Visitor visas · IAA-regulated advice
UK Family Visit Advice in Birmingham & London
Visit your family or friends in the UK for up to 6 months. There’s no separate family visit visa: you come as a Standard Visitor, with a visa or an ETA depending on your nationality. We check you qualify, review your evidence and prepare your application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
Visiting family in the UK: which visa do you need?
To visit relatives or friends in the UK, you apply as a Standard Visitor under Appendix Visitor of the Immigration Rules. Visiting friends and family is a permitted activity, and each visit can usually last up to 6 months. Your host can help pay for your trip, but you can’t work, claim benefits or make the UK your home.
Whether you need a visa depends on your nationality. Visa nationals, such as citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Ghana, must get a visit visa before they travel. Most other visitors, for example from the EU, the USA, Canada and Australia, need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) instead. Either way, you must meet the same visitor rules.
✓This is the right route if…
- You want to visit relatives or friends in the UK for up to 6 months
- Your home and life are outside the UK, and you’ll leave at the end of your visit
- You, or your host, can pay for your trip without you working or claiming benefits
- You won’t work, study long-term, or marry or give notice of marriage during your visit
→Look at another route if…
- You want to marry, form a civil partnership or give notice of either in the UKMarriage visitor visa →
- You want to live in the UK with your husband, wife or civil partnerSpouse visa →
- You’re a parent or grandparent who needs long-term care from a relative hereAdult dependent relative →
- You’re coming mainly for private medical treatmentMedical visits →
Quick check
Could you qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Is your visit for 6 months or less?Each stay is usually limited to 6 months, even on a long-term visit visa.
Will you leave the UK at the end of your visit?You also mustn’t live here through frequent or back-to-back visits.
Can you, or your host, pay for your trip, your stay and your journey home?Without you working or claiming benefits in the UK.
Will you only do things visitors are allowed to do?No work, including helping in a family business, and no marrying or giving notice of marriage.
If a child is coming, have you arranged their travel and care, with a parent’s consent if they’re not travelling with one?Answer yes if no child is travelling.
Is your immigration history clear of refusals, overstaying and criminal convictions?Past problems don’t always lead to refusal, but they must be declared.
Eligibility
Family visit visa requirements
Whether you apply for a visa or an ETA, you must meet the visitor rules, and you can be asked about them at the UK border.
The genuine visitor test
- You’ll leave the UK at the end of your visit
- You won’t live in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits, or make it your main home
- Visiting friends and family is your genuine reason for coming
- You won’t work, study (beyond what visitors may do), get married or give notice of marriage
The decision maker looks at your whole situation, including your life at home and your past travel.
Paying for your visit
- Enough money for all reasonable costs of your visit, including your journey home, without working or claiming benefits
- Money you rely on must be held with a financial institution the Rules accept
- Your host can pay for your travel, accommodation and living costs if they have a genuine relationship with you
- Your host must not be in breach of immigration laws, and must be able to support you for your whole stay
The Rules don’t require a sponsor for a visit. If your host is helping, their evidence matters as much as yours.
Visa or ETA: which do you need?
- Visa nationals must get a visit visa before they travel
- Most other nationals need an ETA, which lasts 2 years or until your passport expires
- An ETA is usually refused if you’ve been refused as a visitor before, unless you’ve since been given a visa, ETA or permission
- An ETA can’t be used to marry or give notice of marriage, or for a visit of more than 6 months
An ETA doesn’t guarantee entry. GOV.UK suggests applying for a visa instead if you have a criminal record or have been refused entry before.
Children visiting family
- Adequate arrangements for the child’s travel to, reception and care in the UK
- If the child isn’t travelling with a parent or legal guardian, that parent or guardian must consent, in writing if asked
- A child’s visa application can name up to 2 adults they’ll travel with
- A long-term visit visa granted to a child lasts only until 6 months after they turn 18
If a child under 16 (under 18 if disabled) will be looked after for more than 28 days by someone who isn’t a close relative, the local authority must be told. Different rules apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Length of stay and extensions
- A long-term visit visa lets you visit many times, but each stay is still up to 6 months
- You can extend in the UK only if you were given less than 6 months, and only up to 6 months in total
- You can’t switch from a visit to a partner or parent visa in the UK
You may be given a shorter visa than you asked for, and you won’t get a refund.
Documents
Family visit documents: the easy part
Most people can list the documents. Refusals come from what they show: whether your trip makes sense, who is paying, and whether you’ll go home.
What everyone needs
- Your passport, valid for your whole stay
- Details of who you’re visiting and where you’ll stay
- £Proof you can pay for your trip, or that your host can
- Evidence of your life at home, such as your job, studies or family
- Your host’s details and proof of their UK status, if they’re supporting you
- For children: parental consent and care arrangements
Plus certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh. You may also be asked for your travel history for the past 10 years.
Costs & timeline
Family visit visa cost and processing time
If you need a visa, the Home Office fee is £135 for up to 6 months, and most decisions are made within 3 weeks of your visa appointment. If you don’t need a visa, most visitors pay £20 for an ETA instead. There’s no health surcharge for a visit.
