A child under 18 can visit the UK on the same Standard Visitor route as an adult, with additional requirements about their care. The application must show adequate arrangements for the child’s travel, reception and care in the UK. This post provides an overview of the requirements, evidence and application process for a UK child visitor visa.
On this page
- Is there a separate UK child visitor visa?
- Does a child need a visitor visa or an ETA to visit the UK?
- What must a child show to be treated as a genuine visitor?
- What travel, reception and care arrangements must a child visitor have?
- When does a child visitor need written parental consent?
- What is the difference between an accompanied and an unaccompanied child visitor visa?
- Who has to show the money for a child’s visit to the UK?
- What can a child do in the UK on a visitor visa?
- Can a child study in the UK on a visitor visa?
- How long is a long-term visit visa valid for a child?
- What documents are needed for a child visitor visa application?
- How does a parent apply for a UK visitor visa for a child?
- UK child visitor visa processing time
- What happens if a child’s visitor visa application is refused?
- Frequently asked questions
- How Whytecroft Ford can help
Key overviews
- A child applies on the Standard Visitor route, not on a separate child visa. The same rules apply, with two added requirements about the child’s care in the UK.
- Adequate arrangements must be in place for the child’s travel, reception and care. Consent is also needed from a parent or guardian who is not travelling with the child.
- Entry clearance for a child states whether they are accompanied or unaccompanied. An accompanied child must arrive with a named adult, and up to two adults may be named.
- A child visitor is not expected to hold the trip money in their own name. A parent, relative or host may fund the visit, provided the funds are evidenced.
- A long-term visit visa granted to a child expires shortly after they turn 18. Validity is cut back to no more than six months past the child’s 18th birthday, whatever was applied for.
Is there a separate UK child visitor visa?
There is no separate child visitor visa. A person under 18 applies on the Standard Visitor Visa route, under the same part of the Immigration Rules as an adult. That covers a holiday, a family visit, a school exchange and a short course alike.
The visa requirements are governed by Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules. A child must meet every requirement an adult visitor meets, including the genuine visitor requirement and the funds requirement. Appendix V then adds two requirements that apply only to a child applicant. Both are about who is responsible for the child while they are in the UK.
The phrase “child visitor visa” remains in wide use, because the application asks a different set of questions of an applicant under 18. The term describes a Standard Visitor application made for a child. It is decided against the child-specific provisions in the same appendix.
Does a child need a visitor visa or an ETA to visit the UK?
A child must apply for entry clearance as a visitor where they hold a passport from a visa national country. Every other child needs an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) instead.
Each traveller needs their own authorisation, including babies and children, and an ETA costs £20. A child cannot travel on a parent’s ETA, and cannot be added to a parent’s visitor visa. Where an ETA applies, a parent or another adult may complete and submit it on the child’s behalf.
What must a child show to be treated as a genuine visitor?
A child must satisfy the same genuine visitor test an adult satisfies, assessed against their own circumstances. Under Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules, the applicant must show that they:
- will leave the UK at the end of their visit;
- will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home;
- are genuinely seeking entry or stay for a purpose permitted under the Visitor route;
- will not undertake any of the prohibited activities set out in the appendix; and
- have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit, without working or accessing public funds.
A child’s intention to leave the UK is assessed through their ties at home. For a school-age applicant that usually means an enrolled school place and a parent or guardian who remains abroad.
What travel, reception and care arrangements must a child visitor have?
Adequate arrangements must have been made for a child’s travel to, reception and care in the UK. Paragraph V 5.1 provides the first of the two child-specific requirements in Appendix V. It applies whether the child travels alone or with an adult. The application must show how the child will travel and who will meet them on arrival. It must give the address where the child will live during the visit. It must also name the person who will look after them, with that person’s date of birth and their relationship to the child.
When does a child visitor need written parental consent?
A child needs written consent whenever they travel without the parent or legal guardian responsible for their care. That parent or guardian must be based in the child’s home country or country of ordinary residence. Paragraph V 5.2 of Appendix V requires the consent in writing where it is requested.
The consent letter is signed by the parent or legal guardian and covers four points:
- agreement to the child travelling to the UK;
- the arrangements for the child’s travel and reception;
- the name and address of the person the child will stay with; and
- agreement to the child staying with that person.
GOV.UK guidance for visitors under 18 also asks for the parent’s full contact details. It asks for the date of birth of the person the child will be living with. A consent letter carries more weight where proof of the relationship supports it, usually the child’s full birth certificate naming the parent who signed.
What is the difference between an accompanied and an unaccompanied child visitor visa?
An accompanied visa names the adult the child must travel with, while an unaccompanied visa allows the child travel alone. Under Paragraph V 1.5, a child who arrives holding neither endorsement may be refused entry at the border.
An accompanied endorsement binds the child to the named adult for the whole validity of the visa. A child holding an accompanied visa who later travels without that adult may be refused entry.
Who has to show the money for a child’s visit to the UK?
Whoever is funding the visit must demonstrate the funds for the trip, which for a child is normally a parent or a UK host. Sufficient funds must cover all reasonable costs of the visit, without working or accessing public funds. Evidence will include bank statements covering the period before the application, and a letter confirming what they will pay for. Where the sponsor is in the UK, evidence of their own status and income is included. The UK host must confirm whether accommodation is included in their support.
The level of funds required is subject to the cost of the trip. No fixed threshold applies to a visitor application. Flights, accommodation, insurance, school-trip costs and daily spending are all counted. The funds shown are expected to cover the whole visit with a margin. That is the same basis worked through for how much money is needed for a UK visitor visa.
What can a child do in the UK on a visitor visa?
A child visitor may do only the activities on the permitted activities list. For most child applicants that means visiting friends and family, or coming to the UK for a holiday. It also covers an educational exchange with a state funded school, an academy or an independent school. A recreational course of up to 30 days is permitted as well.
