For questions, please click here to contact embassies directly.

1) If you wish to visit the UK you must be able to show that:
•You want to visit the UK for no more than six months
•You intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit, and
•You have enough money to support yourself and live in the UK without working or needing any help from public funds.

2) You will also require a visa.
•A visa is a certificate that is put into your passport or travel document by an Entry Clearance Officer at a British mission overseas. The visa gives you permission to enter the UK.
•If you have a valid UK visa we will not normally refuse you entry to the UK unless your circumstances have changed, or you gave false information or did not tell us important facts when you applied for your visa.
•When you arrive in the UK, an Immigration Officer may ask you questions, so take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.

3) Not Everybody needs a visa! You will need a visa:
•If your country appears on this page.
•Are stateless (you do not have a nationality)
•Hold a non-national travel document (a travel document which does not give you the nationality of the country that issued it), or hold a passport issued by an authority that is not recognised in the UK.
People of other nationalities will be able to enter the UK freely. You will only have to bring your passport.
•European Economic Area (EEA) citizens and Swiss nationals have the right of free movement and residence in the UK.
•All others will have to fill in an immigration form when arriving in the UK.

NOTE: If you are not sure if you need a visa or not, don’t hesitate to contact your nearest British mission overseas.

4) Duration of the visa:
•With a visit visa you can usually enter and leave the UK any number of times while the visa is still valid.
•You cannot stay for longer than six months on each visit.
•Visit visas can be valid for six months, one year, two years, five years or 10 years. You can apply for a visa valid for any of these periods. The Entry Clearance Officer may decide to make your visa valid for a shorter time than you have asked for, for example if you are not a regular traveller or have never visited the UK before.

5) How do I apply for a visa?
•You can apply in a number of ways, for example, by post, by courier, in person and online. The visa section of your nearest British mission overseas will tell you about the ways in which you can apply.
•Some visa sections will only accept applications made online. To find out if you can apply for your visa online please visit www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk
•If you cannot apply online you will need to fill in a visa application form (VAF 1 - Visitor). You can get a form free of charge from your nearest British mission overseas where there is a visa section or from this website.
•You can apply for a visit visa or EEA family permit at any full service visa-issuing office. If you are applying from within the EEA, you will need to show that you are living legally in an EEA member state. Living legally includes having a visit visa for the member state. For all other types of visa, you should apply in the country of which you are a national or where you legally live.

NOTE: In some countries, if you are applying for a visa to stay in the UK for more than six months, you may need to be tested for active tuberculosis before we will accept your application.

NOTE: What are visa application centres?
In some countries, we are working with commercial companies to run visa application centres (VACs). The VACs are in largely populated areas, making it easier and more convenient for people to apply for a UK visa. Trained staff at each VAC deal with all visa enquiries and applications. They collect your biometric information (see the relevant section of this leaflet) along with the relevant fees, and provide unbiased, face-to-face advice on the application process, including whether or not you have included all the necessary documents. Entry clearance staff at the British mission will then consider your application and decide whether

6) Make your visa application:
Application form VAF1 - Visitor (PDF, 225K)
Visitor form guidance notes (PDF, 150K)
Note:You will need to make your application online or fill in the following visa application form:

Note:You will also need the following.
•Your passport or travel document.
•A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm), colour photograph of yourself. This should be:
- taken against a light-coloured background
- clear and of good quality
- and not framed or backed
- printed on normal photographic paper
- full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons (but the face must not be covered).
•The visa fee. This cannot be refunded, and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
•Any supporting documents relevant to your application.

7) Biometric information
In some countries currently - and in all countries by April 2008 - you will need to provide 'biometric' information as part of the visa application process. This biometric information consists of scans of all 10 of your fingers and a full-face digital photograph. You will have to go to the nearest VAC in person to provide this biometric information. In those countries where there is no VAC, you will need to go to the British mission. Your visa applications will not be processed until you have provided the necessary biometric information. The finger scans are electronic so staff do not need to use any ink, liquid or chemicals. You will have your digital photograph taken at the same time and the whole procedure should take no more than five minutes to complete. You should make sure that you do not have any decoration (such as henna), or any cuts or other markings on your fingertips before having your finger scans. You should also make sure that if you have any cuts and bruises on your face, they have healed or disappeared before you have your photograph taken. Digital photographs must be of your full face and you should not wear sunglasses, a hat or any other head covering (unless you wear it for cultural or religious reasons but the face must not be covered).

Information gathered from UK Visas.