United Kingdom United Kingdom — entry & visa requirements
Most visitors from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) rather than a visa; others need a Standard Visitor visa. Each traveller, including babies and children, needs their own ETA, and you must still meet Standard Visitor eligibility rules. An ETA or Standard Visitor visa is normally for up to 6 months. The most frequently quoted official fee is £135; Our official archive does not state the ETA fee.
General information
The UK visitor system separates visa nationals from travellers who can use an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). Even if you do not need a visa, you must meet Standard Visitor eligibility rules and may be questioned at the border. This page covers visitors, not work, study or settlement routes.
- Even without a visa, you must meet Standard Visitor eligibility rules and may be questioned at the UK border about your plans.[9]
- You must be able to pay for your return or onward journey, or have someone else fund it.[9]
- The guidance covers applications for entry clearance, permission to enter and permission to stay on the visitor route.[5]
- Detailed guidance on what you can and cannot do with a Marriage Visitor visa is available separately.[10]
Duration of stay
our archive show an ETA allows travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months. A Standard Visitor visa also covers up to 6 months and costs £135. Long-term multiple-entry visitors may sometimes extend up to the 6-month maximum.
- An electronic travel authorisation (ETA) lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months.[4]
- A Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for up to 6 months, and the earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.[9]
- Long-term multiple-entry visit visa holders who want to stay beyond the visa expiry may apply to extend permission up to the 6-month Standard visitor maximum.[5]
- A genuine visitor must intend only permitted activities, leave at the end of the stay, avoid prohibited activities, and have sufficient funds.[5]
- For private medical treatment, you may need to prove that funds from abroad are transferable and any third-party sponsor can pay.[5]
e-Visa & travel authorisation
Many travellers from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries need an ETA rather than a visa. Each traveller, including babies and children, needs their own ETA. Some people are exempt, but the archived material does not fully list them.
- An electronic travel authorisation (ETA) lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months.[4]
- You usually need an ETA rather than a visa if you are from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries.[4]
- Each person travelling needs an ETA, including babies and children.[4]
- Some people do not need an ETA, for example if they hold specified statuses; the archived material does not fully list them.[4]
- The Immigration Rules Appendix ETA National List sets out nationalities that require an ETA before travel.[1]
Required documents
Supporting documents should back up statements on the visa application form, but many recommended documents are not mandatory. You must provide a valid passport or travel document with all applications and when travelling to the UK. The material also covers specific evidence for children, marriage, and third-party support.
- You must provide a valid passport or other travel document with all applications and when travelling to the UK.[6]
- Supporting documents should back up statements on the visa application form, but recommended documents are not mandatory and omitting one is not itself a refusal ground.[5]
- For a child's application, show a copy of the photo page of at least one parent's or guardian's passport if they are not also applying.[6]
- If you plan to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK, provide evidence of the intention and show you are free to marry if previously married.[6]
- If a third party supports you, you should show that person is legally in the UK, for example with a British passport or residence document.[6]
Fees
The clearest fee in the archived official sources is £135 for a Standard Visitor visa for up to 6 months. The material also mentions an official cost tool and paying through a travel agent for group applications. It does not state the ETA fee.
- A Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for up to 6 months; the earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.[9]
- You can use the official tool to work out the cost of your UK visa application.[8]
- For group travel through a travel agent, pay the visa fee directly to the agent, who will pay for the whole group.[7]
- At the border, officers may ask whether you will be paid in the UK for any activities; see guidance on permitted paid engagements.[5]
How to apply
For a visa application, you apply, pay £135 and book an appointment. You should get a decision within 3 weeks of your appointment, and faster decisions may be available for extra fees. You must attend a visa application centre to give biometric information.
