UK Standard Visitor Visa (UK Tourist Visa) 2026: Requirements, Cost & Application

You can visit the UK for up to 6 months on a Standard Visitor Visa, also known as the UK Tourist Visa. You will need to demonstrate that you are a genuine visitor who will leave at the end of your trip.

What is a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

A UK Standard Visitor Visa is permission to enter the UK for a short stay of up to six months. It is the main visitor route, and it covers tourism, visiting family and friends, a range of permitted business activities, short-term study at an accredited provider, and private medical treatment. It is often searched for as the "UK tourist visa", and it is the same visa.

The route sits in Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules. It is a temporary permission, so it does not lead to settlement and does not allow the holder to work for a UK business or to live in the UK through repeated visits. A person who wants to marry or register a civil partnership in the UK applies instead on the Marriage Visitor Visa route.

Who needs a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

You need a UK Standard Visitor Visa if you are a visa national, which means a citizen of a country on the Appendix Visitor: Visa national list. If your country is not on that list, you are a non-visa national and can travel for a visit of up to six months with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) instead.

A visa national must apply for and be granted the visa before travelling to the UK. A non-visa national applies for an ETA, which is linked to the passport and obtained online. The permitted activities and the six-month limit are the same either way; the difference is the document you obtain before you travel.

Standard Visitor Visa or ETA: which do I need?

Use this comparison to see which applies to you. Both allow the same visitor activities and a stay of up to six months; the difference is your nationality, the cost, and how you apply.

The ETA scheme is the most significant recent change to how visitors enter the UK. An ETA is not a visa and does not guarantee entry, so the traveller is still examined against the visitor rules on arrival. Our UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) guide covers the scheme in full.

What can I do on a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

On a UK Standard Visitor Visa you can take a holiday, visit family and friends, attend business meetings and conferences, study for up to six months at an accredited provider, volunteer for up to 30 days, and receive private medical treatment you pay for yourself. These are the activities set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities.

The permitted activities are:

• Tourism and family visits. Take a holiday, sightsee, or visit family and friends.
• Business meetings and events. Attend meetings, conferences, seminars, interviews and trade fairs, and negotiate and sign contracts.
• Short-term study. Study for up to six months at an accredited provider, or take a recreational course of up to 30 days.
• Private medical treatment. Receive treatment you arrange and pay for yourself.
• Volunteering. Volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity.
• A Permitted Paid Engagement. Carry out a pre-arranged, paid professional activity as an invited expert.
• Events in a defined capacity. Attend as an academic, artist, entertainer or sportsperson within the limits the Rules set.

Business activities

A visitor may attend meetings, conferences, seminars, interviews and trade fairs, give a one-off or short series of talks, negotiate and sign deals and contracts, make site visits and inspections, and gather information for an overseas employer. Trade fair activity must be promotional and must not involve selling direct to the public. Any work for the visitor's overseas employer must relate to that employment abroad, not a UK role. For a detailed business itinerary, see the Business Visitor Visa guide.

Artists, entertainers, sportspeople and academics

Specific groups have their own permitted activities. Artists, entertainers and musicians may give performances, take part in competitions and auditions, and appear at a Permit Free Festival. Sportspeople may compete in events, attend trials that are not in front of a paying audience, and undertake short unpaid training. Academics in an eligible role may carry out research and take part in exchanges. Where an activity is pre-arranged and paid, it is likely to be a Permitted Paid Engagement rather than a standard visit.

Can I be paid while visiting the UK?

A visitor cannot normally be paid from a UK source, and there are two narrow exceptions: a Permitted Paid Engagement and a Permit Free Festival. Outside those, you may continue to receive your salary from your employer abroad, because that payment is for your overseas employment and not for work done for a UK business.

A Permitted Paid Engagement is a pre-arranged, paid activity carried out by an invited expert, and it must be arranged before travel and relate to your profession overseas. The qualifying categories include a visiting academic examiner or lecturer, a qualified lawyer, a professional artist, entertainer or musician, a professional sportsperson, and an expert invited to give a lecture or take part in an assessment. The engagement must be completed within 30 days of arrival, and you should carry the invitation and evidence of your overseas profession. Full detail is on our Permitted Paid Engagement guide.

