UK

UK tourist or visitor visa permits an individual to visit the UK for leisure, business or to receive private medical treatment. The United Kingdom is a delight for tourists all across the globe, London being one of the most sought after cities for a perfect vacation. It is one of the most visited countries beguiling vacationers with its charisma, history of bygone eras, iconic sights and happening pubs. Another yet widespread purpose of traveling to United Kingdom is visiting a relative or a friend or a family member staying there. To plan a beautiful and well organized vacation to UK, you must have an approved UK tourist visa. With this visa, you can generally reside in the UK for a period of 6 months. Know more about UK visa requirements in the subsequent sections and compile the papers to get going for a rocking holiday.

UK Tourist Visa Document Checklist

According to the UK tourist visa checklist, the following documents are essential and must be submitted for a visa application at the Embassy. UK visa application form is one of the important aspects of checklist which must be correctly filled on the Embassy website. The list of documents below is an evidence of the applicant’s financial circumstances and also strong ties in their home country that must be accurately provided to avoid any chances of visa refusals or UK visa interview at the Embassy.

UK Tourist Visa Checklist for Applicant

• Original Passport [Current and previous if applicable].
• 2 Photographs 35–45 mm in width Close up of your head and top of your shoulders so that your face takes up 70–80% of the photograph in white background.
• Financial statements.
• Employment Proof and Pay Slips.
• Income Tax Returns.
• Hotel bookings or accommodation covering the whole duration of the intended stay.
• Flight reservation of return or round ticket.
• NOC for Government Employees.
• Retirement letter and pension related documents.
• For applicants from business background need to carry company letter heads, registration document and seal
• Marriage Certificate if married.

Inviter/Sponsor Documents for United Kingdom Visa if Invited

• Passport first, last and visa pages.
• Resident permit card.
• Invitation Letter.
• Pay slips and bank statement if sponsoring.

UK tourist visa: Requirements and application procedure The UK tourist visa requirements are clear and easy to understand. UK tourist visa application is online but the rest of the process requires an in-person appointment for biometrics. The UK or the United Kingdom is comprised of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. To visit any of these four countries, you would need a UK tourist visa. UK tourist visas are valid for 6 months and you can stay up to 180 days in the UK. The UK tourist visa application process is long and there is no status tracking. Make sure to start your UK visa process at least two months from your intended date of the travel to the UK. Visa EXEMPT nationalities Unlimited entry • This requirement will change from 01 Jan 2021 when UK will no longer be part of the EU Visa REQUIRED nationalities 1. Afghanistan 2. Albania 3. Algeria 4. Angola 5. Armenia 6. Azerbaijan 7. Bahrain 8. Bangladesh 9. Belarus 10. Benin 11. Bhutan 12. Bolivia 13. Bosnia and Herzegovina 14. Burkina Faso 15. Burundi 16. Cambodia 17. Cameroon 18. Cape Verde 19. Central African Republic 20. Chad 21. China 22. Colombia 23. Comoros 24. Congo, Dem. Rep. of 25. Congo, Rep. of 26. Cote d’Ivoire 27. Cuba 28. Djibouti 29. Dominican Republic 30. Ecuador 31. Egypt 32. Equatorial Guinea 33. Eritrea 34. Eswatini 35. Ethiopia 36. Fiji 37. Gabon 38. Gambia 39. Georgia 40. Ghana 41. Guinea 42. Guinea-Bissau 43. Guyana 44. Haiti 45. India 46. Indonesia 47. Iran 48. Iraq 49. Jamaica 50. Jordan 51. Kazakhstan 52. Kenya 53. Kosovo 54. Kyrgyzstan 55. Laos 56. Lebanon 57. Lesotho 58. Liberia 59. Libya 60. Madagascar 61. Malawi 62. Mali 63. Mauritania 64. Moldova 65. Mongolia 66. Montenegro 67. Morocco 68. Mozambique 69. Myanmar 70. Nepal 71. Niger 72. Nigeria 73. North Korea 74. North Macedonia 75. Pakistan 76. Palestinian Territories 77. Peru 78. Philippines 79. Russia 80. Rwanda 81. Saudi Arabia 82. Senegal 83. Serbia 84. Sierra Leone 85. Somalia 86. South Africa 87. South Sudan 88. Sri Lanka 89. Sudan 90. Suriname 91. Syria 92. São Tomé and Principe 93. Tajikistan 94. Tanzania 95. Thailand 96. Togo 97. Tunisia 98. Turkey 99. Turkmenistan 100. Uganda 101. Ukraine 102. Uzbekistan 103. Venezuela 104. Vietnam 105. Yemen 106. Zambia 107. Zimbabwe

Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) required nationalities

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

24-hour VISA-FREE entry at Heathrow airport

Eligible to request a 24-hour VISA-FREE entry at London’s Heathrow airport if holding a valid visa from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or any EU/Schengen country

Must be in transit to/from the country of visa (Ex: if holding a Canada visa, you must be in transit to/from Canada only)

Onward flight must be within 24 hours (on the same day or next day before midnight)

Granting the 24-hour entry is at the sole discretion of the immigration officer

Applies to all nationalities

UK TOURIST VISA APPLICATION PROCESS

First, check if you need a visitor visa to travel to the UK in the “UK tourist visa requirements by nationality” section above. Alternatively, you can check your eligibility and requirements on the UK gov website.

