Tourism and private visits
- Take a holiday or vacation
- Visit family or friends
- Transit through the UK
- Volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity
UK immigration services
UK Standard Visitor Visa
Strategic, evidence-led support for tourism, family, business and other permitted visits to the United Kingdom.
The visitor route
A temporary route requiring a credible purpose, adequate funds and a genuine intention to leave.
The Standard Visitor route permits eligible foreign nationals to visit the UK for tourism, to see family or friends, for specified business activities, short-term study and certain other permitted purposes. A visitor will normally be admitted for up to six months.
Whether a person requires a visa, an Electronic Travel Authorisation or neither depends on nationality and circumstances. Every applicant must still satisfy the Visitor Rules.
What visitors may do
Permitted activities depend on the purpose of the visit.
Business and professional activity
- Attend meetings, conferences or interviews
- Undertake specified activities connected with overseas employment
- Attend a permitted paid engagement where the Rules allow
- Sit an examination or complete an eligible placement
Study and other purposes
- Study a course of up to six months
- Take a recreational course lasting no more than 30 days
- Receive eligible private medical treatment
- Carry out permitted academic, clinical or professional activities
What is generally prohibited
- Working for a UK company or as a self-employed person, except where expressly permitted
- Claiming public funds
- Living in the UK through frequent or successive visits
- Marrying, forming a civil partnership or giving notice without the correct Marriage Visitor permission
Eligibility
The Home Office examines the whole factual picture.
Genuine purpose
The proposed activities must be permitted and supported by a credible itinerary, invitation or other relevant evidence.
Intention to leave
Decision-makers may consider immigration history, family and economic ties, the duration and frequency of previous visits and the circumstances in the country of residence.
Financial position
There is no fixed minimum bank balance. Funds must be credible and sufficient for the likely cost of travel, accommodation and maintenance after taking existing commitments into account.
No de facto residence
The Visitor route must not be used to make the UK a main home through frequent, successive or prolonged visits.
Supporting documents
A coherent application is more than a document checklist.
Core information
- Valid passport or travel document
- Proposed dates, itinerary and UK accommodation
- Purpose of travel and estimated costs
- Personal, family and employment circumstances
- Travel and immigration history
Financial and professional evidence
- Bank statements and explanation of funds
- Income, employment or business evidence
- Evidence of ongoing financial commitments
- Sponsor evidence where another person is funding the trip
- Evidence of ties to the country of residence
Purpose-specific evidence
- Invitation and host documentation
- Business meeting, conference or event evidence
- Study, examination or placement documents
- Medical evidence where applicable
- Certified translations where documents are not in English or Welsh
The exact evidence depends on the applicant’s circumstances. Documents should be relevant, consistent and capable of explaining the source of funds and purpose of travel.
Application process
From initial review to biometrics and decision.
- 01
Check the correct route
Confirm whether a Standard Visitor visa, Marriage Visitor visa, transit permission, ETA or another route is appropriate.
- 02
Prepare and submit online
Each applicant completes a separate application and pays the applicable fee.
- 03
Book biometrics
Attend the Visa Application Centre, provide fingerprints and a photograph, and submit supporting documents through the available process.
- 04
Await the decision
The published service standard for a Standard Visitor application made outside the UK is usually three weeks, although individual cases may take longer.
Extensions and refusals
Limited extension rights; careful strategy after refusal.
Extending a visit
A person granted less than six months may be able to extend up to a total stay of six months. Extension beyond six months is generally limited to eligible medical treatment, academics, and certain PLAB or clinical attachment circumstances. The current extension fee is £1,172.
Following a refusal
Visitor refusals commonly concern credibility, unexplained funds, insufficient ties, inconsistent evidence, adverse immigration history or concern that the applicant will not leave. There is usually no general right of appeal. Depending on the case, the practical course may be a carefully prepared fresh application, administrative review where available, or legal challenge in exceptional circumstances.
Our service
Individual assessment. Clear evidence strategy. Careful presentation.
- Eligibility and risk assessment
- Tailored supporting-document plan
- Review of financial evidence and source of funds
- Drafting sponsor, invitation and explanatory letters
- Application-form review and consistency checks
- Refusal analysis and fresh-application strategy