The UK Ancestry Visa for Australians
Australians aged 18-35 years old can live and work in the United Kingdom (UK) for up to three years through the Youth Mobility Scheme.
As an alternative, many Australians would also qualify for a UK Ancestry Visa if they have at least one grandparent who was born in the UK. The Ancestry Visa visa lets you stay in the UK for up to five years, with the option to extend your stay even further.
When living in the UK on an Ancestry visa, you’ll have the right to work and study, including self-employment. You are free to leave and re-enter the UK as many times as you like while on an Ancestry visa. Your partner and/or child can also apply to join you in the UK.
This guide contains information about the UK Ancestry Visa for Australian citizens. It was last updated on 28 September 2024.
UK Ancestry visa requirements
This information on this page is applicable to Australian citizens and may be different for citizens of other countries.
The UK Ancestry visa is available to citizens of eligible countries, including Australia, who meet the eligibility criteria.
Firstly, you would need to be one of the following:
- A citizen of a Commonwealth country (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Jamaica, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa and many other countries with links to the UK)
- A British overseas citizen
- A British overseas territories citizen
- A British national (overseas) – i.e. with a past connection to Hong Kong
- A Zimbabwean citizen
To apply for a UK Ancestry visa, you must also meet the following requirements:
- At least one of your grandparents must have been born in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man
- Be aged 17 or older
- Have enough savings to support yourself and any dependents
- Intend to work in the UK
You can also claim UK ancestry via your adopted parent, but not through step-parents. If your grandparent was born before 31 March 1922 in what is now Ireland, or on a ship or aircraft registered in the UK, this also qualifies.
More information is available on the UK government’s website.
Documents needed to apply for this visa
When applying for a UK Ancestry visa as an Australian citizen, you’ll need to provide the following documents:
- A valid passport
- Birth certificate
- Birth certificates of the parent and grandparent that your ancestry claim is based on
- Evidence that your parent or grandparent has changed their name since birth, if applicable
- Evidence that you plan to work in the UK, such as job offers or a business plan
- Bank statements that are less than 31 days old, or other evidence, showing that you have enough savings to support yourself and any dependents in the UK
- Bank statement/s showing you have enough savings (see below for more on this)
Any documents that are not in English or Welsh must be officially translated into English or Welsh.
It costs £637 (approx. AUD1,230) to apply for an Ancestry visa.
You will also need to pay a £5,175 (approx. AUD10,000) Immigration Health Surcharge, bringing the total cost to around AUD11,230 for a 5-year visa application. See below for details.
Immigration Health Surcharge
You must pay an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) at the time of applying for your visa.
In the event that your visa application is denied, you’ll get a refund of the IHS.
You can use the UK government’s calculator to determine exactly how much you would need to pay. But an Australian applying for a 5-year Ancestry visa could expect to pay around £5,175 (approx. AUD10,000). This amount increased in February 2024.
This is a lot of money. But in return, you will receive access to free medical care under the National Health Service (NHS) for the full five years that you are entitled to remain in the UK. The NHS is effectively the UK’s version of Medicare.
How to apply for a UK Ancestry visa
You can apply for an Ancestry visa up to 3 months before you intend to travel to the UK. In general, you must apply from outside the UK but you do not necessarily need to be in your home country.
The first step is to apply online.
After completing your online application, you will also need to make an appointment to prove biometrics (your fingerprints and a photograph, used to prove your identity) at a visa application centre. This centre may retain your passport and documents while processing your application.
It usually takes around 3 weeks to get a decision on your visa after completing the online application and biometrics appointment. You can pay an extra fee to get a faster decision in some locations.
Supporting documentation to show proof of funds
The UK government has not specified a minimum amount of funds that you need in order to qualify for an Ancestry visa. Rather, the applicant must be able to demonstrate that they have enough money to maintain and accommodate themselves, and any family members joining them.
As a general guide, you probably should be able to demonstrate that you have at least AUD5,000-10,000 per applicant. However, this is at the discretion of the person processing your application.
Any bank statements or certified letters from your bank must be dated within the last 31 days prior to your application.
If you don’t quite have enough savings, you could also demonstrate that you will receive support in the UK from a friend or relative.
Keep in mind that the Ancestry visa does not give you the right to access public funds in the UK. So, you won’t be able to rely on government welfare during your stay.
Extending your visa
It is possible to extend your Ancestry visa for another 5 years, as long as you do that before the first one expires. You can do this from within the UK.
There are also pathways to settling permanently in the UK if you’ve already lived in the country for 5 years on an Ancestry visa.
See the UK government website for more details.
UK Youth Mobility Scheme vs Ancestry Visa
Many Australians aged 18-35 may be eligible for both the Youth Mobility Scheme and Ancestry visa. These are different visas which have different eligibility requirements, but also come with different rights.
