I am planning to come
I want to visit the UK
Sample contentA visit is for a holiday, seeing family, a business meeting or a short course. It is not for working or for living here, and the application is mostly about showing that.
What the words mean
- Standard Visitor visa
- The usual route for people whose nationality needs a visa to come for a short stay.
- Electronic Travel Authorisation
- A digital permission, not a visa, for people whose nationality does not need a visa for short visits. You apply before you travel.
- Genuine visitor
- The test the caseworker applies: that you will do what you say, can pay for it, and will leave at the end.
What to do first
Step 1. Check whether your nationality needs a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorisation. They are different applications.
Step 2. Decide your dates before you apply, but do not buy tickets you cannot get money back on.
Step 3. Gather evidence that you can pay for the trip, and that you have reasons to go home.
Step 4. Declare any previous refusal, from any country, where the form asks.
Step 5. Apply on GOV.UK and book biometrics at your nearest visa application centre.
What to gather
A passport that covers your whole stay
Bank statements covering the period the guidance asks for
Evidence of why you are coming: an invitation, a booking, a letter
Evidence of what you are returning to: work, study, family, a tenancy
Who can help
Most visit applications do not need an adviser. Speak to one if you have been refused before, have an immigration history in any country, or someone else is paying for your trip and you are not sure how to show it.
Find a regulated adviserSample content · written for review · not checked by a lawyer or against the Immigration Rules