A Permit Free Festival is a festival on the Home Office's published list where a performer may be paid for appearing without needing a work route. Outside the listed festivals, a paid performance needs either a Permitted Paid Engagement or a work route.

Short-term study and volunteering

A visitor may study for up to six months at an accredited institution, take a recreational course of up to 30 days, and volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity. Study of more than six months, or on courses beyond the visitor limits, needs a student route rather than the visitor route. To check the study limits, see whether you can study on a UK visitor visa.

What can I not do on a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

You cannot work for a UK business, settle in the UK, or claim public funds on a Standard Visitor Visa. The prohibited activities are set out at V 4.4 to V 4.6 of Appendix V: Visitor, and are the boundary between a genuine visit and living or working in the UK. In summary, a visitor cannot do the following:

• Take employment in the UK, paid or unpaid, or fill a role or vacancy
• Do work for a UK organisation or business, or a work placement or internship
• Run a business as a self-employed person based in the UK
• Sell goods or services direct to the public
• Receive a salary from a UK source, unless the activity is a Permitted Paid Engagement or a permitted business activity
• Claim public funds, such as means-tested benefits, which are barred by the no access to public funds condition (V 17.1)
• Marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of one, which needs a Marriage Visitor Visa
• Live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK a main home

Can I work remotely on a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

You can carry out limited remote working for your overseas employer while you are in the UK as a visitor, provided it is incidental to the visit and not the reason for it. The Rules allow a visitor to undertake activities relating to their employment abroad, such as answering emails or joining calls, but the purpose of the trip must remain a genuine visit. Remote working cannot become a way to base yourself in the UK while employed abroad, and you may not do work for a UK business. Where remote work is the main purpose of the stay, the visitor route is not the right one.

What is the genuine visitor requirement?

The genuine visitor requirement is the core test of the visitor route: you must satisfy the decision-maker that you are a real visitor who will leave at the end of the trip. It is set out at V 4.2 of Appendix V: Visitor, and every visit visa application is decided against it. 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 that is permitted under the Visitor route
• will not undertake any of the prohibited activities set out in V 4.4 to V 4.6
• have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds

Each limb is assessed on the evidence provided. Where a visitor has strong ties to their home country, a clear purpose for the trip, and funds that cover the visit, the application shows a consistent and genuine picture. An application that leaves the intention to leave in doubt, for example after long or frequent previous stays, is examined more closely.

How much money do I need for a UK visitor visa?

There is no minimum amount and no minimum income requirement on the visitor route. What you must show instead is enough money to cover all reasonable costs of the visit without working or claiming public funds, which is the funds limb of the genuine visitor requirement (V 4.2). The funds can be your own, or provided by a host or family member in the UK who agrees to support and accommodate you.

Reasonable costs include travel to and from the UK, accommodation while here, and day-to-day living during the visit. There is no set figure. The amount that is enough depends on the length of the trip, what the visitor plans to do, and whether a host is meeting some of the costs. Bank statements, payslips or evidence of savings show that the funds are available, and a host who is supporting the visit can provide a letter of invitation and evidence of their own means.

Ties to the home country support the intention to leave the UK at the end of the visit. Employment, study, family responsibilities, or property in the home country each help show that the visitor has a reason to return. Where the purpose of the trip is clear and the ties are strong, the application presents a consistent and genuine picture.

Is there an English language requirement?

No. The Standard Visitor route has no English language requirement. Unlike the work, study and family routes, a visitor does not need to prove a level of English or pass a language test. The decision turns on the genuine visitor requirement, the purpose of the visit, and the funds and ties that support it.

How long can I stay on a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

A Standard Visitor can stay in the UK for up to six months per visit. This is the standard maximum period of stay, set out at V 17.2 of Appendix V: Visitor, and it applies whether the visitor holds a single visit visa or enters on a long-term visit visa.

