Global Business Mobility · IAA-regulated advice
UK Service Supplier Visa Advice in Birmingham & London
Coming to the UK to deliver a service contract for a UK client, as an employee of an overseas firm or as a self-employed professional? The Service Supplier visa covers assignments of 6 or 12 months under the UK’s trade agreements. We check you qualify 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 Service Supplier visa?
The Service Supplier visa lets you come to the UK to provide a service to a UK business, under a contract covered by one of the UK’s international trade agreements. It’s for two groups: contractual service suppliers, who are employed by an overseas service provider, and independent professionals, who are self-employed and based overseas.
It’s one of the five Global Business Mobility routes, set out in Appendix Global Business Mobility of the Immigration Rules. Each assignment lasts up to 6 or 12 months, depending on the agreement, and the route doesn’t lead to settlement.
✓This is your visa if…
- You work for an overseas service provider, or you’re self-employed and based overseas
- Your service is in a sector covered by a UK trade agreement that’s in force, and you meet its nationality rules
- The UK business receiving the service is a licensed sponsor and has registered the contract with the Home Office
- You have an eligible job, or a degree (or equivalent) and the experience required
→Look at another route if…
- Your employer has a contract worth £50 million or more with the UK organisationSecondment Worker →
- You’re moving to a UK branch or company linked to your employerSenior or Specialist Worker →
- Your employer is setting up its first UK branchUK Expansion Worker →
- You want a longer-term job that can lead to settlementSkilled Worker 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.
Do you work for an overseas service provider, or are you self-employed and based overseas?The business supplying the service must have no commercial presence in the UK.
Is your service covered by a UK trade agreement that applies to your provider’s country and your nationality?For example, the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, CPTPP or the UK-India trade agreement.
Has the UK business registered the contract with the Home Office, and will it give you a certificate of sponsorship?The contract must be for no more than 12 months.
Have you worked for your employer outside the UK for 12 months, or in your sector for 12 months if you’re self-employed?
Is your job on the eligible list, or do you have a degree and 3 years’ experience (6 if self-employed)?Some services, such as fashion and modelling, have their own qualification rules.
Do you have £1,270 in savings, or will your sponsor certify maintenance?Not needed if you’ve been in the UK with permission for 12 months or more.
Eligibility
UK Service Supplier visa requirements
You, the contract and your UK sponsor must all meet the requirements on the day you apply.
The contract and trade agreement
- A contract between your UK sponsor and an overseas service provider with no commercial presence in the UK
- For a service covered by a UK trade agreement in force, such as the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, GATS (employees only), CPTPP or the agreements with Australia, India and Japan
- Registered with the Home Office by your sponsor, and awarded through open tendering or a similar procedure
- Your sponsor must be the final consumer of the service: it can’t supply you as labour to another business
The Home Office publishes sector tables for each agreement. If your sector isn’t listed for the agreement that applies, you can’t use this route.
Nationality and residence
- Usually, you must be a national of the country where the overseas service provider is based
- Under the UK-EU agreement, any EU national can qualify; under the UK-India agreement, Indian nationals
- Permanent residents can qualify under some agreements, such as those with Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland
- Under CPTPP, both the provider’s country and your country must have ratified the UK’s accession
Indian nationals working as traditional chefs, classical musicians or yoga instructors share a limit of 1,800 grants a year.
Job, qualifications and experience
- Option A: a job in an eligible occupation code, skilled to RQF level 6 or above, or a listed health or education role
- Option B: a university degree or equivalent technical qualification, plus 3 years’ experience in the sector (6 if you’re self-employed)
- Different qualification rules apply to some services, such as fashion and modelling, entertainment and management consulting
- Any professional qualification or registration UK law requires for the service
Ask us which option suits you before your sponsor assigns your certificate.
Your work history and funds
- Employees: working for the overseas service provider now, with 12 months’ work for it outside the UK in total
- Self-employed: working continuously in the same sector as your service for the 12 months before you apply
- £1,270 in savings held for 28 days, unless your A-rated sponsor certifies maintenance, or you’ve been in the UK with permission for 12 months
- No English requirement and no salary threshold, but pay and hours must follow minimum wage and working time rules
Your partner and children need funds too, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance for them.
How long you can stay
- Granted for the maximum assignment period for your agreement, or until 14 days after your job ends, if sooner
- Extending in the UK only tops you up to that maximum, with the same sponsor
- All Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company time counts towards a limit of 5 years in any 6
- You can only work in your sponsored job (plus voluntary work), and you can’t claim public funds
This visa doesn’t lead to settlement. You can come back for further assignments, within the time limit.
Documents
Service Supplier visa documents: the easy part
Most of the paperwork is straightforward. Refusals come from whether the service, your nationality and your experience really fit the agreement.
What everyone needs
- Your passport or other travel document
- Your certificate of sponsorship reference number
- Proof of your degree or qualifications, if you rely on them
- Proof of 12 months’ work for your employer, or in your sector
- £Proof of savings, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance
- Proof of your relationship, if family are applying with you
Plus a TB test if you’re coming from a listed country, an ATAS certificate if your sponsor says you need one, and certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh.
