The British Tourist Visa for your Holiday or Visiting a Family
Applying for a British Tourist visa is necessary if you are going on vacation trip or to see a relative living in Great Britain.
Generally, you can apply for the necessary British tourist visa online/ at the nearest British consulate in the country where you live, for a stay in Great Britain of up to 3 months.
General Visa Requirements and Validity Period of British Tourist Visa
Before applying for a tourist visa for Great Britain, it is advised you check whether you meet all the British visa requirements.
A brief summary of the most important requirements and conditions when getting the tourist visa for Great Britain:
- You do not expect to carry out volunteer work that would otherwise be carried out by a paid worker in Great Britain.
- You do not plan to participate in an employment relationship in Great Britain.
- You do not mean to offer services to British organisations (this is allowed with a British work visa or business visa).
- You do not intend to supply or market product or services to consumers in Great Britain.
- You and your relative are not in debt to the Great Britain Government.
- You do not pose a threat to the health or safety and security of the people of Great Britain.
- You are able to show that you have adequate funds to pay for your trip and return from Great Britain.
Do you require a British tourist visa?
It relies on your nationality and the kind of travel document you are using to take a trip to Great Britain.Please visit here to find out if you need a British visa.
Who can request a British tourist visa?
Any person hoping to go on vacation to Great Britain can make an application for a British tourist visa.
There are several types of visa for Great Britain which you can use as a visitor to Great Britain. If you are not exactly sure which sort of British tourist visa you require to apply, please call the nearest British visa office to obtain further clarification as goal of this web page is to give you general guide when making an application for British tourist visa.
What type of British visa do I need?
This relies on 3 points:
- The nationality according to your passport – If the nationality according to the passport is from a country that is on visa free travel to Great Britain or eligible to obtain a visa on arrival in Great Britain, then you may not need to make an application for a British tourist visa before departure from your home country. Please click on this link to confirm if you require a British visa.
- The length of your trip in Great Britain – If you want to stay in Great Britain for a shorter period no more than ninety days, then you can get the British tourist visa. If you wish to stay much longer, then speak to the nearest British visa office to obtain the suitable visa for your trip.
- The activities you like to perform in Great Britain – If your sole purpose of travelling is for holiday, then you can apply for all kinds of British tourist visas mentioned on this page.
General Visa Application Requirements to Make An Application For British Traveller Visa
- Tourist visa application for Great Britain – Completed British visa application form.
- Original and signed passport – The passport has to be valid for at the very least 6 months before entering Great Britain and three months after departing Great Britain. It has to have at least 2 spare visa web pages and can not be older than ten years.
- Passport type photo – Photo needs to be no older than six months and need to be 35 x 40mm in size.
- Previous passport – Offer a previous passport if you had any.
- Previous visas – Copies of previous British visas details if you had any.
- Flight tickets to Great Britain – Reservation of return or round trip flight tickets. In some situations the British visa office may request pre paid flight tickets to Great Britain.
- Travel insurance coverage – Proof of travel insurance policy with a minimum cover set by the British consular office provided with the Certificate of Insurance coverage and the table of benefits. The travel insurance coverage should cover the expense of repatriation for medical reasons and the Certificate of Currency should be issued by an insurance company. If you are thinking about utilizing your credit card travel insurance for your travel to Great Britain, please call British consular office to learn more and travel insurance coverage requirements for the British visa.
- Original financial institution statements – Original bank statements for the last 3 months revealing enough funds to cover stay in Great Britain. If statements are printed online after that it needs to be Validated (marked) by the bank officials.
- Hotel Reservations in Great Britain – Copy of confirmed hotel bookings including name of the applicant, name and address of the hotel, duration of stay. In many scenarios, only bookings which are partially or completely pre-paid can be accepted.
- Work letter – This letter has to be: original and signed letter from employer written on company letter head paper, verifying your ongoing employment, the status of employment, regular monthly salary and yearly leave. Also, please supply your 3 most recent pay slips. If you are self-employed: give certified copies of business registration, income tax return.
- For students. Please offer the following:
- Evidence of present student status: Certificate of Enrollment.
- Original and signed letter from university written on university letter head paper, confirming on-going enrolment, confirming the payment of tuition fees or any type of scholarships, and confirming term break.
- Insurance from Organisation/University – Provide a letter from the University specifying the purpose, period of travel and confirmation that you are going to be covered by the insurance coverage for the whole journey along with the Certificate of Currency and summary of benefits.
Generally, visa applications for British visa should be sent for an optimum of 6 months, and no behind 15 days, before the trip.