Validity of UK tourist visa

UK tourist visas are valid for 6 months from the date of visa issue.

Example: If your UK visa was issued on January 15, the visa will be valid until July 15.

NOTE: There have been instances where visas were issued with validity starting from the date of travel mentioned in the visa application.

When to apply for UK visa: You can apply for the UK visa up to 3 months in advance.

Example: If you plan to visit the UK on April 15, you can apply for your UK visa on or after January 16. Also, keep in mind that you must apply for your UK visa at least 3 weeks prior to your travel, otherwise you may not receive your visa on time. There are no refunds if you receive your visa after your travel date. IMPORTANT UK visa process can take up to 3 weeks and even longer in some cases. I strongly recommend applying for your UK visa at least 2 months in advance.

How long can you stay in the UK

The UK tourist visa allows you to stay up to 180 days in the UK. But if you stay that long continuously in the UK on a tourist visa, you will have serious trouble getting another UK visa in the future or entering the UK next time. Here is my advice. Stick to the days you have mentioned in your UK visa application. A few days more or less is fine. But staying months on your UK tourist visa will pretty much look like you “live in the UK” rather than “vacation/holiday”.

Application procedure

The UK visa application is online. You must apply for the visa online at the UK Visas and Immigration website Below are the steps you will go through for your UK tourist visa application

Go to the UK Visas and Immigration website

Select your preferred language, type of visa, your country, nearest visa application center, etc.

Create a login using email and password

Complete in the application form

Sign the declaration

Pay visa fee

Submit the application

Download and print the submitted visa application form

Make an appointment at your nearest UK visa application center

Attend the appointment at your nearest UK visa application center

Submit your passport, visa application and supporting documents at the visa application center

If applying from the US, Australia or New Zealand, mail your passport, visa application and biometrics receipt to your nearest visa application center

Pickup/receive the passport when the visa decision is made

Below are some of the information you will provide in the application form

Your travel dates to the UK

Your hotel address and telephone number in the UK

Your total estimated cost for the trip

Your present home address and how many years you’ve lived there

Your parents’ names and their dates of birth

Your annual income

Your travel history for the past 10 years

Your employer details including the address and telephone number

Documents required

The following are the documents required for UK visitor visa application

Completed online visa application form with GWF number

A passport size photo (optional)

Proof of earnings

If employed – an employment letter on company letterhead indicating your length of employment, salary, role, etc.

If self-employed – a business registration document indicating your business name, date of business, etc.

If student – a letter from the school/university on the letterhead indicating your enrollment, leave of absence, etc.

Proof of funds (bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months)

Proof of legal residence (if applying from a 3rd country.

Photo requirements

A passport size photo is only required if are exempt from biometrics. All tourist visa applicants MUST give their biometrics. Your fingerprints and digital photo are taken during your biometrics appointment. Since all tourist visa applicants MUST give their biometrics, a passport size photo is not required. But, I suggest bringing one with you on the day of your biometrics appointment for just in case.

Visa application fee

The UK tourist visa application fee is £95 GBP. You will pay this fee in your local currency. Due to exchange rates, you may end up paying about £2 – £5 GBP more. You can use the UK home office visa fee wizard to find out the exact visa fee that you would need to pay in your local currency. If you are applying for a long-term UK tourist visa, below is the visa fee for 2, 5 and 10-year tourist visas.

• 2 years: £361 GBP • 5 years: £655 GBP • 10 years: £822 GBP

Visa appointment

As part of the online application process, you will be prompted to make a visa appointment at your nearest UK Visa Application Center. Visa Application Centers are run by either VFS Global or TLS Contact in conjunction with UK Visas and Immigration. On the day of the appointment, you will give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo) and submit your original documents. You must bring all your original documents along with one photocopy of each including your passport. Applicants from the USA, Australia (Adelaide and Hobart only) and New Zealand You must give your biometrics at your nearest Biometric Enrollment Center and later send/post your documents to the nearest UK Visa Application Center. During your online UK visa application, you will be prompted to make a biometrics appointment at your nearest Biometric enrollment center.

Biometric enrollment centers in the USA are run by the US homeland security.

Biometric enrollment centers in Australia are run by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Biometric enrollment centers in New Zealand are run by Immigration New Zealand.

You must then mail your original passport, visa application, biometric confirmation with the stamp, supporting documents and return postage to the UK Visa Application Center you have selected during your online visa application.

You will be notified via email when the UK Visa Application Center receives your documents.

Visa processing time

The UK tourist visa processing takes up to 3 weeks. There have been incidents where UKVI has taken over 2 months to process, especially when the visa applications are “not straightforward”.

UKVI considers a visa application “not straightforward” if additional information is required to process the visa. Additional information can be, verifying information, background check or requesting additional documents. UKVI usually notifies you in such cases and requests any additional documentation necessary.

Keeping such incidents in mind, ALWAYS apply for your UK visa at least 2 months prior to your travel.

If you have to travel sooner, you should purchase the “Priority Visa Service” while applying online. Or at least before you mail/submit your documents. This way your visa application will be processed within 5 working days

Visa application status tracking

Online visa application tracking is NOT AVAILABLE on UK Visas and Immigration website. To track UK visa application status, you must use UK Visas and Immigration’s email or phone option, which unfortunately is NOT FREE. UKVI charges for all phone and email inquiries.

Below are UK Visa and Immigration phone, email details and charges.