Important Travel Document Information – Please Read
To conduct business in the United Kingdom, you must have the necessary permission. UK Business visas allow people to enter the country to do business, including attending conferences, meetings, and contract negotiations.
You must ensure that, among the available UK Business visa alternatives, you apply for one that meets your eligibility requirements and permits you to conduct your intended business operations.
If you wish to do specific short-term business operations in the United Kingdom, you may be able to apply for a standard visitor visa.
Business Visitor Visa
You may also use the UK Business Visa for tourism and recreational purposes, such as visiting friends and family, although you will be required to inform the Home Office of the primary objective of your trip. The standard visiting visa regulations are in Appendix V of the Immigration Rules.
Requirements for obtaining a UK Business Visa
These dictate the requirements for obtaining a UK business visa for this category, including a lengthy list of permissible and forbidden activities.
Appendix V
This path is for those who wish to visit the United Kingdom for a short time (typically up to six months) for objectives such as tourism, visiting friends or family, conducting business, or taking a short course of study. Each Visitor must complete the Visitor route requirements, regardless of whether they are traveling as a family, tour group, or school group, for example:
- A visa national listed in Appendix Visitor: Visa National must get entry clearance as a Visitor (a visit visa) before entering the United Kingdom.
- A non-visa national can typically apply for entry to the United Kingdom upon arrival.
What UK Visa do I need?
Standard Visitor: for people wishing to engage in the permitted activities. Permitted Activities, such as tourism and family visits, typically for up to six months. With a Standard Visitor Visa, you can apply for a visit visa with a validity of six months, two, five, or ten years; however, any stay in the U.K. must not exceed the permissible length of stay endorsed on the visit visa (usually six months).
Marriage/Civil Partnership Visitor: for people wishing to enter the United Kingdom to marry, form a civil partnership, and notice marriage.
Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor: for experts in their area traveling to the United Kingdom to perform paid engagements for up to a month.
Transit Visitor: This is a UK Transit Visa for persons who wish to transit the United Kingdom en route to a nation outside the Common Travel Area and need to enter the United Kingdom for up to 48 hours by crossing the British border, unless the Appendix Visitor: Transit Without Visa Scheme applies. Visitors are prohibited from working in the United Kingdom unless expressly permitted.
Standard Visitor
Marriage/Civil Partnership Visitor
Permitted Paid Engagement Visitor
Transit Visitor
UK Businesss Visa Permitted Activities
Activities allowed the regular visiting visa permits the following commercial activities:
- Participating in gatherings, conferences, seminars, or interviews.
- Delivering a single talk or a brief series of talks, as long as they are not organized as commercial events and do not generate a profit for the organizer.
- Negotiating and concluding contracts and deals.
- Participating in trade shows solely for promotional purposes, providing no direct selling is involved.
- Conducting site visits and examinations.
- Collecting data for an international position.
- Being briefed on the requirements of a UK-based customer, provided that any work for the customer is performed outside of the UK.
Other Permitted Activities
You are permitted to engage in the following corporate or intra-corporate activities as an employee of an international company:
- Advisory, consulting, problem-solving, and training services.
- Sharing skills and information on a particular internal project with U.K. personnel of the same corporate group, providing no work is performed directly with clients.
- Conducting regulatory or financial audits as an internal auditor in a U.K. branch of the same group of companies as the employer.
- Further sector-specific actions are authorized under a regular tourist visa, such as receiving funds to start, take over, join, or manage a business in the United Kingdom, although starting or running a business is prohibited.
How do I qualify for a business visa for the United Kingdom?
To qualify for a UK Business visitor visa, you must meet the following conditions:
- You will depart the United Kingdom after your trip.
- Ensure that you have enough money to keep and accommodate yourself without aid from the government.
- You can pay for your return or the continuation of travel.
- You have evidence of any allowed business operations you wish to conduct in the United Kingdom. It is implicit in these conditions that you are seeking entrance for a purpose approved by the visitor route and that you will refrain from engaging in forbidden activities.