- Apply for a visa, pay £135 and book an appointment; you should get a decision within 3 weeks of your appointment.[10]
- You may pay an extra £500 for a 5-working-day decision or £1,000 for a 24-hour decision, depending on the visa application centre.[10]
- You must attend a visa application centre appointment, where your fingerprints and photograph (biometric information) will be taken.[10]
- You may have to travel to your nearest visa application centre, which could be in another country.[10]
- You will be told if the visa application centre will keep any of your other documents when you apply.[10]
At the border
Border officers may ask what you are coming to do and for how long. You need an ETA if you pass through border control at a UK airport before continuing your onward journey. Selling goods or services directly to the public is prohibited for visitors, while negotiating and signing deals is permitted.
- At the border, officers will ask you to explain what you are coming to do and for how long.[5]
- You need an ETA if you are passing through border control at a UK airport before continuing your onward journey.[4]
- Selling goods or services directly to the public is prohibited for visitors, while negotiating and signing deals or contracts is permitted.[5]
- You cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as self-employed unless you are doing a permitted paid engagement.[9]
- If the information you give shows your activities amount to prohibited work, you can be refused entry.[5]
Notices & things to watch
Visitors intending to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK must give notice at a register office before the ceremony. In England and Wales notice must be given in person, while in Scotland and Northern Ireland it can be given by post. You should bring confirmation of any provisional appointment to give notice.
- Visitors intending to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK must give notice at a register office before the marriage or civil partnership can take place.[5]
- In England and Wales notice must be given in person; in Scotland and Northern Ireland notice can be given by post.[5]
- If you come to give notice at a register office, you must show you have made arrangements, such as an appointment card or email confirming a provisional booking.[5]
- A visitor's main purpose may change before or on arrival, for example if a planned sporting event is cancelled and they come as a tourist instead.[5]
- For documents required to give notice of marriage, see the separate guidance on marriages and civil partnerships in the UK.[5]
Legal basis
The Immigration Rules are key UK immigration legislation and are updated regularly through statements of changes. Certain exclusion or deportation orders can affect entry. A previous failure to comply with another country's immigration law may suggest you are not a genuine visitor.
- The Immigration Rules are key UK immigration legislation and are updated regularly; changes appear in the Immigration Rules: statement of changes.[1]
- An exclusion decision or exclusion order under regulation 23(5) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 is relevant to entry.[5]
- A deportation order made under section 5(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 is relevant to entry.[5]
- A previous failure to comply with another country's immigration law, such as removal or refusal of entry, may suggest you are not a genuine visitor.[5]
Frequently asked questions
The archived FAQ material is very thin. It only includes a caseworker checklist item asking whether all relevant recording requirements have been completed. It does not answer traveller-facing questions.
- The only FAQ item archived asks whether all relevant recording requirements have been completed.[5]
- This is a caseworker checklist point and does not answer common traveller questions.[5]
- our archive are thin for official FAQ content; check the official portal for traveller guidance.[2][4]
Official downloads
1 file as ZIP ≈940 KBThe only attachment directly relevant to visitors is the general visitor guidance; the other attachments cover work, study and settlement routes and are not visitor material, so they are omitted from this list.
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PDFGeneral visitor V15.0EXTOfficial general visitor guidance; use it for background on visitor rules and supporting documents, not as a document to submit.
Official sources
The sources are strong on visitor rules and the Standard Visitor visa, but thin on ETA application steps and fees.
Numbers match the markers in the text above; click a marker to jump here. Groups are collapsed by domain - click a heading to expand. A source cited more than once keeps a single number.
www.gov.uk9 URLs · cited 50 times
- 1www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rulescited 2×
- 2www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration
- 4www.gov.uk/etacited 10×
- 5www.gov.uk/government/publications/visit-guidance/visit-caseworker-guidance-accessible--2cited 19×
- 6www.gov.uk/government/publications/visitor-visa-guide-to-supporting-documents/guide-to-supporting-documents-visiting-the-ukcited 4×
- 7www.gov.uk/ads-visa
- 8www.gov.uk/visa-fees
- 9www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/after-you-applycited 6×
- 10www.gov.uk/marriage-visacited 6×
Popularity rank #14 (score 35.78). This page was written by an AI from the official material listed above and adds no facts from outside it; visa rules change, so always confirm on the official portal before you apply.