UK Visitor Visas

A UK visitor visa will allow a person to travel and stay in the UK for up to six months. It also covers people coming to the UK for business trips or medical treatment and those passing through the UK. A Business visitor visa is often applied for by business people who want to attend the UK for short trips. Providing they are not entering into any type of work and only attending a meeting or auditing work they are allowed to stay for up to six months. This is a very quick and effective type of visa and it will allow people to enter the UK without the need for the more formal and Work Permit application to be approved. A business visitor visa can be short term single enter or multiple entry with a validity of two years. This way a person does not require constant renewals every time they wish to travel to the UK on business. Artists who are not performing can also use this visa to enter the UK if they wish to attend interviews promote a piece of work such as a movie or a book without needing to apply for any further permits to work.

Medical Visitor visas are often issued to individuals who wish to attend the UK for medical treatment. In the past the UK was a high respected destination for medical Visitors. From IVF to plastic surgery it was accepted the UK were leaders in these fields. Today fewer people attend the UK for medical treatment however it is still important to note a Medical Visitor visa can only be granted in certain cases. For a visa to be granted a person must not have a terminal illness and also the treatment must be private. A medical visa is granted for six months at a time and is renewable for the duration of the treatment. They can also be multiple entry for those people who wish to continue their treatment as an out patient only flying into the UK for appointments.

Benefits:
The UK tourist visa lasts for up to two years if it is multiple entry. A person can stay on a visitor visa for a maximum of six months except for medical visitors who can extend their leave to remain if required.

Public Funds:
To be eligible for a UK visit visa you must be able to support and accommodate yourself without recourse to public funds. You must also intend to return home at the expiry of your UK travel visa. If a person has family settled in the UK an Entry Clearance Officer may question a persons intention to return home. For a UK Visit visa to be granted it is important to note it is not just your Immigration history that will be taken into account but that of your family.

Visa Nationals

If you are from one of the below countries: you will have to apply for a UK visitor visa if you wish to visit the UK:

Afghanistan	Georgia	Palestinian Authority
Albania	Ghana	Philippines
Algeria	Guinea	Qatar
Angola	Guinea Bissau	Romania
Armenia	Guyana	Russia
Azerbaijan	Haiti	Rwanda
Bahrain	India	Sao Tome & Principe
Bangladesh	Indonesia	Saudi Arabia
Belarus	Iran	Senegal
Benin	Iraq	Serbia & Montenegro
Bhutan	Ivory Coast	Sierra Leone
Bosnia-Herzegovina	Jamaica	Somalia
Bulgaria	Jordan	Sri Lanka
Burkina Faso	Kazakhstan	Sudan
Burma (Myanmar)	Kenya	Surinam
Burundi	Korea (Dem. People's	Syria
Cambodia	Rep)	Taiwan
Cameroon	Kuwait	Tajikistan
Cape Verde	Kyrgyzstan	Tanzania
Central African Republic	Laos	Thailand
Chad	Lebanon	Togo
China, People's Rep. of	Liberia	Tunisia
Colombia	Libya	Turkey
Comoros	Macedonia	'Turkish Republic of
Congo, Democratic	Madagascar	Northern Cyprus'
Republic of	Malawi	Turkmenistan
Congo, Republic of	Mali	Uganda
Cuba	Mauritania	Ukraine
Djibouti	Moldova	United Arab Emirates
Dominican Republic	Mongolia	Uzbekistan
Ecuador	Morocco	Vatican City
Egypt	Mozambique	(service & emergency
Equatorial Guinea	Nepal	passports only)
Eritrea	Niger	Vietnam
Ethiopia	Nigeria	Yemen
Fiji	Oman	Zambia
Gabon	Pakistan	Zimbabwe
Gambia	Peru

This list was last updated in January 2006.

Direct Airside Transit Visa

Those citizens of the following countries need to have a visa if they wish to travel through the UK (Please note that there are many exceptions to this listed at the bottom of this page):

Afghanistan	Lebanon
Albania	Liberia
Algeria	Macedonia
Angola	Malawi
Bangladesh	Moldova
Belarus	Mongolia
Burma	Nepal
Burundi	Nigeria
Cameroon	Palestinian Authority
China, Peoples Republic of	Pakistan
Colombia	Rwanda
Congo	Senegal
Congo, Democratic Republic of	Serbia and Montenegro
Ecuador	(including documents issued by
Eritrea	the United Nations Mission in Kosovo)
Ethiopia	Sierra Leone
Gambia	Sudan
Ghana	Somalia
Guinea	Sri Lanka
Guinea-Bissau	Tanzania
India	Turkey
Iran	'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus'
Iraq	Uganda
Ivory Coast	Vietnam
Kenya	Zimbabwe

This list was published by the UK government on 1 March 2006.

It is not necessary to have a transit visa if you, or the person you are traveling with to the UK, holds any of the following:

A valid Australian, Canadian, New Zealand or US visa and a valid airline ticket for travel via the United Kingdom to or from the country from which you have a visa;
A valid airline ticket for travel via the United Kingdom as part of a journey from Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States of America to another country or territory, provided that you do not seek to transit the United Kingdom on a date more than six months from the date on which he last entered Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States of America with a valid visa for entry to that country;
A valid US Permanent Resident Card issued on or after 21st April 1998;
A valid Canadian Permanent Resident Card issued on or after 28th June 2002;
A valid common format Category D visa for entry to an EEA State;
A valid common format residence permit issued by an EEA State pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No. 1030/2002;
A diplomatic or service passport issued by the People's Republic of China;
A diplomatic or official passport issued by India;
A diplomatic or official passport issued by Vietnam.