Please note that if a U.K. company is paying you to come as an expert in your field, you should apply for what is known as an authorized paid engagement visa.
It permitted paid engagement visa.
Under this specific visa form, you may engage in various compensated activities, such as serving on a selection panel as a highly qualified scholar or delivering lectures at an institution of higher education, arts organization, or research organization.
Other UK Visa Types
A Business visa is required for any foreign national wishing to enter the United Kingdom to undertake business activities. Alternatively, you can choose from the following visa types:
| UK Family Visa | UK Refugee Visa | UK Transit Visa |
| UK Standard Visitor Visa | UK Study Visa | UK Business Visa |
| UK Work Permits | UK Spousal Visa | UK Settlement Visa |
| UK Parent Visa | UK Child Visa |
How To Apply
You must submit a visitor visa application online from outside the U.K. You will need to show your passport or other valid travel documents, as well as documents supporting your reason for traveling to the United Kingdom and meeting the other U.K. business visa criteria for this route.
A visa application center may also need you to register your biometric information, such as your fingerprint scan or a digital photograph of your face.
Three months before your trip is the earliest you may apply for a visiting visa, and you should receive a response within three weeks. If your visa application is approved, it will typically be valid for six months, which is what you can and cannot do.
You may be invited and compensated by a UK-based client or organization:-
- as a professional performer, artist, or musician • being a professional athlete
- as a competent attorney – to represent a client
- to provide a lecture or lecture series
- as a scholar – to serve as a student examiner or evaluator
- serving as an air pilot examiner
Verify that what you are getting paid to accomplish in the United Kingdom is legal.
You cannot:
- engage in paid work unrelated to your primary foreign occupation or area of expertise
- study
- reside in the U.K. for lengthy periods
- demand governmental funds (benefits)
- travel via the United Kingdom en route to another country (‘in transit’). A Marriage Visitor Visa is required to marry, register a civil partnership, or give notice of a marriage or civil partnership.
To qualify for an authorized paid engagement visa, you must meet the following requirements for a U.K. business visa:
- You are older than 18
- Your stay in the United Kingdom will not exceed one month
- You will depart the United Kingdom after your trip.
- You have enough funds to maintain and accommodate yourself without assistance from the government
- You can pay for your return or continuation of travel
- You are not en route (in transit) to
Global Business Mobility Visa
Global Business Mobility is a combined category of sponsored routes for foreign companies intending to establish a presence in the United Kingdom or transfer employees for specific business purposes. The route consists of five subcategories of sponsored worker visas, each of which is designed for a particular type of worker and has its eligibility and application procedures.
- Senior or Expert Worker path
- Route for Graduate Trainees
- Assignment (secondment) Worker path
- Service Provider path
- Route for U.K. Expansion Worker
The first three selections are for companies with a presence in the United Kingdom, while the last three are for companies without a presence in the United Kingdom. (Both parties will have the opportunity for seconds.) The worker will always require sponsorship.
In practice, the new method combines the previous Intra-Company Transfer, Intra-Company Graduate Trainee, Overseas Business Representative, and International Agreement visas. Only UK expansion personnel and secondments (to use the new language) experience significant changes among the five paths. The Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendation to allow Intra-Company Transfer visa holders (now Senior or Specialist Workers) to settle in the United Kingdom has not been implemented
To qualify for an innovator visa, you must meet the following requirements for a U.K. business visa:
You are at least 18 years old
- You are not from the EEA or Switzerland.
- You wish to create a new business in the United Kingdom
- An authorized organization has endorsed your company
- You satisfy the language requirement
- You have sufficient funds to maintain yourself while in the United Kingdom.
Under the innovator path, you must also have at least £50,000 to invest in a new firm. However, you may qualify without investment capital if your business is already established and approved under the start-up method.
If awarded an innovator visa, you will be entitled to remain in the United Kingdom for three years. You may also request to renew your visa for an additional three years, with no restriction on the number of times you may do so.
