UK Visa Biometrics: What You Pay and What Happens
Proving your identity is a step in almost every UK visa application. This guide sets out what GOV.UK publishes about it: that there is no fee for giving your fingerprints and photograph, what a service point can charge extra for, and the rules for children.
- Section
- Costs, English & General
- Reading time
- 7 min
- Last checked
- 3 September 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- There is no fee for giving your fingerprints and photograph.
- Inside the UK, what you pay at a service point depends on the type of service point and whether you want extra services such as an out of hours, weekend, next day or same day appointment. GOV.UK does not publish those prices.
- You will either use the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app or attend in person. You are told which when you apply.
- Priority and super priority buy a faster decision, not a faster appointment: £500 and £1,000 on top of the application fee.
- Children under 5 give a photograph but not fingerprints.
Giving your fingerprints and a photograph carries no fee. What can cost money is a faster appointment, or a faster decision. This guide separates the two, and sets out what GOV.UK publishes about the identity stage inside and outside the UK.
What biometrics means
In a UK immigration application, your biometric information is your fingerprints and a digital photograph. GOV.UK describes the step as proving your identity, and says you will either use the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app to scan your identity document, or have your fingerprints and photograph taken in person. You are told which applies to you when you apply.
Since the UK moved to eVisas, your immigration status is held online rather than on a card, so this is the step that ties the record to you.
There is no fee for the biometrics themselves
GOV.UK states this directly on the route pages that mention it. The UK Ancestry visa page, for example, says: "When you apply online, you'll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services service point to provide your biometric information (your fingerprints and a photo) — there's no fee for this." The same sentence appears on the settlement pages.
There is no premium walk-in service to buy. GOV.UK says you can only attend a service point if you have an appointment.
Applying from inside the UK
If you are applying from within the UK — for example to extend a spouse visa or extend a Skilled Worker visa — you use UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services. You create an account when you apply and book the appointment online. GOV.UK links to the TLScontact site for service point locations.
- What you pay: GOV.UK says "how much you pay depends on the type of service point and whether you need extra services". It does not publish a price list; the cost is shown when you book.
- What the extra services are: GOV.UK lists two — out of hours or weekend appointments, and next day or same day appointments if your application is urgent.
- What you bring: a printed copy of your appointment confirmation with a barcode, your passport or travel document, and any supporting documents you have not uploaded online.
The guidance is at GOV.UK, UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services.
When you may not need an appointment at all
GOV.UK says you may not need to attend if all of these apply:
- you are in the UK
- you have an expired biometric residence permit, which can be used for 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first
- you have previously given your biometric information
- you are applying for certain types of visa — GOV.UK gives the Graduate, Student and Skilled Worker visas as examples
If that applies, GOV.UK says you get an email explaining how to send a photograph and your supporting documents, and you can book an appointment if you cannot send them.
Applying from outside the UK
From outside the UK you attend a visa application centre run by one of the Home Office's commercial partners, currently TLScontact or VFS Global depending on the country. Giving your fingerprints and photograph there is part of the application; the centre may charge for its own optional services, and GOV.UK does not publish those prices either. Find the nearest centre through the GOV.UK visa application centre finder.
GOV.UK says you take your passport to the centre and can collect it on the day, and that you may have to travel to reach your nearest centre, which could be in another country.
Paying for a faster decision is a separate thing
The priority and super priority services buy a faster decision, not a faster appointment. GOV.UK publishes both prices:
- Priority service, £500 on top of the application fee. Usually a decision within 5 working days, or 30 working days for Family visa applications from outside the UK and for citizenship applications.
- Super priority service, £1,000 on top of the application fee. Usually a decision by the end of the next working day if your appointment is on a weekday, or 2 working days after it if the appointment is at the weekend or on a bank holiday. It cannot be used for citizenship applications.
Both are only available if you are told you can use them when you apply. Every family member applying with you has to pay the same amount. See GOV.UK, get a faster decision.
Using the ID Check app
The app checks that your identity document is genuine and that it belongs to you. GOV.UK says it only works once you have started your application online, and that you are told at the identity stage whether to open or download it. It is available in English only, and cannot be used for the European Union Settlement Scheme.
Accepted documents, as GOV.UK lists them:
- a biometric passport from a European Union country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
- a biometric British national (overseas), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or European Economic Area passport, if you are applying for the British national (overseas) visa
- an expired biometric residence permit, if your application route allows it, for 18 months after the expiry date printed on the card
Phone requirements, as published:
- Android: version 8.0 and above, at least 135MB of storage, an internet connection, and near-field communication so the app can scan the document
- iPhone: an iPhone 7, 7 Plus or newer, iOS 15 or later, at least 120MB of storage, and an internet connection
Full guidance is at GOV.UK, using the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app.
Children, and people who cannot give fingerprints
- Under 5: Home Office biometric enrolment guidance says children under the age of 5 are exempt from having to provide fingerprints, but must provide a digital image of their face.
- Under 16: GOV.UK says a child under 16 must go to the appointment with the person named as the "responsible adult" on their application. That adult must bring photo identification — a passport, photo driving licence, national identity card, biometric residence permit or biometric residence card, valid or expired — and must still clearly look like the photograph. If they are not the parent or legal guardian, they also need written proof of responsibility for the child.
- Families: if your application includes family members, GOV.UK says you must all go to an appointment together.
- Unable to give fingerprints: Home Office guidance says people who are physically unable to enrol their fingerprints may be excused from providing them, but must still provide a facial image.
Where the money actually goes
For most people the identity stage itself is free, and the amounts worth planning for are the application fee, the immigration health surcharge, and — only if you choose it — a faster decision. For the full picture see our UK visa fees guide and budgeting for immigration.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
How much do biometrics cost for a UK visa?
There is no fee for giving your fingerprints and photograph. GOV.UK says so in plain terms on the route pages that mention it: “You’ll each need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken - there’s no fee for this.” If you apply inside the UK, GOV.UK says how much you pay at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services service point depends on the type of service point and whether you need extra services, and that you can pay extra for out of hours or weekend appointments and for next day or same day appointments. GOV.UK does not publish those prices.
What happens at a biometrics appointment?
Your fingerprints and a digital photograph are taken. You bring a printed copy of your appointment confirmation with a barcode, your passport or travel document, and any supporting documents you have not already uploaded. GOV.UK does not publish how long an appointment takes, and it says you will not get a decision on your application at the appointment.
Can I use the ID Check app instead of attending in person?
Sometimes. GOV.UK says you will either use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document, or have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre or service point, and that you are told which when you apply. The app accepts a biometric passport from a European Union country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland; a biometric British national (overseas), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or European Economic Area passport if you are applying for the British national (overseas) visa; or an expired biometric residence permit, if your route allows it, for 18 months after the expiry date printed on the card.
Do children need to provide biometrics?
Home Office guidance says children under the age of 5 are exempt from having to provide fingerprints, but must provide a digital photograph of their face. Children under 16 must go to the appointment with the person named as the ‘responsible adult’ on their application, and that adult must bring their own photo identity document.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.