Visitor visas · IAA-regulated advice
UK Standard Visitor Visa Advice in Birmingham & London
Visit the UK for up to 6 months for a holiday, to see family or friends, on business, for a short course or for private medical treatment. We check what you need, 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
What is the UK Standard Visitor visa?
The Standard Visitor route lets you come to the UK for a temporary visit, usually for up to 6 months. You can come for tourism, to see family or friends, for business meetings and other business activities, to study for up to 6 months, for private medical treatment and for some other permitted activities. You can’t work, claim benefits or make the UK your home.
It’s set out in Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules. Business, family, medical and study visits aren’t separate visas, and there’s no separate student visitor visa: you apply as a Standard Visitor and say why you’re coming. Visa nationals must get a visit visa before they travel; most other nationals need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) instead.
✓This is your visa if…
- You’re coming for a permitted purpose, such as a holiday, a family visit, business meetings, a course of up to 6 months or private treatment
- You’ll leave at the end of your visit, and you won’t live in the UK through frequent or long visits
- You can pay for your trip, your stay and your return journey, or someone with a genuine connection to you will
- You’ll stay for 6 months or less, or up to 11 months for private medical treatment
→Look at another route if…
- You want to marry, form a civil partnership or give notice in the UKMarriage Visitor visa →
- You want to take an English language course of 6 to 11 monthsShort-term study visa →
- You want to study a longer course with a licensed student sponsorStudent visa →
- You want to live in the UK with your husband, wife or civil partnerSpouse visa →
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 the main reason for your trip something visitors are allowed to do?For example a holiday, seeing family, business meetings, a course of up to 6 months or private medical treatment.
Will you leave the UK at the end of your visit?Your job, studies, family or home abroad can help show this.
Can you pay for the whole trip, or will someone with a genuine connection to you pay?Include travel, accommodation, living costs and your return journey.
Will your visit last 6 months or less?Up to 11 months is possible for private medical treatment, and up to 12 months for some academics.
Have you avoided long or back-to-back stays in the UK?Visitors can’t live in the UK through frequent or successive visits.
Is your immigration and criminal record history clear?Past overstaying, refusals or convictions don’t always rule you out, but they need careful handling.
Eligibility
Standard Visitor visa requirements
Every visitor must meet these requirements, whether you need a visa or not. If you travel with an ETA, you may be asked about them at the border.
A permitted purpose
- Tourism, holidays and visiting family or friends
- Business activities such as meetings, conferences, negotiating contracts and site visits
- Private medical treatment that you pay for, or donating an organ to a relative or close friend
- Study of up to 6 months, or a recreational course of up to 30 days (see the Study tab)
- Academic visits: research, formal exchanges and, for eminent senior doctors and dentists, teaching or clinical practice, for up to 12 months on a £234 visa
Other activities, such as paid engagements and Erasmus+ placements, have their own extra requirements.
The genuine visitor test
- You’ll leave the UK at the end of your visit
- You won’t live in the UK through frequent or successive visits, or make it your main home
- You won’t work, study beyond what’s allowed, seek medical treatment other than private treatment or organ donation, or marry or give notice of marriage
- Children need suitable arrangements for their travel and care and, if not travelling with a parent, a parent’s consent
The Rules don’t set a number of visits a year. What matters is whether you’re really visiting, or living here.
Paying for your visit
- Enough money for all reasonable costs of your visit, including your return or onward journey, without working or claiming public funds
- Your funds must be held with a regulated bank or institution whose records the Home Office can check
- A relative, friend or business contact can pay if they have a genuine relationship with you, aren’t in breach of immigration law, and can and will support you for the whole visit
There’s no fixed amount: it depends on what your trip will reasonably cost.
Visa, ETA or neither
- Visa nationals, for example from India, Pakistan, Nigeria and China, must get a visit visa before they travel
- Most other nationals, for example from the EU, the USA, Canada and Australia, need an ETA instead
- You need a visa, whatever your nationality, to visit for more than 6 months
- British and Irish citizens need neither
You can apply for a visa even if you don’t need one. This may be wise if you’ve been refused entry before or have a criminal record.
Studying as a visitor
- A course of up to 6 months with an accredited institution, including English language courses, but not at a state-funded school or academy (unless on Erasmus+)
- A recreational course of up to 30 days, such as a dance course, but not English language training
- From age 16, a short piece of research linked to your degree-level course abroad, or an unpaid elective if you study medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, midwifery or dentistry; you can also sit an exam such as PLAB or OSCE
- You can’t switch to a Student visa from inside the UK, so if you want to stay on to study, you must apply from abroad
Longer courses need a Short-term study visa (English language, 6 to 11 months) or a Student visa. Work placements and internships aren’t allowed, apart from an unpaid elective or an Erasmus+ placement. Distance learning courses can last longer, with short visits for things like exams. Some postgraduate subjects need an ATAS certificate first.
Documents
Standard Visitor visa documents: the easy part
Most people can list the documents. Refusals come from what’s in them, and whether they show a genuine, affordable visit.
What everyone needs
- Your passport, valid for your whole stay
- Evidence of why you’re coming, such as an itinerary, invitation or course offer
- £Proof of how your trip will be paid for
- Details of where you’ll stay
- Evidence of your life abroad, such as your job, studies or family
- If someone else is paying: their letter and evidence of their status and means
Plus a TB test certificate if you’re visiting for more than 6 months from a country where one is needed, and certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh.