In addition, the innovator visa offers a straight path to residency in the United Kingdom. In other words, if you have consistently resided in the United Kingdom for five years, you are eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
As a result, many candidates will transfer from the start-up visa to the innovator route, transforming from aspiring entrepreneurs to permanent business owners in the United Kingdom.
UK Businesss Visa Forbidden Activities
In addition to creating or operating a business as a self-employed individual, the Standard Visitor Visa prohibits various additional activities. The following are examples:
- Employing in the United Kingdom
- Working in the United Kingdom for a company or organization
- Engaging in an internship or work placement
- Selling directly to consumers
- Offering merchandise and services
People Also Asked
This path is for entrepreneurs who wish to establish a firm for the first time in the United Kingdom.
Since the Home Office began accepting applications for this visa form on March 29, 2019, the start-up visa has effectively replaced the Tier 1 (graduate entrepreneur) route reserved for graduates.
Since the conclusion of March 2019, two wholly new categories were established for leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom to work. They are collectively referred to as “Workers,” however it may not be simple to apply under this route.
Under the new start-up visa, the option to establish a business in the United Kingdom is now available to a broader pool of aspiring entrepreneurs, including non-graduates who meet the standards for establishing a successful firm. On the list of approved endorsers are also universities and corporations.
The start-up visa is explicitly aimed at non-EEA entrepreneurs wishing to establish a business in the United Kingdom. The new route stipulates that applicants and their business ideas are vetted by an approved industry body against predetermined criteria, with no initial capital investment requirement.
Eligibility
To qualify for a start-up visa. You must meet the following requirements for a U.K. business visa:
- You are at least 18 years old
- You are not from the EEA or Switzerland.
- You wish to create a new business in the United Kingdom
- You satisfy the language requirement
- You have sufficient funds to maintain yourself while in the United Kingdom.
In addition, before applying for a start-up visa, your business plan must be endorsed by one of the following authorized bodies:
- A British institution of higher education, or
- An organization with a history of assisting British entrepreneurs. As part of the endorsement procedure, you must demonstrate that your proposal is novel, novel, and viable. In other words, you cannot join or invest in an already-established business. In addition, your idea must be distinct from everything else on the market and have growth potential.
Only entities authorized by the Home Office for this immigration route are permitted to grant the necessary endorsement.
A start-up visa application must be submitted online from outside the U.K. or within the U.K. if the applicant transfers from another visa category. However, there are just a few categories from which you can move, including Tier 1 (graduate entrepreneur) and standard tourist visas.
In support of your application, you must submit a valid passport or another travel document, as well as documents demonstrating that you meet the necessary U.K. business visa requirements via the start-up route.
In particular, you will need a letter of endorsement from a recognized organization and documentation evidence of the English language and maintenance criteria. To satisfy the English language requirement, you must either be a national of a majority-English-speaking country or meet one of the following requirements:
- Possess an English speaking and listening qualification at level B1 or above on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), or
- Possess a degree in which English was taught or researched.
To meet the maintenance requirement, you must prove that you have held a minimum of £945 in your bank account for 90 consecutive days before submitting your application, plus an extra £630 for any dependent joining you.
In addition to submitting your supporting documentation, you may be required to enroll your biometric information at a visa application center if you are applying from outside the U.K. or at a U.K. Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point if you are applying to switch to this category from within the U.K.
Please note that because the start-up visa is valid for more than six months, you and any dependents accompanying you will also be required to pay the immigration healthcare surcharge and the application fee (IHS). The IHS allows you to access the National Health Service while residing in the United Kingdom.
Three months before departure is the earliest you can apply for a start-up visa outside the U.K. You should receive a decision within three weeks. If applying from within the United Kingdom, you will often receive a decision within eight weeks.
If your application for a start-up visa is approved, it will be valid for two years, although this duration can be shortened if your endorsement is revoked. In such cases, you must reapply with a new endorsement before the expiration of your current visa. However, any additional leave given would not exceed two years in total.