UK Immigration Work Permit and Visa Service

This guide sets out to explain what you will need to do if you wish to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) as a visitor. Remember! It’s only a guide but, it aims to answer some of the commonly asked questions about the UK Visit Visa. If your thinking of visiting the UK and require advice and representation in this area then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

How is it possible to qualify to travel to the UK as a visitor?

You will have to be able to prove the following:

You intend to visit the UK for no more than six months
You intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit
You have sufficient funds to support and accommodate yourself adequately without working or getting help from public funds.

Can I conduct business during my visit?

As a visitor you are able to do the following:

You can go to meetings and trade fairs, buy goods, negotiate and complete contracts with UK businesses.
You can go to conferences and seminars as a delegate.
You can undertake fact finding missions, check details or examine goods.
You can receive training provided it is classroom instruction or limited to observation only.

Under limited circumstances you may also enter the UK as a visitor if you are:

Delivering goods from abroad.
A representative of a foreign company coming to service, repair or install their products.
An adviser, consultant, trainer or trouble shooter who is employed abroad either directly or under contract by the same company or group of companies.
A guest speaker at a conference or seminar, an expert speaker or to run a conference or seminar for no more than five days.
A sportsperson or entertainer for trials or auditions, or personal appearances which do not involve performances.

You must not:

Take up paid or unpaid employment
Produce goods or provide services in the UK
Sell goods and services to members of the public

If it is the case that you have been given an invitation to come to the UK by a UK company you should be able to provide a letter from the company explaining what you will be doing and the reason for the trip. If your company or the UK company is meeting the cost of the trip this should also be confirmed in a letter.

All visitors, if it is the case that they are in the UK for business or social reasons, can only stay for a maximum of six months only. If you are a frequent visitor and business visitor you are able to apply for a visa that is valid for one, two or five years. All visit visas are valid for multiple entries within their period of validity.

Am I allowed to study in the UK?

You are allowed to study in the UK as a visitor however you will only be allowed to stay in the UK for a maximum of six months. If your reason of the visit is to study, either full-time or for more than six months then you will have to apply for a student visa.

Am I allowed to have medical treatment in the UK?

You may apply for a visit visa to travel to the UK to receive private medical treatment.
However you must be able to prove that:

That there has been satisfactory arrangements for the necessary consultation or treatment have been made.
There are sufficient funds in place to meet the cost of the treatment.
That you have enough funds to be able to support and accommodate yourself sufficiently without working or getting help from public funds.
That you intend to leave the UK when you have completed your treatment.

You may be asked to produce:

A doctor's letter which will provide the details of the medical condition which requires the treatment.
Confirmation that there are satisfactory arrangements made for the consultation or treatment and the duration of the treatment.
Sufficient evidence that there are funds available to meet the cost of the consultation and/or treatment. You may also be required to give an undertaking that you will meet those costs.

You may be asked to attend an interview and you may be asked to provide further documentation.

Can I stay more than six months for medical treatment?

If it is the case that that you need to stay longer than the six months to complete your medical treatment you can apply to the Home Office by post or in person to one of their public enquiry offices. The contact address is at the end of this guidance.
Visitors are not permitted to enter or remain in the UK nor can they receive treatment on the NHS (National Health Service).

Does the UK have any reciprocal health care arrangements with my country?

The UK has reciprocal arrangements with many foreign governments whereby their citizens can be referred to the UK for the purpose of receiving free hospital treatment under the NHS (National Health Service).

Do I need a visa if I am transiting the UK on the way to another country?

Yes, if you are a visa national your need to require a visa to enter the UK in transit (see Do I need a visa to visit the UK?).
If you are entering the UK in transit to another country and will remain in the UK for no more than 48 hours, you will then have to obtain a "visitor in transit” visa. If it is the case that you wish to stay in the UK for more than 48 hours you will need to apply for a visit visa.

You may be able to transit the UK, at the discretion of the Immigration Officer, without holding a "visitor in transit visa". This is known as the Transit without Visa concession (TWOV).

Is it possible to qualify for the TWOV concession?

To be able to qualify you must:

Arrive on a cruise ship and depart on the same ship within 24 hours
Arrive and depart by air within 24 hours with no intention of remaining in the UK. (You may travel by rail or road between two airports)
Hold a confirmed booking on a flight or ship departing within 24 hours of your arrival in the UK
Have the documents you will need to be allowed to enter the country you are travelling to
Have the documents you will need for any other country that you may pass through on your journey

Are there any nationalities excluded from the TWOV concession?

Your find this concession does not apply to certain visa nationals, who must hold a visa to pass through the UK on the way to another country, even if they are not entering the UK or changing airports. This is known as a "direct airside transit" visa (DATV). If you are a citizen of a certain country, you will need to have a valid UK direct airside transit visa.
Persons holding a direct airside transit visa will not be able to pass through immigration control. You will not normally be allowed to remain overnight to await an onward connection.

Is it possible to use my visitor in transit visa more than once?

The visitor in transit visa will normally be valid for six months and may be used to transit the UK throughout its validity, providing that both your passport and visa for the country that you are travelling to remain valid beyond the expiry of the transit visa. The visa will only be valid for entry to the UK if these conditions are met on each journey through the UK.
If you would like advice and representation in this area then please don’t hesitate to contact us.