Costs & timeline
Standard Visitor visa cost and processing time
A Standard Visitor visa for up to 6 months costs £135, and there’s no health surcharge. Most decisions are made within 3 weeks of giving your fingerprints and photo. If you don’t need a visa, an ETA costs £20.
Applying from outside the UK
| Visit visa, up to 6 months | £135 |
| Immigration Health Surchargenot charged for visits | £0 |
| Home Office total, per applicantfor a 6-month visa; long-term visas cost more | £135 |
Home Office fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026, checked 11 October 2026. Long-term visit visas cost £506 (2 years), £903 (5 years) or £1,128 (10 years). A visa for private medical treatment of up to 11 months costs £234. Extending your stay in the UK costs £1,172. Visitors pay for most NHS care when they use it. Our consultation fees →
Apply online
Up to 3 months before you travelComplete the online form and pay the fee. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before your trip.
Give your biometrics
At a visa application centreProve your identity, have your fingerprints and photo taken, and provide your documents. You get your passport back the same day.
Decision
Usually within 3 weeksYou’ll get an email when the Home Office has made a decision, explaining what to do next.
Visit
Up to 6 months per stayUnless your visa says single or dual entry, you can come and go while it’s valid, but each stay is usually limited to 6 months.
Leave or extend
Before your permission endsIf you were given less than 6 months, you can apply to extend up to 6 months in total. Longer stays are only for medical treatment, some academics and PLAB candidates.
Avoid a refusal
Common Standard Visitor visa refusal reasons
Most refusals come down to evidence, not eligibility. These are the issues we check first.
Doubts that you’ll leave
If your job, studies or family ties abroad aren’t clear, the Home Office may not be satisfied you’ll leave at the end of your visit.
We check: how your life abroad comes across in your evidence.
Funds that don’t add up
You must show enough money for the whole trip without working or claiming benefits. Funds the Home Office can’t verify won’t count.
We check: that your funds, income and trip costs tell one consistent story.
A host who can’t show support
Someone else can pay only if they have a genuine relationship with you, aren’t in breach of immigration law, and can and will support you.
We check: your host’s letter, status and evidence they can pay.
Plans that look like work or study
Visitors can’t work for a UK business or study beyond what’s allowed. Vague plans, or a trip that looks like a job, can lead to a refusal.
We check: that every planned activity is allowed for visitors.
Too much time in the UK
Visitors must not live in the UK through frequent or successive visits. A long-term visa can be cancelled if your travel history shows you’re repeatedly living here.
We check: your travel history and how to explain it.
Past refusals or problems
Your immigration history and any criminal record are checked. A previous visitor refusal usually means you can’t get an ETA, so you’d need a visa.
We check: your history, and whether to apply for a visa even if you don’t need one.
How we help
Our Standard Visitor visa services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We check your purpose, whether you need a visa or an ETA, and any risks in your history.
Evidence review
We check your financial, host and travel evidence against the Rules.
Full application
We prepare and submit your application, with a cover letter that explains your visit.
Extending your stay
If you were given less than 6 months, or you’re here for medical treatment, we help you apply to extend.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. A visit visa refusal can’t be challenged by administrative review, and there’s no right of appeal unless a human rights or protection claim was refused. 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
Standard Visitor visa questions, answered
Do I need a visa to visit the UK?
It depends on your nationality. Visa nationals, for example from India, Pakistan, Nigeria or China, need a visit visa before they travel. Most others, including Europeans, Americans, Canadians and Australians, need an ETA (£20) instead. British and Irish citizens need neither.
Can academics visit for up to 12 months?
Yes. Most visits are limited to 6 months, but if you’re highly qualified and working at an academic institution overseas, you can get a visit visa of up to 12 months (£234) to take part in a formal exchange, do research while on sabbatical or, as an eminent senior doctor or dentist, research, teach or practise without filling a permanent post. You need this visa whatever your nationality, and your partner and children can come for the same period.
Can I work while visiting the UK?
No. You can’t do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person. Some business activities, such as meetings, conferences and negotiating contracts, are allowed, and invited experts can do certain paid engagements.
Is there still a student visitor visa?
No. The separate Student Visitor route ended in 2015; today, study of up to 6 months is done as a Standard Visitor. You can take a course of up to 6 months with an accredited institution, including English language courses, or a recreational course of up to 30 days. The institution can’t be a state-funded school or academy unless you’re on Erasmus+, and some postgraduate subjects need an ATAS certificate first.
Do I need a Student visa for a course under 6 months?
No. You can usually study as a Standard Visitor, with a visit visa or an ETA depending on your nationality. You need a Short-term study visa for an English language course of 6 to 11 months, or a Student visa for a longer course with a licensed student sponsor. You can’t switch from visitor to Student in the UK, so choose the right route before you travel.
Can I switch to another visa from inside the UK?
Generally no. The main routes, including the spouse, Skilled Worker and Student routes, don’t let you switch from visitor permission, so you apply from outside the UK. Plan the right visa before you travel.
Can I extend my visit?
Only up to 6 months in total, if you were given less than that, and the fee is £1,172. Longer stays are possible only for private medical treatment, some academics and PLAB or clinical attachment candidates. You must apply before your permission ends.
What can I do if my visit visa is refused?
There’s no administrative review, and no appeal unless the refusal was of a human rights or protection claim. Most people make a new application that deals with each reason for the refusal. A refusal also usually stops you getting an ETA later, so get advice before you reapply.
Related routes
Other ways to visit the UK
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