The standard visiting visa for the UK is a short-stay visa that permits its bearer to remain in the country for up to six months. But the embassy has the authority to grant visas for a shorter time frame. This visa is available to persons who want to visit the UK for the following reasons:

• Travel.
• To pay a visit to relatives.
• Medical assistance.
• For work-related purposes.

The Standard Visitor visa has replaced the following types of visas:

• Family Visitor visa.
• General Visitor visa.
• Child Visitor visa.
• Business Visitor visa, including visas for academics, doctors and dentists.
• Sports Visitor visa.
• Entertainer Visitor visa.
• Prospective Entrepreneur visa.
• Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa.
• Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa.

Do I Need To Apply For A Tourist Visa To Travel To The UK?

Depending on your nationality, you might need to apply for a tourist visa to enter the UK. You must overcome the basic grounds for refusal before you may submit an application for a visitor visa to the UK.

How To Apply For A UK Visitor Visa?

A visiting visa to the UK must be applied for from outside of the country. The earliest you can submit an application for this visa is 30 days before your anticipated departure from the UK.

You must follow these easy steps to apply for a visa to visit the UK:

1. Check if you are eligible for a tourist visa.
2. Complete the online application form.
3. Collect the required documents.
4. Schedule an appointment.
5. Attend the interview.

Find a detailed overview of the steps you need to go through to apply for a UK visa.

Documents required for a UK Tourist visa application

The following paperwork is needed to register for a tourist visa to the UK:

• VAF1A, the UK tourist visa registration form. You ought to fill out the form online.
• Two images in conformity with UK regulations. They must be in colour and have been taken within the last six months.
• your current passport, ideally with one blank page. It must be active for a minimum of three more months after the date you intend to depart the UK.
• Evidence of your ability to pay your living expenses while you are in the UK. This might be your pay stubs from the previous six months or your bank statements.
• Details regarding your UK accommodations. A document indicating your accommodations while visiting the UK must be presented. Keep in mind that obtaining such a document does not need you to pay in full for a hotel or hostel in the UK before receiving the visa. It is also possible that:
  • The name, address and ID of the person paying for your travel.
  • The identity and passport number of any relative residing in this country.
• A thorough trip schedule: It must include the dates of both your forward and reverse trips. Send in a travel itinerary that includes all the details on how and what you intend to do while visiting the UK. Include your travel dates, the locations you’ll be visiting, meeting times, scheduled excursions, festival schedule and more.
• Previous travel experiences: The past ten years must be included in this. It can be demonstrated using separate resident titles, visas and entry or exit boundary stamps in recent and older passports.
• Specifics about your home address in your country of origin: You must also demonstrate your length of residence there.
• A biometric profile: You must provide your biometric data if you are requesting a visa that allows you to remain in the UK for longer than six months. Giving your fingerprint and having a digital photo taken at the proper application centre are included in this.
• Host’s letter of invitation
• UK visa costs paid: You must turn in the receipt attesting to your payment of the necessary visa fee.
• Certified translation of any document not written in Welsh or English.
• Your criminal history
• Recognized English language certificate
• Academic and professional certifications, if you’re a student.
• The names and dates of birth of your biological or adopted parents.
• The amount of their yearly earnings must be disclosed to substantiate this.
• The name, address and phone number of your current employer, if you are employed there.
• Results of the tuberculosis test. To qualify for a UK visa, citizens of a number of different nations must submit a request for a TB test. If the results of your TB test are required, check this box.
• The name, address and phone number of your current employer, if you are engaged there.
• Results of the tuberculosis test: To qualify for a UK visa, citizens of a number of different nations must submit a request for a TB test. If the results of your TB test are required, check this box.

Additional documents to submit depending on your purpose of visit

If you’re a scholar planning to finish a research or exchange project in the UK:

• A formal letter from an employer in the home country: It must demonstrate that you have received permission to quit your work in order to participate in an exchange programme or research work in the UK. It must include the dates of any approved leave.
• A formal letter from the UK institution or group serving as the host: It must be demonstrated in writing that the necessary preparations have been undertaken for the transfer or research project in question.