Here’s a comparison of the two options:
| Youth Mobility Scheme visa | Ancestry visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Age to apply | 18-35 | 17+ |
| Maximum stay length | 2 years | 5 years |
| Minimum savings required | £2,530 | Enough to support yourself |
| Visa fee | £298 | £637 |
| NHS surcharge | £1,552 | £5,175 |
| Must have a grandparent born in the UK? | No | Yes |
| Can work in the UK? | Yes | Yes |
| Can study in the UK? | Yes | Yes |
| Can bring children with you to UK? | No | Yes |
| Can extend/renew visa? | Yes (third year only) | Yes |
While best efforts are made to keep this information updated, we do not guarantee its accuracy. If you spot an error, would like to suggest new information to be added or simply have a question, please let us know in the comments and we’ll endeavour to respond or update the article as quickly as possible!
is it possible to get the ancestry visa if you have already had a working holiday visa?
Yes, they are separate visas and having one won’t exclude you from applying for the other. 🙂
How would you suggest I swap from a youth mobility visa (currently in the UK on one) to an ancestor visa? Do I have to leave the UK or do I have to be in Australia specifically to apply? What’s the easiest way around this? Many thanks!
Hi Brooke. Basically, you can’t really “swap” from one visa to another, but rather you need to apply for an Ancestry Visa as a new application and follow the usual rules that apply to this.
In general, you need to be outside the UK when you apply for an Ancestry Visa but you don’t need to return to Australia. (For example, you could apply in France.)
Hi Matt, Brooke again. I have just been told I can only apply for ancestry in my home country – is this correct?
Hi Brooke, it’s hard for me to answer this without knowing who told you that information.
There isn’t anything on the UK government’s website that specifically states you must be in your home country when you apply, but if the UK government or a British embassy told you that then it’s probably correct.
Hey Brooke, do you recommend that I just go with the ancestry visa rather then the youth mobility? I am eligible for both but I’m just not a fan of how expensive the healthcare surcharge is.
I’m also worried about what my working restrictions are while on a youth mobility visa? It seems it is less flexible than an ancestry visa. Thanks
Hi, I’ve been in the UK on the youth mobility for two years and just extended it for another year. If you have the funds and want to stay in the UK forever I would do the ancestry as it just is one cost up front and then you’re good to go. I now have to pay each year for an extension and will have to pay the large sum and leave the country to switch to ancestry next year (if the youth mobility remains at 3 years).
However youth mobility has been very very easy also. It’s whatever funds you have right now I would say! If it helps I want to stay forever so should have done the ancestry from the start but I’m not mad when I made the decision I was not sure.
Thanks Brooke for your great feedback,
It does sound more relaxing just going with the your mobility visa as I’m not completely sure if I will Stay forever. 2-3 years should be enough to decide. Thanks for getting back to me 👍😃
I’m applying for an Ancestry Visa to work in the UK and bring my wife as a dependent. When I try to make the IHS payment it will only let me pay for myself (not her as well) and states that I have no dependents despite listing her as a dependent in the “2. Application” section.
Do you know if this is normal? I am hesitating to make the payment because I think it is incorrect.
Also, does my wife need to lodge a separate application or will it be completed solely through my visa application?
I’m really sorry but I don’t know the answers to these questions. You might wish to contact the UK government to seek clarification.
Thanks Matt. I called the UK government service and they were able to clarify my concerns (just thought I’d post their responses here in case it helps others):
(1) your partner will need to lodge a separate visa application from your own
(2) your partner can lodge their application whilst yours is still being processed (i.e. they don’t need to wait for yours to be approved before applying for their own – they’ll just need to be able to list your application number in a specific section of their own form)
(3) IHS payment will be made separately during your partner’s visa application (i.e. they are 2 separate payments – not a combined payment during your own application)
Thanks for posting this – it might benefit others in the future. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I was having this same issue now, so I’m glad you did reply with that info!
Hi Michael, we are just going through this process. Can I ask, which visa did your wife apply for? The website is a bit unclear. Grateful for your help!
Does anyone know if they will accept certified copies of certificates for the application?
That’s a good question, Emma. The UK government’s website is not clear on this, and the documentation used by Home Office staff in assessing applications (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/658009df83ba380013e1b6b2/UK+ancestry.pdf) only talks about certified translations (which are accepted). I suspect that they would be accepted if officially certified, but can’t give you 100% certainty on this.
Hi Matt, we’re finding it challenging to find out if our kids would be eligible to attend state schools in London on an ancestry visa. Do you know + can point us in the right direction? 🙏
Can I pay for one or two years to stay in the UK instead of 5 years?
Unfortunately that’s not an option with the Ancestry Visa. However, if you’re eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme Visa, you can pay for just two years with that one.
See our Youth Mobility visa guide for details: https://workingholiday.au/uk-youth-mobility-scheme/
Do you know what countries I can apply for the visa from?
I believe you should be able to apply from any country outside of the UK. When completing your application you’ll be asked to nominate which Visa Application Centre you want to visit to provide biometrics.