UK tourist visa: Requirements and application procedure

United Kingdom UK Tourist Visa Image

The UK tourist visa requirements are clear and easy to understand. UK tourist visa application is online but the rest of the process requires an in-person appointment for biometrics.

The UK or the United Kingdom is comprised of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. To visit any of these four countries, you would need a UK tourist visa. UK tourist visas are valid for 6 months and you can stay up to 180 days in the UK.

The UK tourist visa application process is long and there is no status tracking. Make sure to start your UK visa process at least two months from your intended date of travel to the UK.

Table of Contents

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UK TOURIST VISA REQUIREMENTS BY NATIONALITY

United Kingdom Tourist Visa Requirements by Nationality

Minimum passport validity required to enter the UK

Visa EXEMPT nationalities

Unlimited entry

  1. Austria
  2. Belgium
  3. Bulgaria
  4. Croatia
  5. Cyprus
  6. Czech Republic
  7. Denmark
  8. Estonia
  9. Finland
  10. France
  11. Germany
  12. Greece
  13. Hungary
  14. Iceland
  15. Ireland
  16. Italy
  17. Latvia
  18. Liechtenstein
  19. Lithuania
  20. Luxembourg
  21. Malta
  22. Netherlands
  23. Norway
  24. Poland
  25. Portugal
  26. Romania
  27. Slovakia
  28. Slovenia
  29. Spain
  30. Sweden
  31. Switzerland

6-month entry

  1. Andorra
  2. Anguilla (British territory)
  3. Antigua and Barbuda
  4. Argentina
  5. Aruba
  6. Australia
  7. Bahamas
  8. Barbados
  9. Belize
  10. Bermuda (British territory)
  11. Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba (Dutch territory)
  12. Botswana
  13. Brazil
  14. British Virgin Islands (British territory)
  15. Brunei
  16. Canada
  17. Cayman Islands (British territory)
  18. Chile
  19. Costa Rica
  20. Curaçao
  21. Dominica
  22. El Salvador
  23. Falkland Islands (British territory)
  24. Grenada
  25. Guatemala
  26. Honduras
  27. Hong Kong
  28. Israel
  29. Japan
  30. Kiribati
  31. Macau
  32. Malaysia
  33. Maldives
  34. Marshall Islands
  35. Mauritius
  36. Mexico
  37. Micronesia
  38. Monaco
  39. Montserrat (British territory)
  40. Namibia
  41. Nauru
  42. New Zealand
  43. Nicaragua
  44. Palau
  45. Panama
  46. Papua New Guinea
  47. Paraguay
  48. Pitcairn Island (British territory)
  49. Samoa
  50. San Marino
  51. Seychelles
  52. Singapore
  53. Solomon Islands
  54. South Korea
  55. St Kitts and Nevis
  56. St Lucia
  57. St Maarten
  58. St Vincent and The Grenadines
  59. Taiwan
  60. Timor Leste
  61. Tonga
  62. Trinidad and Tobago
  63. Turks and Caicos Islands (British territory)
  64. Tuvalu
  65. United States of America
  66. Uruguay
  67. Vanuatu
  68. Vatican City

Visa REQUIRED nationalities

  1. Afghanistan
  2. Albania
  3. Algeria
  4. Angola
  5. Armenia
  6. Azerbaijan
  7. Bahrain
  8. Bangladesh
  9. Belarus
  10. Benin
  11. Bhutan
  12. Bolivia
  13. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  14. Burkina Faso
  15. Burundi
  16. Cambodia
  17. Cameroon
  18. Cape Verde
  19. Central African Republic
  20. Chad
  21. China
  22. Colombia
  23. Comoros
  24. Congo, Dem. Rep. of
  25. Congo, Rep. of
  26. Cote d’Ivoire
  27. Cuba
  28. Djibouti
  29. Dominican Republic
  30. Ecuador
  31. Egypt
  32. Equatorial Guinea
  33. Eritrea
  34. Eswatini
  35. Ethiopia
  36. Fiji
  37. Gabon
  38. Gambia
  39. Georgia
  40. Ghana
  41. Guinea
  42. Guinea-Bissau
  43. Guyana
  44. Haiti
  45. India
  46. Indonesia
  47. Iran
  48. Iraq
  49. Jamaica
  50. Jordan
  51. Kazakhstan
  52. Kenya
  53. Kosovo
  54. Kyrgyzstan
  55. Laos
  56. Lebanon
  57. Lesotho
  58. Liberia
  59. Libya
  60. Madagascar
  61. Malawi
  62. Mali
  63. Mauritania
  64. Moldova
  65. Mongolia
  66. Montenegro
  67. Morocco
  68. Mozambique
  69. Myanmar
  70. Nepal
  71. Niger
  72. Nigeria
  73. North Korea
  74. North Macedonia
  75. Pakistan
  76. Palestinian Territories
  77. Peru
  78. Philippines
  79. Russia
  80. Rwanda
  81. Saudi Arabia
  82. Senegal
  83. Serbia
  84. Sierra Leone
  85. Somalia
  86. South Africa
  87. South Sudan
  88. Sri Lanka
  89. Sudan
  90. Suriname
  91. Syria
  92. São Tomé and Principe
  93. Tajikistan
  94. Tanzania
  95. Thailand
  96. Togo
  97. Tunisia
  98. Turkey
  99. Turkmenistan
  100. Uganda
  101. Ukraine
  102. Uzbekistan
  103. Venezuela
  104. Vietnam
  105. Yemen
  106. Zambia
  107. Zimbabwe

Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) required nationalities

  1. Kuwait
  2. Oman
  3. Qatar
  4. United Arab Emirates

24-hour VISA-FREE entry at Heathrow airport

  1. Applies to all nationalities

UK TOURIST VISA APPLICATION PROCESS

United Kingdom UK Tourist Visa Requirements - Visa Application

First, check if you need a visitor visa to travel to the UK in the “UK tourist visa requirements by nationality” section above.

Alternatively, you can check your eligibility and requirements on the UK gov website.

Validity of UK tourist visa

UK tourist visas are valid for 6 months from the date of visa issue.

Example: If your UK visa was issued on January 15, the visa will be valid until July 15.

NOTE
There have been instances where visas were issued with validity starting from the date of travel mentioned in the visa application.

When to apply for UK visa

You can apply for a UK visa up to 3 months in advance.

Example: If you plan to visit the UK on April 15, you can apply for your UK visa on or after January 16.

Also, keep in mind that you must apply for your UK visa at least 3 weeks prior to your travel, otherwise, you may not receive your visa on time. There are no refunds if you receive your visa after your travel date.

IMPORTANT
The UK visa process can take up to 3 weeks and even longer in some cases. I strongly recommend applying for your UK visa at least 2 months in advance.

How long can you stay in the UK?

The UK tourist visa allows you to stay up to 180 days in the UK. But if you stay that long continuously in the UK on a tourist visa, you will have serious trouble getting another UK visa in the future or entering the UK next time.

Here is my advice. Stick to the days you have mentioned in your UK visa application. A few days more or less is fine. But staying months on your UK tourist visa will pretty much look like you “live in the UK” rather than “vacation/holiday”.

Application procedure

The UK visa application is online. You must apply for the visa online at the UK Visas and Immigration website

Below are the steps you will go through for your UK tourist visa application

Below are some of the information you will provide in the application form

Templates for UK visa by Visa Traveler

Documents required

The following are the documents required for UK visitor visa application