Two categories can receive a longer grant. A visitor coming for private medical treatment may be granted up to 11 months, and an academic in an eligible role may be granted up to 12 months, each subject to the relevant conditions in Appendix V: Visitor. A visitor may not use the route to live in the UK, so a pattern of back-to-back visits that adds up to near-continuous residence does not meet the genuine visitor requirement.

What conditions come with the visa?

A grant of leave as a visitor carries four conditions: no work in the UK, no access to public funds (V 17.1), no study beyond the limits the visitor route allows, and no stay beyond the period granted. These conditions attach to the permission itself, so breaching one breaches your leave, whether or not the underlying activity would otherwise be lawful. They apply equally to a six-month visa and to each entry on a long-term visit visa.

What documents do I need for a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

Every Standard Visitor Visa application needs five things: a current passport or travel document, evidence of funds to cover the trip, details of your travel dates and accommodation, evidence of ties to your home country, and a certified translation of any document not in English or Welsh. What you add on top of those depends on the purpose of your visit.

Any document that is not in English or Welsh is submitted with a full certified translation confirming the translator's name and credentials, that it is an accurate translation of the original, and the date of translation. For a full, purpose-by-purpose list, see the visitor visa document guide.

How do I apply for a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

You apply for a Standard Visitor Visa online from outside the UK, then attend a biometric appointment and upload your supporting documents. The application is made before travelling, and you enter the UK only after it is granted.

1. Confirm the purpose. Check that your planned activities fall within the permitted activities for the visitor route.
2. Prepare the evidence. Assemble the funds, ties and trip documents that support a genuine visit.
3. Apply online. Complete the application form on GOV.UK and pay the fee.
4. Enrol biometrics. Attend the appointment at a visa application centre in your country and upload the supporting documents.
5. Await the decision. See how long a Standard Visitor Visa takes below.

Where and when do I apply?

You apply online from outside the UK, and you can apply up to three months before the date you intend to travel. After you submit and pay, you book an appointment at the visa application centre that serves your country, which is run for the Home Office by a commercial partner such as TLScontact or VFS Global. At the appointment you give your fingerprints and photograph, and you can upload your supporting documents yourself beforehand or have the centre scan them for you. You normally get your passport back the same day, and you are told when the decision is ready. Avoid common pitfalls with our guide to visitor visa application mistakes to avoid.

How is the visa issued once it is granted?

A Standard Visitor Visa is now issued digitally as an eVisa, which is an online record of your immigration status linked to your passport, rather than as a sticker in it. You access it through a UKVI account and you can generate a share code to prove your status to a carrier or a host. Some applicants are still issued a vignette, a physical sticker placed in the passport, and where that happens you must travel within the dates it shows. Check which you have been given before you book travel, because the two work differently at the border.

How much does a UK Standard Visitor Visa cost?

A Standard Visitor Visa for up to six months costs £135 (as of July 2026). There is no Immigration Health Surcharge on the visitor route, because a visitor is not granted access to the National Health Service and pays for any NHS treatment they receive.

The long-term visit visas cost more, reflecting their longer validity: £506 for two years, £903 for five years and £1,128 for ten years. Where a decision is needed sooner, a priority service is available at extra cost in some countries. For fees across all UK routes, see the UK visa fees guide.

How long does a UK Standard Visitor Visa take?

You will usually get a decision on a Standard Visitor Visa within three weeks of the biometric appointment (GOV.UK service standard, as of July 2026). The exact time depends on the visa application centre and the volume of applications it is handling, and a priority service is available at extra cost in some countries, subject to availability.

Can I travel while my application is being decided?

You should not book non-refundable travel until the visa is granted, because a decision within the service standard is not guaranteed and an application can take longer. You normally get your passport back on the same day as your appointment, so it is not held while the decision is made, but travelling abroad during the decision period can complicate contact with the visa application centre if it needs to see your passport again.

Can I extend or switch a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

A Standard Visitor cannot normally extend a visit beyond the six-month limit, and cannot switch into most other visa routes from inside the UK. The route is for a short stay, so a visitor who wants to stay longer, or move to a work, study or family route, usually leaves the UK and applies from outside.

