My To-do list for our ancestral visa application

This is the To-do list I used for our UK Ancestry visa application with spouse dependent:

At least 6 months before you intend applying for your visa:

• Apply for SA unabridged birth certificates
• Apply for SA marriage certificates
• Apply for UK birth certificate
• Get quotes from pet transport agents if you are considering taking your pet/s

At least 4 months before you intend applying for your visa:

• Begin the process of having your pet micro-chipped, vaccinated, titre tested etc and confirm the agent you are using for their transport

At least 3 months before you intend applying for your visa:

• Get or renew SA passports if necessary (check the expiry date in current passport and make sure there are enough pages)
• Ensure that there are sufficient funds per applicant in a bank account (the consensus at the date of this post is R30 000 per applicant)
• Update CV of the main applicant to the UK format (free template here)
• Register with employment agencies (Reed and Indeed are good options)
• Start collecting proof of relationship for spouse dependent (20 photos over the duration of the relationship, including wedding photo, mail addressed to both applicants at the same address, joint bond statement if applicable etc)

Roughly a month before you want to go to your biometrics appointment:

• Get TB test done - see the list of approved clinics here.
• Apply for a couple of jobs and keep the email responses
• Arrange for proof of UK accommodation eg invitation letter from friend or family member (incl copy of their passport, utility bill) or booking through Booking.com or Airbnb
• Apply for the ancestral visa online, book the biometrics appointment and pay the NHS surcharge, register with TLS contact.  Before doing the online visa application it may help to complete the form manually - a manual copy can be found here.

A week before the appointment for biometrics:

• Get 3 months bank statements showing sufficient funds per applicant printed and stamped by the bank
• Take colour photocopies of important documents such as birth and marriage certificates

On the day of the appointment:

• Ensure that you have the originals and photocopies of all relevant documents
• Make sure that none of your documents have staples or paper clips attached
• None of your documents should be laminated
• Make sure your documents are in an easily accessible file - I found a concertina file like this one works great.
• Get to your appointment half an hour early, take a deep breath and relax, it's going to be fine!