The British Visa for your Trip to United Kingdom
Applying for an British visa is necessary if you are visiting on vacation trip or to visit a family or living in United Kingdom or on a business trip.
Usually, a visitor should be able to apply for the necessary British visa online/ at the nearest British embassy in the country of your residence.
The British visa for your trip to United Kingdom
It is advisable to check the British visa requirements, before applying for your visa to United Kingdom.
A brief list of the most important requirements and conditions when obtaining the visa for United Kingdom:
- You do not intend to conduct volunteer work that would otherwise be undertaken by a paid staff in United Kingdom.
- You do not mean to join a work relationship in United Kingdom.
- You do not mean to give services to British organisations (this is allowed with a British work visa or business visa).
- You do not intend to provide or market product or services to consumers in United Kingdom.
- You and your family members are not in debt to the United Kingdom Government.
- You do not pose a risk to the health or safety and security of the people of United Kingdom.
- You are able to demonstrate that you have sufficient financial resources to cover your visit and return from United Kingdom.
Do you need an British visa?
It depends upon your nationality as well as the type of travel document you are using to take a trip to United Kingdom.Please visit here to check if you need an British visa.
Who can obtain an British visa?
Any individual wishing to go on vacation to United Kingdom can apply for an British visa.
There are several types of visa for United Kingdom which you can use as a traveller to United Kingdom. If you are unsure which kind of British visa you need to apply, please speak to the closest British visa office to obtain further information as objective of this page is to give you general overview when looking for British visa.
What type of British visa do I need?
This depends on 3 aspects:
- The citizenship according to your passport – If the nationality according to the passport is from a country that is on visa free travel to United Kingdom or eligible to secure a visa on arrival in United Kingdom, then you may not need to get an British visa prior to departure from your home country. Please go here to confirm if you require an British visa.
- The length of your visit in United Kingdom – If you want to stay in United Kingdom for a much shorter period no more than 90 days, then you can make an application for the British visa. If you prefer to remain longer, then contact the closest British visa office to find the suitable visa for your trip.
- The activities you want to carry out in United Kingdom – If your main purpose of taking a trip is for tourism, then you can apply for all types of British visas talked about on this page.
General Visa Application Requirements to Get British Visitor Visa
- Visitor visa application form for United Kingdom – Completed British visa application form.
- Original and signed passport – The passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months prior to entering United Kingdom and 3 months after leaving United Kingdom. It needs to contain a minimum of 2 spare visa pages and can not be older than 10 years.
- Passport type photo – Photo should be no older than six months and need to be 35 x 40mm in width.
- Previous passport – Offer a previous passport if you had any.
- Previous visas– Copies of previous British visas information if you had any.
- Flight tickets to United Kingdom – Reservation of return or round trip flight tickets. In some instances the British visa office might request for pre paid air travel tickets to United Kingdom.
- Travel insurance policy – Proof of travel insurance coverage with a minimum cover set by the British consular office provided with the Certification of Insurance and the table of benefits. The travel insurance policy need to cover the expense of repatriation for medical reasons and the Certificate of Currency have to be issued by an insurer. If you are considering utilizing your credit card travel insurance for your travel to United Kingdom, please contact British consular office for more details and travel insurance policy requirements for the British visa.
- Original financial institution statements – Original financial institution statements for the last 3 months showing adequate funds to cover your trip in United Kingdom. If statements are printed online then it needs to be Authenticated (marked) by the financial institution representatives.
- Hotel Reservations in United Kingdom – Copy of confirmed hotel reservations including name of the applicant, name and address of the hotel, length of stay. In a lot of scenarios, only bookings which are partially or completely pre-paid can be accepted.
- Employment letter – This letter should be: original and signed letter from employer written on company letter head paper, verifying your ongoing employment, the status of employment, regular monthly income and annual leave. Likewise, please offer your three newest pay slips. If you are self-employed: supply certified copies of company registration, tax return.
- For students. Please provide the following:
- Proof of current student status: Certificate of Enrollment.
- Original and signed letter from university written on university letter head paper, confirming ongoing enrolment, verifying the payment of tuition fees or any type of scholarships, and confirming term break.
- Insurance policy from Organisation/University– Provide a letter from the University stating the purpose, duration of travel and confirmation that you will be covered by the insurance for the whole trip in addition to the Certificate of Currency and summary of benefits.
In general, visa applications for British visa ought to be sent for an optimum of 6 months, and no behind 15 days, prior to the journey.