You may submit an Innovator visa application if:
- You want to establish and operate a unique business in the United Kingdom – it must be something that is unlike anything else on the market.
- your firm or business idea has been supported by an approved organization, commonly known as an endorsing organization
- you satisfy the remaining eligibility requirements Eligibility You must demonstrate that your business concept is:
- new – you cannot join an already operating business
- original (Innovative)- you must have a business concept distinct from anything else on the market.
- viable, with growth potential
Language proficiency in English
You must be able to read, write, speak, and comprehend English. Typically, you will be required to demonstrate your English proficiency while applying.
If you’re not qualified for an Innovator visa.
You may qualify for a different visa to work in the United Kingdom.
You may remain for three years if you:
- enter the country with an Innovator visa
- switch to this visa while in the U.K. from another visa
If you wish to extend your stay in the United Kingdom.
When your visa expires, you can apply for a three-year extension. There is no maximum number of extensions allowed.
After three years in the U.K., you may be eligible to apply for permanent residency.
If your Visa/endorsement is canceled.
Your visa may be terminated if the endorsing organization revokes your endorsement. If you wish to extend your stay, you must reapply with a new endorsement before the expiration of your current visa.
How to make an application.
You must submit your application online.
How you apply will depend on whether:
- residing outside the U.K. and entering the U.K.
- residing in the United Kingdom and extending your visa
- When within the United Kingdom and changing from a different visa.
You may include your spouse and children in your application to remain in the United Kingdom if they qualify.
As part of your application, you must show proof of your identity and papers.
If you need an appointment to do this, you may need to allow additional time. When you submit an application, you’ll find out if one is required.
Getting a decision.
After applying online, proving your identification, and submitting your papers, you will typically receive a visa decision within:
- three weeks, if you’re outside the U.K.
- Eight weeks if within the United Kingdom.
If you are required to go to an appointment, you may have the option to pay for a quicker decision. This procedure differs depending on whether you are inside or outside the United Kingdom.
Fees.
The cost of an Innovator visa varies on the applicant’s situation and country of application.
You must pay the visa cost for any individual who applies with you or later to join you in the United Kingdom.
You must also include the healthcare surcharge with your application.
Check the cost of the application before you submit it.
If you are looking to renew or change a U.K. visa.
The collection of your biometric information (fingerprints and a photograph) is free of charge.
What can and cannot do.
With a visa for innovators, you can:
- establish a firm or enterprises
- work for your firm, whether as a director or as a self-employed member of a business partnership
- bring your spouse and children with you if they qualify as “dependents.”
- go overseas and return to the United Kingdom
- May seek to settle permanently in the United Kingdom (commonly known as “indefinite leave to remain”) if you have been in the United Kingdom for three years and meet all other eligibility requirements.
perform any work outside of your business, such as employment with another company
- work as a professional athlete, such as a sports coach
- apply for the majority of public benefits or the State Pension.
If your application is approved, you will be provided with a comprehensive description of everything you may and cannot do with an Innovator visa.
If you wish to establish a new business, you must:
To apply for an Innovator visa, you must have at least £50,000 in investment capital if you wish to establish a new firm.
You must demonstrate the source of your funding.
You do not require investing capital if either:
- your company is already founded and has received approval for a prior visa
- you’ve altered your business and received approval from your governing body
Providing for yourself.
You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account for a minimum of 28 consecutive days before:
- applying for an Innovator visa;
- if you’ve been in the U.K. for less than a year, apply to extend your Innovator visa or move to an Innovator visa.
You cannot rely on either of the following for support:
- funds from your investment portfolio
- money gained while working illegally in the United Kingdom.
Sharing financial resources.
You may collaborate with other Innovator applicants to build a team, but you cannot share the same investment capital.
Your team must have a minimum of £50,000 per Innovator candidate. For instance, if you have two Innovator applicants, your team must have an investment budget of £100,000.