General Visitor visa - GOV.

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GOV.UK
General Visitor visa

NOTES

1. Overview
You can apply for a General Visitor visa if:
you want to visit the UK for leisure, eg as a tourist on holiday
youre from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland
youre visiting friends or family who arent permanent residents in the UK

How long it will take

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.
You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.
Check the guide processing times to find out how long getting a visa might take in the
country youre applying from.

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK for up to 6 months with a General Visitor visa.
You can also apply for a long-term visit visa if you can prove you need to make
repeat visits over a longer period. You can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each
visit and your visa can last for 1, 2, 5 or 10 years.

Fees
It costs 83 to apply.
Long-term visit visa fees are:
1 year - 300
2 years - 300
5 years - 544
10 years - 737

What you can and cant do

You can study for up to 30 days, as long as its not the main reason for your visit.
You cant:
take paid or unpaid work
live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits

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marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership

get private medical treatment
get public funds

2. Eligibility
You can apply for a General Visitor visa if youre:
18 or over
travelling to the UK for leisure (not work or study)
able to support yourself for the duration of your trip
not in transit to another country, except for Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel
Islands
able to pay for your return or onward journey

If youre applying for a long-term visit visa

You must also prove that:
you have a frequent and ongoing need to come to the UK
the reason for your need to come to the UK is unlikely to change significantly while
the visa is valid
you plan to leave the UK at the end of each visit

Your visa may be taken away (revoked) and you may get a long-term ban on
visiting if your travel history shows youre repeatedly living in the UK for
extended periods.

3. Documents you must provide

When you apply youll need to provide:
a current passport or other valid travel identification
2 passport size colour photographs
evidence that you can support yourself during your trip, eg bank statements or
payslips for the last 6 months
details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans - you shouldnt pay for
accommodation or travel until you get your visa
You need a page in your passport thats blank on both sides for your visa.
Youll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that arent in English or
Welsh.

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Read the guidance for a full list of documents you can provide.

You may need to provide additional documents depending on your

circumstances.

If youre applying for a long-term visit visa

You must also provide evidence to show that you can support yourself financially for
the duration of your visa.

You may be given a visa for a shorter period than requested if you dont do this.
You wont get a refund of the application fee if you get a shorter visa or your
application is refused.

4. Apply
Apply outside the UK
You must apply online for a General Visitor visa.
Youll need to have your fingerprints and photograph (known as biometric
information) taken at a visa application centre as part of your application.
You may be able to get your visa faster or other services depending on what country
youre in - check with your visa application centre.

North Korea
You cant apply online if youre from North Korea.
To apply from North Korea you must:
download the form and appendix
read the instructions on how to apply

Apply in the UK
You can only extend your visa if youre already in the UK.

5. Extend your visa

You may be able to extend your visa as long as the total time you spend in the UK is
less than 6 months - eg if you apply for a 3 month visa, you can apply to extend it for

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3 more months.

You should apply before your current visa expires.

Eligibility
You must apply while youre still in the UK.

How to extend your visa

You can:
download the form and guidance and apply by post - the address is on the form
download the form and apply in person at a premium service centre

Fees
You must pay:
601 if you apply to extend your visa by post
1,001 if you apply in person

How long it takes

A decision will be made:
within 8 weeks for postal applications
usually on the same day if you use the premium service
Youll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, eg:
if your supporting documents need to be verified
if you need to attend an interview
because of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal
conviction)

Once youve applied you can stay in the UK until youve been given a decision,
as long as you applied before your last visa expired.

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK for a maximum of 6 months.
If your original visa is for less than 6 months, you can only extend it to the maximum
of 6 months.

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Last updated: 27 August 2014

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