UK Standard Visitor visa

Who is this visa for?

• Travel to the UK for a holiday or general tourism
• Visit family or friends
• Volunteer with a registered charity for up to 30 days
• Transit through the UK to another country
• Attend a conference, meeting, training, seminar or interview
• Negotiate contracts or carry out short-term business activities

What you can do with a Standard Visitor visa

• Tourism & leisure — holidays, sightseeing, and visiting family or friends
• Business activities — attend meetings, interviews and conferences, negotiate contracts, make site visits and give unpaid talks (within visitor rules)
• Short study — study an accredited course for up to 6 months, or a recreational course for up to 30 days
• Academic visits — permitted activities for academics, senior doctors and dentists on exchanges
• Transit — pass through the UK on the way to another country
• Volunteering — up to 30 days with a registered UK charity
• Medical treatment — receive private medical care with evidence and proof of payment

Requirements

To be eligible you must show that:

• You are a genuine visitor whose purpose fits the permitted activities and who intends to leave the UK at the end of the visit
• You have enough money to cover your travel, accommodation and daily costs without working or accessing public funds
• You can show ties to your home country (employment, studies, property or family)
• You can provide accommodation and travel-itinerary details
• You have a clean immigration history (no recent overstays, breaches or deception)

Documents you will need

• Valid passport (with at least one blank page)
• Completed online application form and proof of fee payment
• Evidence of funds (bank statements, payslips or sponsor evidence)
• Proof of accommodation and travel plans
• Evidence of ties to your home country
• Invitation letters or supporting documents (business, academic or medical) — where applicable
• Certified translations for any documents not in English or Welsh — where applicable

Visa fees

These are the current Home Office application fees for a Standard Visitor visa, checked on gov.uk in August 2026. Fees are reviewed periodically, so confirm the amount before you apply. Visitors do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. If you do not need a visa to visit but need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) instead, that is a separate £20 authorisation.

• 6 months — £135
• 2 years (long-term visit visa) — £506
• 5 years (long-term visit visa) — £903
• 10 years (long-term visit visa) — £1,128

How long can you stay?

Available for up to 6 months, or as a long-term visit visa valid for 2, 5 or 10 years — but each individual visit is limited to a maximum of 6 months.

Processing time

Most applications are decided within around 3 weeks after you give your biometrics, though timelines vary by location and season — roughly 3–6 weeks in total from submission to decision.