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Completing application form FLR(O)

If you are making your application before 27 November 2008, you must use version 06/2008 of the form. If you are making your application on or after 27 November 2008, you must use the new version (version 11/2008).

This page gives general guidance on completing application form FLR(O) to extend your permission to stay (leave to remain) in the United Kingdom. You can download the form from the right side of this page.

You should use application form FLR(O) if you are a:

  • visitor (to apply for permission to extend your stay for up to a total of six months);
  • visitor undergoing private medical treatment;
  • postgraduate doctor or dentist;
  • au pair;
  • representative of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation;
  • private servant in a diplomatic household;
  • domestic worker in a private household;
  • overseas government employee;
  • minister of religion, missionary, or member of a religious order;
  • visiting religious worker or religious worker in a non-pastoral role;
  • airport-based operational staff of an overseas-owned airline;
  • person with United Kingdom ancestry;
  • writer, composer or artist;
  • overseas qualified nurse or midwife;
  • dependant of member of HM Forces who is exempt from immigration control;
  • other purposes or reasons not covered by other application forms (this does not include asylum).

You should also read the detailed guidance (FLR(O) guidance, which you can download from the right side of this page) before completing the form. You will need to pay a fee when you make your application. We will not refund your fee if we refuse your application or you withdraw it.

You should use application form FLR(O) if you already have temporary permission to stay in the United Kingdom (limited leave to remain) in one of the categories listed above and wish to extend your stay.

You must be in the United Kingdom to apply. For information on obtaining initial permission to come to the United Kingdom in your category, see the relevant section of this site. In order to extend your stay in your category, you will need to show that you still meet the requirements for it.

Section 6 of the application form gives details of the documents you need to send to support your application. You should send the original documents, not a copy. In exceptional circumstances, we may accept a photocopy that is certified as an accurate copy by the body or authority that issued the original or by a notary. You must include a letter explaining the reasons for providing a certified copy rather than the original document.

There is only one fee per application form. Apart from the exceptions given below, you may include your spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner and children under the age of 18 on the same form if they are applying as your dependants. If they apply separately, they will need to pay the fee. Children aged 18 or over must apply separately.

In the visitor, au pair and private medical treatment categories, you may not include any dependants on your application. In the postgraduate doctor or dentist, and dependants of exempt HM Forces categories, only husbands, wives and civil partners may be included as partners.

You must apply at least four weeks before the end of your authorised stay in the United Kingdom.

You can post your application to us, or apply in person. See Contact for addresses and details of how to do this. You need to make an appointment in advance to apply in person. It is a same-day service available at a premium fee and is only suitable for straightforward applications that will not require further enquiries.

We cannot tell in advance how long it will take to decide your postal application so you should not make non-urgent travel plans until we have returned your passport to you. However, our current target times for deciding applications show how quickly we aim to make a decision.

You must fill in the form in block capitals using a black pen. Please enter all dates as dd-mm-yyyy, for example 29-04-2000.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is my immigration status while my application is being decided?

    If you make an application before your authorised stay ends, your existing immigration status will continue until your application is decided, even if the decision is not made until after the end of your permitted stay. If your existing visa or other permission to stay here allows you to work, you can continue to do so until your case is decided.

Application forms

Extension of stay in the United Kingdom (other categories)

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Terms explained

  • Civil partnership

    A legal relationship that can be registered by two people of the same sex and that gives the couple legal recognition for their relationship. In a range of legal matters, civil partners are treated the same as opposite-sex partners who are married.

  • Dependant

    Someone who depends on you financially, such as a husband, wife, partner, or child.

  • Indefinite leave to remain

    Indefinite leave to remain (often known as ILR) is permission to stay permanently (settle) in the United Kingdom, free from immigration control.

  • Limited leave to remain

    Permission to stay in the United Kingdom temporarily, for the length of time stated on your visa.

  • Notary

    A notary is also known as a notary public. A notary is a public official who is legally authorised to witness the signing of documents and perform other formal duties.

All glossary terms

Contact

  • Visa services

    Visa services, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AH. If you are outside the United Kingdom you should contact you nearest British diplomatic post.

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