UK Ancestry visa

Ancestry Visa

You can apply for a UK Ancestry visa if you:

• Are a Commonwealth citizen
• Are applying from outside the UK
• Are able to prove that one of your grandparents was born in the UK
• Are able and planning to work in the UK

You must prove that you:

• Are 17 or over
• Have enough money without help from public funds to support and house yourself and any dependants
• Can and plan to work in the UK

Your Ancestry

You must also show that you have a grandparent born in 1 of the following circumstances:

• In the UK, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
• Before 31 March 1922 in what is now the Republic of Ireland
• On a British-registered ship or aircraft

You can claim ancestry if either you or the relevant parent:

• Were adopted
• Were born within or outside marriage in the UK

You cannot claim UK ancestry through step-parents.

Documents

• Your full birth certificate
• Your marriage certificate or civil partnership registration document if your husband, wife or civil partner wants to join you
• The full birth certificates of the parent and grandparent your ancestry claim is based on
• Marriage certificates for your parents and grandparents and legal adoption papers if you or your parents are adopted