UK Ancestry funds and relocation costs: build two different budgets

Reviewed 15 October 2026. Ancestry applicants must show enough money to support and house themselves and dependants without public funds. The official page does not give a universal minimum savings figure. The current main application fee is £726, with the health surcharge additional.

A fixed-number savings checker is tempting because it feels decisive. For this route, the official support test needs a practical assessment of circumstances. Build one file showing the available support and another showing the costs the household expects to pay. Keeping those separate makes it easier to see whether fees, rent and travel could consume the same money you describe as your living-cost reserve.

Build the support picture

Record who is moving, where you expect to live, available funds and any genuine support arrangements relevant to the rules. The document page specifies recent support evidence, dated within 31 days of submission. Check the current requirements before relying on a statement that is several months old. Keep ownership, accessibility and source of funds understandable. A total from several unrelated screenshots may not explain whether the money is actually available.

Price the move per person

List the application fee and surcharge separately for every applicant. Most adults pay an IHS annual rate of £1,035; under-18 s generally use the reduced £776 rate. The actual payable surcharge depends on the permission calculation. Check the live official figures when you pay and do not treat today’s rates as a guaranteed future quote.

Add certificate orders, translations, TB screening where required, travel to appointments, flights, temporary accommodation, a rental deposit and a living-cost buffer. Use actual local quotes where you can. Avoid declaring a standard “London living cost” as if it applies to every family or city. Your worksheet should make assumptions visible and editable.

Test a slower start

Choose a realistic scenario in which recruitment, professional registration or housing takes longer. Identify which money is still available after fees and travel. A job-search reserve is not useful if it has already been allocated to a deposit. If dependants are moving later, build a second phase rather than assuming one budget covers both moves. Financial evidence should represent the genuine position at the relevant date, with current records.

Use a household cash-flow review

Put expected payments on a timeline instead of relying on a single total. Fees may fall before travel, a housing deposit may be due on arrival, and the first income may come later. Record which account pays each cost and what accessible reserve remains afterwards. This reveals when the household might face a cash shortage even if the initial balance looks substantial.

If accommodation or support is offered by relatives, record the actual arrangement and the evidence available. A practical place to stay is useful, but the immigration treatment of support should be checked against the applicable rules. Do not translate a friendly offer into a guaranteed entitlement or hide a condition attached to it. Keep the support plan truthful and distinguish confirmed arrangements from hoped-for help.

Review the budget separately for dependants arriving later. Their fees, travel and support needs can coincide with a period when the main applicant is still establishing work. Refresh evidence and costs at the relevant phase rather than assuming the initial application’s bank records remain current forever. A useful final review asks what happens if a job starts late, a tenancy falls through or a certificate needs replacing. The reserve should be an actual remaining amount, not money already allocated to several different commitments.

For any support arrangement, record what is confirmed, what remains conditional and who can provide evidence. Do not describe an informal offer as guaranteed housing. A change in that arrangement should trigger a fresh budget review and, where material, a check of the evidence plan.

A practical example

A household has a strong savings balance but initially allocates it to fees, flights, deposit and six months of living costs simultaneously. The revised sheet deducts actual paid costs before calculating the runway. It also separates the later arrival of a partner and child. The result is a more credible plan, without inventing a universal minimum that GOV.UK does not publish.

Put the plan into practice

Use the accompanying resource to turn the explanation into a file you can actually review. Work through these actions in order; where a point is uncertain, record the uncertainty rather than changing the facts to fit a preferred answer.

1. List each mover, phase and expected housing arrangement.
2. Record current support funds and the evidence date required by the official guidance.
3. Create per-person fee and surcharge rows, then actual relocation quotes.
4. Test a delayed-income scenario and identify the reserve remaining after commitments.

Questions to resolve before you act

Are the same funds counted twice? Does the evidence show accessible support? Are dependants and later arrivals included? Have you refreshed fees and recent statements before the intended submission date?

Open the Ancestry Support and Move Budget. Use it to record your own dates and evidence before spending money or submitting an application.

Official sources

• UK Ancestry visa: overview and fees
• UK Ancestry visa: eligibility
• UK Ancestry visa: required documents
• Immigration health surcharge: how much to pay

Independent information and practical organisation, not individual legal advice. Where immigration history, exceptions or conflicting documents affect your case, check the current rules and consider a regulated adviser.

A useful next step

Use the Ancestry Support and Move Budget to turn this guide into a working plan. Continue with Bringing a partner or children on UK Ancestry: plan each dependant’s file when you are ready to organise the next part of the file.