United Kingdom
Visitor visa for United Kingdom: documents, fees and steps
Tourism (short stay) · 112 nationalities · any residence · ordinary passport
Verified on 13 October 2026
VisaGuideline helps you prepare your application. The decision belongs to the country’s authority: check the official page before paying or applying.
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Documents requested
- Passport or travel document valid for the entire duration of the stayThe passport must cover the entire stay in the United Kingdom. It is used to prove identity at the visa application centre appointment and is returned the same day.
- Planned travel dates to the United KingdomInformation to enter in the online form.
- Place of accommodation during the visitInformation to enter in the online form: where the traveller will stay during the visit.
- Estimated cost of the tripInformation to enter in the online form: how much the traveller thinks the trip will cost.
- Current home address and length of time lived thereInformation to enter in the online form.
- Parents' names and dates of birth, if knownInformation to enter in the online form, when known.
- Declaration of any criminal, civil or immigration offenceThe online form asks for details of any criminal, civil or immigration offence that the applicant may have committed.
Proof of identity and biometric data (fingerprints and photograph)Conditions and details
At the visa application centre appointment, the applicant proves their identity with their passport, has their fingerprints and photograph taken and provides the required documents.
Depending on your situation
- Annual income, if the traveller has an incomeInformation to enter in the online form when the traveller has an income.
- Travel history for the last 10 years, depending on the situationRequested depending on the applicant's situation; the page does not specify in which cases.
- Employer's address and telephone numberThe employer's address and telephone number may be requested depending on the applicant's situation.
- Partner's name, date of birth and passport number, depending on the situationThis information may be requested depending on the applicant's situation.
- Name and address of anyone paying for the tripRequested when someone else is funding the trip.
- Name, address and passport number of family members in the United KingdomRequested when the traveller has family in the United Kingdom.
Certified translations of documents that are neither in English nor in WelshConditions and details
Each translation must be able to be verified by the Home Office and must include the translator's confirmation of accuracy, the date, the translator's full name and signature and their contact details.Evidence of support from a third party (sponsor) who provides travel, maintenance or accommodationConditions and details
If someone else provides travel, maintenance or accommodation, explain what support is provided, how it is provided and whether it extends to dependent family members. Also show that the sponsor has sufficient means to support themselves and their dependants, explain your relationship with the sponsor and, where applicable, provide evidence of their lawful presence in the United Kingdom.
Official fees
- Standard visitor visa (maximum stay 6 months) 135 £
- Long-term standard visitor visa, 2 years (6 months maximum per visit), option for regular visits 506 £
- Long-term standard visitor visa, 5 years (6 months maximum per visit), option for regular visits 903 £
- Long-term standard visitor visa, 10 years (6 months maximum per visit), option for regular visits 1,128 £
- Standard appointment at a visa application centre, only in certain locations (most centres offer free appointments) 76.50 £
Steps
- Check that the purpose (tourism, visit to family or friends) is among the activities permitted for the standard visitor and that the eligibility conditions are met.
- Check, according to nationality, whether a visa is required.
- Submit the application online before the trip, at the earliest 3 months before; the form can be saved and completed later.
- Pay the fees as part of the online application.
- Book, during the application, an appointment at a visa application centre and attend it within 240 days following submission.
- At the appointment: prove one's identity, have fingerprints and photo taken, hand over the documents; the passport is returned the same day.
- Wait for the decision, usually within 3 weeks, communicated by email from the Home Office with the steps to follow.
- In the event of approval, access the eVisa from a UKVI account (to be created if necessary).
- Before departure, check that the UKVI account and the eVisa data are correct; do not travel before approval.
- At the border, present the passport (and the visa); the officer usually asks the reason for the visit.
Where to apply
- Official online visitor visa application form, opened from the GOV.UK page "Apply for a Standard Visitor visa" ("Apply now" button).
- Visa application centre managed by an external company, for proof of identity and biometric data.
- UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to view and share the eVisa.
Good to know
Financial documents showing access to sufficient funds (bank statements, passbooks, proof of income)Conditions and details
Examples cited by the official guide: bank statements indicating the origin of the funds, building society passbooks, proof of income such as a letter from the employer (date of hire, salary, position, contact details). Non-exhaustive list of documents that one "may want" to provide.- Copies of previous passports showing travel to other countriesDocument that the official guide cites among those that one may want to provide to present one's situation.
- Proof of lawful residence if the applicant is not a national of the country of application or their right to reside there is not recorded in their passportUseful if the applicant does not have the nationality of the country where they submit their application, or if their right to reside there does not appear in their passport.
- Do not book the trip too earlyThe government advises not to book the trip before having the decision: UKVI does not refund any travel costs in the event of refusal or delay.
One application per personConditions and details
As a family, each person has their own application, pays their own fees and attends their own appointment. One may submit on behalf of one's partner and child if they cannot do it themselves.Documents of little useConditions and details
The official guide considers of little use in particular: bank statements or letters more than one year old, credit card statements, driving licence, hotel bookings, plane tickets (except transit), travel insurance, personal photos, business cards. No document guarantees that the visa will be granted.Visitor conditionsConditions and details
One must be able to show that one will leave the United Kingdom at the end of the visit, that one can support oneself and pay for the return, and that one will not live in the United Kingdom through frequent or successive visits. Recourse to public funds is prohibited. Work is prohibited except activities expressly permitted by the rules applicable to visitors, under their conditions. Marrying, forming a civil partnership or giving notice of one falls in principle under the Marriage/Civil Partnership Visitor route, subject to the exceptions provided for by the rules. This guide concerns tourism and visits to family or friends; another purpose must be checked in its category.Long-term visaConditions and details
A regular visitor may choose a 2, 5 or 10 year visa, with 6 months at most per visit. UKVI may grant a shorter duration, without refund, and cancel the visa if the history shows repeated prolonged stays.Stay limited to the duration statedConditions and details
Whatever the validity of the visa (6 months, 2, 5 or 10 years), each stay must not exceed the authorised duration stated on the visa, in general six months. The general rule is expressed in months; 181 days is not a fixed official maximum. The 181-day limit of the VisaGuideline checker defines its current coverage and does not replace the permission to stay granted.- Chinese tour groupsA Chinese national who travels in an organised group follows another procedure (ADS visa).
- Residents of IrelandLiving in Ireland does not exempt one from the visa: the national of a country subject to a visa must apply for it before travelling to the United Kingdom.
Change, cancel, appealConditions and details
To change a submitted application, contact UKVI; a cancellation is refunded only if processing has not begun. In the event of refusal, the letter states whether there is a right to an administrative review or to an appeal.
Nationalities covered
This procedure applies to 112 nationalities.
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Philippines
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Lucia
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Official links
- Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor: Apply for a Standard Visitor visa - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- Visiting the UK: guide to supporting documents - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- How to apply for a visa to come to the UK: Overview - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor: Overview - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix V: Visitor - Guidance - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- GOV.UK — Home Office (new tab) www.gov.uk
- Visit the UK for a holiday or to see family or friends - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK: When you do not need an ETA - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- How to apply for a visa to come to the UK: Applying online and getting a decision - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- GOV.UK — Immigration Rules, Appendix Visitor: Visa national list and Appendix ETA National List (updates of 3.8.2026)GOV.UK — Immigration Rules, Appendix Visitor: Visa national list et Appendix ETA National List (mises à jour du 3.8.2026) (new tab) www.gov.uk
- How to apply for a visa to come to the UK: Paying fees and proving your identity - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- How to apply for a visa to come to the UK: Travelling to the UK - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
- Entering the UK: At border control - GOV.UK (new tab) www.gov.uk
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