Application form

You apply online on GOV.UK

Most UK visa and immigration applications are made online. You start from GOV.UK, which links you to the correct application service for your route. You can usually save your progress and come back to finish the form later, so you do not have to complete everything in one sitting.

Before you begin, it helps to have your passport or travel document to hand, along with the supporting information the form asks for. For a visit application, for example, that can include your travel dates, where you will stay, the cost of the trip, and details about your work and travel history. Any documents not in English or Welsh generally need a certified translation.

• Start at GOV.UK and follow the link to your specific visa or immigration route.
• You can normally save an incomplete application and return to it.
• Have your passport or travel document and supporting details ready.
• Each person applying usually needs their own application.

Paying the application fee

You pay the application fee as part of the online process. The amount depends entirely on the route and, for some visas, on how long the permission lasts. As an illustration, a standard visitor visa fee starts at £135 for a six-month visit, rising to over £1,000 for a long-term multi-year visit visa. Work, study, family and settlement routes each have their own separate fees.

Because fees differ so much between routes and change over time, always check the current cost for your specific application on GOV.UK before you pay.

Paying the immigration health surcharge (IHS)

Most people also pay the immigration health surcharge as part of the same online application. This charge gives you access to the NHS during your stay and is separate from the visa fee itself.

The surcharge is charged per year of the permission you are granted. At current rates it is £776 per year at the reduced rate (which applies to students, their dependants, people on the Youth Mobility Scheme, and applicants under 18) and £1,035 per year for other applicants. Not everyone has to pay it, and some routes are exempt, so the online service will tell you what applies to your application.

• Paid within the online application, on top of the visa fee.
• Reduced rate: £776 per year (students, their dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme, and under-18s).
• Standard rate: £1,035 per year for most other applicants.
• Some applicants and routes are exempt — the service confirms your position.

Proving your identity

After you submit and pay, you need to prove your identity. There are generally two ways this happens, and the online service tells you which applies to you.

One route is to attend an appointment in person at a visa application centre, where staff take your fingerprints and a photograph (your biometric information) and check your passport or travel document. The other, offered for some applications, is to use a smartphone app to scan your identity document and confirm your identity without attending a centre. You will be directed to whichever method fits your application.

• In person: give your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) at a visa application centre.
• By app: for eligible applications, scan your identity document using the official identity-check app instead of attending in person.
• The online service tells you which option you must use.

After you apply

Once your identity is confirmed, your application is decided by UK Visas and Immigration. Processing times vary by route — a decision often takes around three weeks for a visit visa, and longer for many work and study routes — so apply in good time before you plan to travel or start.

If your application is successful, your immigration status is now held digitally as an eVisa rather than a physical card. Physical biometric residence permits have been replaced by eVisas, and you access yours through a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.

Only use the official service

The official application service is on GOV.UK, and the fees you pay there go to the Home Office. Some third-party websites offer to complete the same application for you and charge an additional service fee for doing so. Using them is not required and does not improve your chances — you can apply directly yourself at no extra cost beyond the official fee and any surcharge.

If a website's address is not a GOV.UK address, treat any extra charges as that company's own fee, not part of the official application. When in doubt, go back to GOV.UK and start from there.