Costs & timeline
Service Supplier visa cost and processing time
The Home Office fee is £340. From outside the UK, there’s no health surcharge on a visa of 6 months or less; for a 12-month visa it’s £1,035. Most decisions take about 3 weeks from outside the UK.
| Home Office application fee | £340 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge12-month visa; nothing for 6 months or less | £1,035 |
| Home Office total, per applicantbefore savings, TB test and translations | £1,375 |
| Home Office application feeextending or switching | £340 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge12-month visa; £517.50 for 6 months or less | £1,035 |
| Home Office total, per applicantbefore savings, TB test and translations | £1,375 |
Home Office fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026 and the health surcharge from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. Your partner and children each pay the same £340 fee; the surcharge is £776 a year for children under 18. Your sponsor pays the £55 certificate fee. You may be able to pay for a faster decision. Our consultation fees →
Contract and certificate
Before you applyYour UK client registers the contract with the Home Office and assigns your certificate of sponsorship.
Apply and prove your identity
Up to 3 months before you startOnline application, fee and any surcharge paid, then the ID check app or a visa centre appointment.
Decision
Usually within 3 weeks from outside the UKIn the UK, usually within 8 weeks. You’ll be told if it will take longer.
Your assignment
6 or 12 monthsWork only on the registered contract, in the job on your certificate.
Further assignments
Within the 5-in-6 limitYou can come back for a later assignment with a new certificate, if you still meet the requirements.
Avoid a refusal
Common Service Supplier visa refusal reasons
Most refusals come down to the trade agreement, the contract or the evidence. These are the issues we check first.
A service that isn’t covered
If your sector isn’t listed for the agreement that applies, or that agreement isn’t in force, you can’t use this route.
We check: the sector tables for your agreement before anything else.
A contract that doesn’t qualify
It must be registered, last no more than 12 months and be genuine, with your sponsor as the final consumer of the service.
We check: your certificate names the right registered contract.
The wrong nationality or residence
Most agreements need you to be a national of the provider’s country. Only some accept permanent residents.
We check: your nationality against the agreement’s rules.
Not enough experience
You need 12 months with your employer, or in your sector if self-employed, and under option B, 3 or 6 years’ experience.
We check: your work history and qualifications against the right option.
A role that looks like labour supply
The Home Office refuses if the job is really the hire of you to a third party, or ongoing routine work for someone else.
We check: how your role is described on your certificate.
Savings not shown properly
Unless your sponsor certifies maintenance, you need £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of applying.
We check: your bank evidence, or your sponsor’s certification.
How we help
Our Service Supplier 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 the trade agreement, your sector, nationality and experience, and tell you plainly about any risk.
Document review
We check your certificate details, work history, qualifications and funds before you apply.
Full application
We prepare and submit your application, and your family’s, with a cover letter that sets out how you qualify.
Further assignments
We help with later assignments and track your time against the Global Business Mobility limit.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. If you’re refused, we explain your options, including administrative review, and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser where your case needs a higher level of advice.
FAQs
Service Supplier visa questions, answered
What’s the difference between a contractual service supplier and an independent professional?
A contractual service supplier is employed by an overseas service provider and sent to deliver its contract. An independent professional is self-employed, based overseas and contracts with the UK business directly. Both use this visa, but the experience rules differ, and some agreements, such as GATS, only cover employees.
How do I know if my service is covered?
The Home Office publishes a list of eligible trade agreements, with sector tables for employees and for independent professionals. Your sector must be listed for the agreement that applies to your provider’s country, and you must meet that agreement’s nationality rules. We check this with you first.
Why do some people get 12 months and others 6?
It depends on the agreement. EU nationals under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Swiss, Australian and Indian service suppliers covered by their agreements, and people covered by CPTPP can get up to 12 months per assignment. Under other agreements, the maximum is 6 months.
Is there a minimum salary?
No. There’s no general salary threshold or going rate on this route. But your pay and working hours must follow UK minimum wage and working time rules, or the application will be refused.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. Your partner and children under 18 can apply as your dependants, and can work (except as a sportsperson or sports coach) and study. Unless your sponsor certifies maintenance for them, they need £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each other child, held for 28 days.
Can I extend my Service Supplier visa?
Only up to the maximum assignment period for your agreement, and only if you’re still contracted to the same sponsor and still meet the requirements. For a later assignment you need a new certificate, and earlier time counts towards the limit of 5 years in any 6.
Can I settle in the UK on a Service Supplier visa?
No. It isn’t a route to settlement. If you want to stay longer, you may be able to switch to a route that leads to settlement, such as Skilled Worker, if you meet its requirements.
What happens if my application is refused?
Refusals on this route carry administrative review, not an appeal: a check of the decision for a caseworking error. We explain your options, and refer you on where your case needs a higher level of advice.
Related routes
Other Global Business Mobility routes
Secondment Worker
Seconded under a £50 million contract.
Read more →Senior or Specialist Worker
Transfer to a UK business linked to your employer.
Read more →UK Expansion Worker
Set up your employer’s first UK branch.
Read more →Global Business Mobility licence
For UK organisations that sponsor these workers.
Read more →Ready when you are
Assignment, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.