Applying from outside the UK
| Standard Visitor visa, up to 6 monthsLong-term visas instead: £506 (2 years), £903 (5 years) or £1,128 (10 years)what most visa nationals pay; each family member pays their own fee | £135 |
Home Office fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026, checked 11 October 2026. An ETA costs £20. Extending your stay in the UK costs £1,172. There’s no Immigration Health Surcharge for a visit, but you’ll usually have to pay for NHS care when you use it, unless it’s a free service. Our consultation fees →
Check what you need
Before you bookVisa nationals need a visit visa. Most other visitors need an ETA: usually decided within a day, but allow up to 3 working days.
Apply and give biometrics
Up to 3 months before you travelOnline application and £135 fee, then fingerprints and photo at a visa application centre.
Decision
Usually within 3 weeksYou may be able to pay for a faster decision: £500 for a decision usually within 5 working days, or £1,000 for one usually by the end of the next working day.
Visit your family
Up to 6 monthsYou may be asked about your plans at the UK border, so carry evidence of why you’re visiting.
Leave on time
Before your permission endsBreaking your visa conditions can stop you coming back. If you visit often, a 2, 5 or 10-year visa may suit you.
Avoid a refusal
Common family visit visa refusal reasons
Most visit refusals come down to whether the decision maker believes you’ll go home and can pay for the trip. These are the issues we check first.
Weak ties at home
The decision maker must be satisfied you’ll leave at the end of your visit. Little evidence of your job, home or family abroad makes that harder.
We check: that your evidence of life at home is clear and consistent.
Money that isn’t explained
Funds must cover all reasonable costs of your visit. Money that appears without explanation, or that you can’t show is available, can lead to refusal.
We check: where your money comes from and whether it covers the whole trip.
A host who can’t support you
A host can pay for your visit only if they have a genuine relationship with you, aren’t in breach of immigration laws, and can support you for your whole stay.
We check: your host’s status, relationship evidence and finances.
Long or frequent visits
The Rules don’t set a yearly limit, but you mustn’t live in the UK through frequent or successive visits. A long-term visa can be cancelled for this.
We check: your travel history and how your visits fit with your life abroad.
Plans that count as work
Helping in a relative’s business, or working for any UK business, counts as work, even if unpaid. So does running your own business here.
We check: that everything you plan to do is allowed for visitors.
Past problems not declared
Previous refusals, overstaying or convictions must be declared. Leaving something out can lead to refusal, and a past visit refusal usually rules out an ETA.
We check: your history, and tell you plainly about any risk.
How we help
Our family visit services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We check whether you need a visa or an ETA, and whether your plans fit the visitor rules.
Evidence review
We check your funds, your host’s support and your ties at home against the Rules.
Full application
We prepare and submit your application, with a cover letter that sets out how you qualify.
Long-term visit visa
If you visit often, we help you apply for a 2, 5 or 10-year visit visa.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. There’s usually no right of appeal against a visit visa refusal, and no administrative review. If you’re refused, we explain your options and, where your case needs a higher level of advice, refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser.
FAQs
Family visit questions, answered
Is there a separate family visitor visa?
No. Visiting family or friends is one of the purposes of the Standard Visitor route, so you apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you need one. The rules are the same whether you’re visiting a parent, a child, other relatives or friends.
Can my relative in the UK sponsor my visit?
The Rules don’t require a sponsor for a visit, but a relative or friend can pay for your travel, accommodation and living costs. They must have a genuine relationship with you, not be in breach of immigration laws, and be able to support you for your whole stay. You still have to show that you’ll leave at the end of your visit.
Do I need a visa or an ETA?
It depends on your nationality. Visa nationals, such as citizens of India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Ghana, need a visit visa (£135). Most other visitors need an ETA (£20), which lasts 2 years or until your passport expires. If you’ve been refused a visit visa or entry as a visitor before, an ETA is usually refused, so you may need to apply for a visa.
How long can I stay, and can I extend?
Usually up to 6 months per visit. You can extend in the UK only if you were given less than 6 months, and only up to 6 months in total; it costs £1,172. You can’t switch from a visit to a partner or parent visa while you’re here.
I visit my family every year. Should I get a long-term visa?
A long-term Standard Visitor visa lasts 2, 5 or 10 years and costs £506, £903 or £1,128. Each stay is still up to 6 months. You may be given a shorter visa than you asked for, with no refund, and the visa can be cancelled if your travel shows you’re living in the UK.
Can my children come to visit family?
Yes. Each child must meet the visitor rules and have proper arrangements for their travel and care. If they’re not travelling with a parent or legal guardian, that parent or guardian must consent, in writing if asked. A child who needs a visa can have up to 2 adults they’ll travel with named on it.
Can I work, study or help out while I’m visiting?
You can’t work, paid or unpaid, and that includes helping in a family business. You can do a recreational course of up to 30 days, study for up to 6 months at an accredited institution, or volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity.
What if my visit visa is refused?
There’s usually no right of appeal against a visit visa refusal, and no administrative review. You can apply again, but it’s worth doing so only once you’ve dealt with every reason in the refusal letter. If you believe a refusal breaches your human rights, we explain the position and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser.
Ready when you are
Visit, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.