If you intend to receive private medical care in the UK:

• Letter verifying your health status: Provided by a UK physician or consultant, identifying your illness and the requirement for treatment in the UK. Additionally, the fees, location and length of private treatment must be disclosed.
• Proof that the full cost of medical care has been covered
• Document confirming that you require additional care (If you’re requesting a visa extension): Provided by a UK physician or specialist stating that you require additional medical care for your condition. Documents proving you have the funds to cover the charges of such treatment must be submitted with it.

If you intend to donate your organ to a UK resident in need:

• The Letter designates you as a donation match or urges you to undergo testing to see whether you might be a match. The principal nurse or team leader of the NHS Trust’s living donor organ transplant programme in the UK or a licenced physician serving as an NHS consultant must issue it. The location and timing of the testing or transplant must be specified.
• Proof of the organ recipient’s residence in the UK: A photocopy of the recipient’s British passport or a valid residence permit for the UK.
• An indication that the organ recipient will arrive in the UK prior to the transplant date (If the organ recipient is out of the UK). Information about how they got to the UK, their name, nationality and birthdate.

If you’re travelling to the UK with the goal of starting a business there in the future:

• Letter of support from UK venture capital firms: The Financial Conduct Authority must regulate the company issuing it.
• The message of support from a UK-based seed funding competition.
• A letter of support from UK government agencies.

If you plan to participate in professional training or assessment:

• Letter of confirmation for a scheduled PLAB or OSCE test ****(If you plan to take the PLAB or OSCE test). It must be signed by the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, attesting to the scheduling of the exam.
• Formal job offer as a dentist observer/clinician (If applicable). It must not be lucrative employment and you cannot have held the same role previously.

What Can You Do With A UK Visitor Visa?

The UK tourist visa holder is prohibited from working unpaid volunteer work, using public funding, getting married or entering a civil partnership or using public health care services.

For those with a Standard Visitor Visa, the following work-related activities are permitted:

• Participate in a conference, regular meeting, training or sporting event
• Perform as an artist in an artistic, entertaining or musical activity
• Conduct research
• Accompany students preparing to enrol in a foreign studies programme
• Perform a clinical duty
• Or work as a doctor, dentist or another observer
• Or take an exam administered by the Specialist and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) or the Objective Stru (OSCE).

How Long Does It Take For A UK Standard Visitor Visa Application To Process?

If you submit a postal application, your guest visa to the UK will be decided within eight weeks. If you choose the premium service, though, the choice is made the day you apply.

If more information is needed, the decision-making process may take longer.

Standard Visitor Visa Extension

You may be able to extend your Regular Visitor Visa in some unusual cases. Generally, the total length of the extension, including the duration of the visa, is no longer than six months, with the following exceptions.

• If you are receiving private medical care, you may be eligible for a 6-month extension of your visa. You must demonstrate that you have covered your medical expenses, that you can afford extra expenses and that you have not violated any visa or immigration laws.
• If you are an academic finishing a research project, the total length of the first visa and any extensions combined should not exceed 12 months.
• If you are taking the PLAB exam for the second time, you may be eligible for an extension of up to six months.
• If you wish to perform a clinical duty after passing the PLAB exam. The term extended is not longer than one and a half years.

UK Tourist Visa Fees

Applying for a UK tourist visa costs £89. However, the cost is £179 for academic research projects lasting up to a year and for private medical care provided for 6 to 11 months. A long-term visa costs £337 for two years, £612 for five years and £767 for ten.

If you submit your request for an extension via mail, it will cost you £993 and if you submit it in person, it will cost you £1,583.

How Long Can I Stay In The UK With A Visitor Visa?

You may stay in the UK for the following durations with a visiting visa:

• No more than 30 days, if you’re a traveller covered by an ADS contract.
• Up to six months, if you are going on vacation or a trip to see family.
• 11 months or more, if you are travelling so you can receive private medical care.
• Up to a year, if you are a student in the UK finishing a research project.

What Is The UK Long-Term Standard Visitor Visa?

If you frequently need to visit the UK for short stays, you may be granted a visiting visa with a validity length of 2, 5 or 10 years.

The following documentation is required in order to register for a UK Long-Term Standard Visitor Visa:

• Proof of frequent, short-term travels to the UK.
• Documentation proving your desire to depart the UK when your visa expires.
• A statement stating that the reason you need this visa won’t change.