The surcharge will reflect that period.

What to do next

Before you apply, do three things:

1. Check the current immigration health surcharge rate on the official GOV.UK page.
2. Confirm how long your visa will last, because that determines the surcharge.
3. Calculate the surcharge for every person included in your application, including dependants.

Do not rely on the official guidance for the exact figure—it does not state one. The official page is the only reliable source, and it is updated when rates change.