Recreational courses cover a summer sports camp, a dance or music course, or a riding or art course. English language training is expressly excluded from the recreational course allowance. It is treated as study, which carries its own rules.
Conditions apply to the grant for the whole stay. Under Paragraph V 17.1, a visitor has no access to public funds and no permission to work. Study is barred except where the permitted activities allow it. Work includes unpaid work and work experience, so a school-age visitor cannot take a placement or an internship on this route.
Can a child study in the UK on a visitor visa?
A child may study in the UK as a visitor for up to six months. Under V 9.1, the course must be offered by an Accredited Institution that is not a State Funded School or Academy. V 9.2 then caps the course itself at six months, unless it is taken from outside the UK as a Distance Learning Course.
This is a narrow permission. A child taking up a place at a UK independent school for a full academic year falls outside it, because the course exceeds six months. That child applies on the Child Student route instead. Course length is what separates the three study routes, and they do not overlap.
| Route | Who it suits | Course length it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Visitor | A short course, a school exchange, or a recreational course | Up to six months, or 30 days for a recreational course |
| Child Student | A child aged 4 to 17 taking up a place at an independent school | Up to six years for a child under 16, up to three years at 16 or 17, plus four months after |
| Short-term Student | An English language course, and nothing else, for an applicant aged 16 or over | Longer than six months and up to 11 months |
A course of six months or less therefore never sits on the Short-term study route, which starts where the visitor allowance ends.
How long is a long-term visit visa valid for a child?
A long-term visit visa granted to a child is valid for no more than six months after their 18th birthday, whatever validity was applied for. Two, five and 10-year visit visas are all available to a child applicant. The decision maker applies the limit to the grant, not to what was applied for. A 14-year-old granted a 10-year visit visa therefore holds a visa running for roughly four and a half years.
The decision maker applies that limit as a matter of policy. The fee paid is still the fee for the validity applied for. A family applying for a 10-year visa for a teenager pays the 10-year fee and receives a shorter grant. For an older child, a shorter validity usually gives better value, and the position is worth checking before the fee is paid.
What documents are needed for a child visitor visa application?
Documentary evidence must include information relating to the child, the parent giving consent, and whoever will care for the child in the UK. Most child applications are supported by the following:
- the child’s current passport, and any previous passports showing travel history;
- the child’s full birth certificate, naming both parents;
- a signed consent letter from the parent or legal guardian, with contact details and proof of identity;
- the passport or identity document of any adult who will travel with the child;
- details of the person the child will stay with, including address, date of birth and relationship;
- evidence of who is funding the trip, with bank statements covering the period before the application;
- proof of the child’s ties at home, usually a school letter confirming enrolment and the return date; and
- the travel itinerary, accommodation booking and any course or exchange confirmation.
Where a UK-based relative is hosting the child, an invitation letter for a UK visitor visa carries the accommodation and support offer. A court order, adoption order or guardianship document is included where one governs the child’s care. Documents not in English need a certified translation, as they do across the wider visitor visa application documents set.
How does a parent apply for a UK visitor visa for a child?
A parent or another adult applies online before the child travels, completing the form on the child’s behalf. The steps include:
- Check whether the child needs a UK visa on GOV.UK, answering for the passport the child will travel on.
- Complete the online Standard Visitor application, naming any adult the child will travel with, up to two adults.
- Pay the application fee of £135 and book an appointment at a visa application centre. Fees across the visitor routes last moved at the UK immigration fee change of 8 April 2026.
- Attend the appointment for the child’s fingerprints and photograph. A child under five gives a photograph but no fingerprints. Any child under 16 must be accompanied by an adult over 18, who brings photographic proof of their own identity.
- Upload the supporting documents, including the consent letter and the funding evidence.
- Wait for the decision, and collect the passport once the visa is issued.
UK child visitor visa processing time
A child visitor visa application is usually decided within three weeks. The three weeks run from the visa application centre appointment, once biometrics have been given and the documents uploaded. An application may be made up to three months before the date of travel. A priority service gives a decision within five working days of the appointment, for a fee paid on top of the application fee, subject to availability.
What happens if a child’s visitor visa application is refused?
A refusal ends the application with a written decision naming the requirement that was not met. The application fee is not refunded. That refusal is then recorded and disclosed on the child’s later applications, including applications on other routes.
Frequently asked questions
Can a child travel to the UK alone on a visitor visa?
Yes. A child may travel without an adult, provided the application shows adequate arrangements for their travel, reception and care. Written consent from the parent or legal guardian is also required.
Does a child visitor need their own bank statements?
No. A child applying as a visitor is not expected to hold funds in their own name. The financial evidence comes from whoever is paying for the trip. Where a parent, relative or UK host funds the visit, their bank statements and a letter confirming what they will cover are provided instead.
Can both parents be named on a child’s accompanied visitor visa?
Yes. Up to two adults may be identified in the application, and both passport numbers are recorded on the visa. This covers the arrangement where a child arrives with one parent and travels onward with the other. Naming only one adult and then travelling with a different one may lead to refusal of entry.
Can a child attend school in the UK on a visitor visa?
Only for a short course. A child may study for up to six months at an accredited institution that is not a state funded school or academy. An educational exchange with a state funded school, an academy or an independent school is also permitted. A place at an independent school for a full academic year requires the Child Student route.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team prepares child visitor applications for families. To discuss an application for a child with our team, call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.
The material in this article is provided for guidance and general information only and is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice upon which you should rely. In particular, the information should not be used as a substitute for a full and proper consultation with a suitably qualified professional. UK Immigration Rules are subject to change. Please do contact the Whytecroft Ford team if you require further advice.