A small number of visitors can apply to stay longer from inside the UK, within the overall visit framework. A visitor receiving private medical treatment may apply to extend to complete a course of treatment, and certain academics may extend within the 12-month academic limit. An extension does not open a path to work or settlement.

Can I switch into the visitor route from inside the UK?

No. You cannot switch into the Standard Visitor route from another permission while you are in the UK. A person here on a work, study or family permission that is ending, and who wants to remain as a visitor, must leave the UK and apply from outside in the normal way. The visitor route is a route of entry, so the application is decided on whether you are a genuine visitor coming to the UK, which is a question that only makes sense from outside it. Staying on after a permission expires in the hope of becoming a visitor is overstaying, and it damages any later application.

What is a long-term visitor visa (2, 5 and 10 years)?

A long-term Standard Visitor Visa allows repeated visits to the UK over a fixed period of 2, 5 or 10 years. It suits a person who travels to the UK regularly, for example to see family or for recurring business, and it saves applying for a new visa before each trip.

Each stay under a long-term visit visa is still limited to six months, and the genuine visitor requirement applies to every entry. A long-term visa does not allow the holder to live in the UK through back-to-back visits, and it can be cut short where the pattern of visits shows the person is making the UK their main home. For someone who travels to the UK several times a year, the 10-year visa usually works out cheaper than repeated six-month applications.

What happens if a Standard Visitor Visa is refused?

If a Standard Visitor Visa is refused, a fresh application that addresses the reason for refusal is usually the most direct route to a grant. There is no full right of appeal against a standard visit visa refusal, so a stronger reapplication is the practical step.

The most common reasons a Standard Visitor Visa is refused are:

• evidence that does not show the applicant will leave the UK at the end of the visit
• funds that do not clearly cover the reasonable costs of the trip
• a purpose for the visit that is unclear, or that includes an activity not permitted on the route
• a pattern of previous visits that suggests the applicant is living in the UK through frequent stays

Suitability: the general grounds for refusal

Meeting the genuine visitor requirement is not enough on its own, because an application can also be refused on suitability, under the general grounds for refusal in Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules. These grounds look at your history rather than at this trip, and they are the reason applications that otherwise look strong are refused. The main ones are:

• False information or documents. Deception in this or an earlier application, whether or not it was material, and whether or not you made it knowingly.
• Previous breach of immigration laws. Overstaying, working in breach of conditions, or a previous removal. A previous breach can also trigger a re-entry ban for a fixed period.
• Criminality. Convictions, and in serious cases a mandatory refusal. Non-custodial and unspent matters can still count.
• Unpaid NHS debt. An outstanding NHS bill of £500 or more.
• Unpaid litigation costs owed to the Home Office.
• Exclusion, deportation or a travel ban in force against you.

Some grounds are mandatory and some are discretionary, so where a discretionary ground applies the answer depends on how the circumstances are explained and evidenced. If any of these apply to you, address the point openly in the application rather than leaving the decision-maker to find it, because an unexplained history reads as concealment and attracts the deception ground on top of the original issue.

Standard Visitor Visa applications in practice

Three short examples show how the genuine visitor requirement is met in common situations.

A family visit. A parent applies to visit an adult child settled in the UK for three weeks. The applicant shows a return flight, a letter of invitation from the child, evidence of the child's status and means, and evidence of their own employment and property at home. Together these show a clear purpose, funds for the trip, and strong ties to the home country, so the visit is genuine.

A business visit. An employee is sent by an overseas company to attend a week of meetings and a trade fair in London. The applicant remains employed and paid abroad, provides a letter from the employer setting out the purpose, and shows funds and a return date. Because attending meetings and a trade fair are permitted business activities and no UK role is filled, the visit is within the route.

A frequent traveller. A visitor holds a 5-year long-term visit visa and travels to the UK several times a year. Each entry is a genuine visit of a few weeks, with a clear purpose and an ongoing home, job and family abroad. Because no single stay approaches six months and the visitor's main home remains overseas, the pattern stays within the genuine visitor requirement.