Do you need a visa or an ETA?
Most people visiting the UK need permission before they travel. Which kind depends on your nationality and the reason for your visit.
| Permission | Who needs it | Cost | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Visitor visa | Nationalities that need a visa to visit | £135 | Up to 6 months |
| Electronic travel authorisation (ETA) | Nationalities that can visit without a visa | £20 | Up to 6 months |
| Long-term visitor visa, 2 years | Regular visitors from visa nationalities | £506 | 6 months per visit |
| Long-term visitor visa, 5 years | As above | £903 | 6 months per visit |
| Long-term visitor visa, 10 years | As above | £1,128 | 6 months per visit |
| Visitor in transit | Passing through | £41.50 airside, £74.50 landside | Up to 48 hours |
Every traveller needs their own ETA, including children and infants, and an ETA does not guarantee entry. You do not need one if you hold a British or Irish passport or already have permission to live, work or study in the UK. The visa checker tells you which applies.
What a visitor can and cannot do
You can visit for tourism or to see family and friends; attend meetings, conferences and interviews; take a short course of study of up to six months; have private medical treatment; volunteer with a registered charity for up to 30 days; and carry out a limited range of permitted paid engagements.
You cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or work for yourself, claim benefits, or make the UK your home through frequent or successive visits. You cannot marry or form a civil partnership on a Standard Visitor visa: that needs a Marriage Visitor visa. To stay longer to work, study or join family you must apply for the right visa, usually from outside the UK.
How to apply
- Apply online up to three months before you travel.
- Pay the fee. Visitors do not pay the immigration health surcharge.
- Attend your appointment to give fingerprints and a photograph.
- Submit your documents. Decisions are usually made within about three weeks.
Entry is not automatic. A Border Force officer can question you and refuse entry, so carry your itinerary, accommodation, funds and return ticket.
The test the caseworker applies
Visit applications are refused more often than almost any other kind, and usually for one reason: the caseworker is not satisfied that you will leave at the end of the visit. You must show that you:
- will leave the UK at the end of your visit;
- can support yourself and any dependants, or are supported by someone else, and can pay for your return journey;
- do not intend to make the UK your main home;
- will do only what a visitor may do.
Evidence that carries weight is proof of a job, business, study or property at home; family ties; a history of travel and return; a clear itinerary; and, where someone is inviting you, evidence of their status and means. Bank statements with a sudden large deposit, vague plans and unexplained earlier refusals are the usual causes of refusal.
If a visit visa is refused
There is usually no right of appeal and no administrative review. The usual course is a fresh application that answers each reason for refusal. An earlier refusal is considered, and your answers must match your previous ones, so take advice before you apply again. A finding of deception is more serious: see overstaying and re-entry bans and visa refused: appeal, review or reapply.
Visiting for a specific reason
To marry, see the Marriage Visitor visa or the fiancé(e) visa. A visit does not lead to a right to stay with family: for that, see our family visas.
How we help
We check your plans and documents against the visitor rules, help you present your ties and funds clearly, and advise after a refusal. A consultation is from £99.
