The United Kingdom’s rich history, diverse culture and stunning natural landscapes make it an extremely popular destination for travellers. A UK visa allows you to see the famous sights of London and the surrounding area, and also increases your chances of getting other visas. We tell you how to get a visitor visa to the UK and what the difficulties may be.
The official name of the Tourist visa is UK Standard Visitor visa. It is suitable for most short-term trips to the United Kingdom. It will be required in the following cases:
If you want to hold a marriage ceremony in the UK, you will need a special category of UK Visitor visa – Marriage Visitor visa.
Clearly identifying the purpose of your trip and the relevant visa category is an important first step. Often it is those who have failed to thoroughly justify the purpose of their visit to the UK and confirm their intention to return home within the time limit who are refused a visa. You can apply up to 3 months before you plan to travel.
If you decide to visit the UK, you can apply for a Standard Visitor visa for 6 months, 2 years, 5 years or 10 years. A long-stay visa is possible if you have a good reason to come to the UK on a regular basis, such as a family member living in the UK or a business interest in the country. It is better to obtain a short-term visa several times before applying for a longer-term visa.
In order to obtain a tourist visa, all applicants must confirm:
Make sure you have a clear explanation of your reason for visiting the country and documentary proof of it: an invitation from the place that is going to host you, medical documents etc.
You will need to provide a bank statement showing your transactions for the last 6 months and the origin of your savings as well as a certificate of deposit. Make sure that there are no suspicious transactions on the statement, for example, a large sum of money that you cannot justify. If you are in doubt as to whether you have enough money, it is worth taking care of a sponsorship letter. However, even if there is a sponsor, it is the applicant who must have the funds. Financial documents are checked particularly carefully. It is important that the information in the financial documents you provide matches the information on the application form. The visa officer must make sure that all your funds in the account are documented, accumulated gradually, have with the confirmed source and do not contradict the expenses planned during the trip. A large amount of money in a personal account with a relatively modest salary may arouse suspicion.
It is necessary to demonstrate strong ties with your country. This may include documents confirming your employment, property documents (real estate, car), marriage and children’s birth certificates. Please note that the certificate from your work place must contain information about your position, length of employment, salary, as well as contact details and company address. The certificate must be up to date at the time of application. Students and pupils should provide a certificate from their educational institution stating the amount of their scholarship (if available). If available, you may provide proof of hotel reservations and tickets purchased. We recommend that you include a covering letter explaining the purpose of your trip and your circumstances. The more evidence you have, the more likely your visa will be approved. Your passport will also be required when applying for a visa. Make sure that your passport has at least one blank page. Make copies of the personal data and visa pages from your old passports. If your name has changed, provide proof of this. All documents attached to the application must be translated into English by a professional translator. Attempting to provide false/incorrect documents will result in refusal or even a ban on entry to the UK for up to 10 years.
You can filling in the application form and submit the application on the official UK government website gov.uk. This is a long and complicated process that can take a long time. You will be able to save the application form and come back to it several times if you need to. If you have started the application form and are inactive for 25 minutes, you will automatically be thrown out of the system.
Before completing the questionnaire, you will be asked to select the language in which the questions will be duplicated. However, all your answers can only be in English. You will then be asked to select and confirm in advance the country in which you would like to visit the visa centre to submit your biometric data.
Register your email address. Then fill in the form and answer the questions. Base your answers on the documents you have. Then upload all the documents you have prepared. It is important that all information is documented. For example, income information should be supported by a bank statement and proof of source of funds.
After answering the questions in the “Application” section, you will be shown a page where you can check all your answers. Make sure everything is correct before clicking “Continue”.
Select and upload the desired papers on the “Documents” page.
Go to the Declaration page to confirm. Submit the form.
Once you have completed the application form you will need to pay the visa fee. You can calculate the cost of a tourist visa on the UK Home Office website. The amount depends on the type of visa you choose. In 2024, the cost of a six-month Standard Visitor visa is £115, a two-year visa is £432 and a ten-year visa is £963. If you are applying for a UK visa for the first time, we recommend choosing the minimum validity period. Please note that the consular fee is non-refundable in the event of a cancellation or change of validity.
Paying the visa application fee will enable you to make an appointment for the application and biometric data. Information about your nearest visa application centre, as well as its opening hours and contact details, can be found on the official government portal gov.uk. During your appointment at the visa centre you will be photographed, have your biometric data collected. The officer will check that you have uploaded all the required documents to the website. If for any reason you have not been able to upload the paperwork online, bring all the documents with you to the appointment. An employee of the visa centre will scan them, but for an additional fee.
The processing time for a tourist visa application is 3 weeks. In some cases, delays of up to 6 weeks may occur. If you want to speed up the processing of your application, for an additional fee you can use the accelerated processing procedure.
You will be notified of the decision by e-mail. You can receive your passport in person at the visa application centre. For that you will need to present your ID. You can also use the courier delivery service. The cost of this service will be calculated when you submit your documents.
A visa stamped on your passport allows you to enter the UK from a specified date. It is important to carefully check the type of visa issued, its validity period and your personal details for any errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, contact the visa application centre immediately to correct them.
If the visa is denied, no marks about it will appear in your passport. The reason for the negative decision will be explained to you. The system is designed in such a way that a refusal of a tourist visa does not entitle you to appeal or to have the decision reviewed. The only thing you can do is to go through the whole process again and submit a new application. In the cover letter it is important to explain how the deficiencies of the previous application have been corrected.
Refusal of a UK visitor visa can be due to a number of reasons. The most common of these are:
All visas issued for travelling to the UK are multi-visas. This means that you can make an unlimited number of entries into the country, but you cannot stay for more than 180 days a year on a tourist visa. However, it is worth bearing in mind that frequent and lengthy trips can arouse the suspicion of border officials and negatively affect your future visa applications. It is recommended to plan your trips so that they strictly correspond to the declared purposes and timeframes.
It is important to remember that having a visa is not an absolute guarantee of entry into the country. A British visa is an official document that allows you to go to the border and ask for permission to enter. If all customs procedures have been successfully completed, you will receive this permission and your passport will be stamped with the border guard’s stamp, the date of entry and the name of the checkpoint. However, even with a valid visa, you may be refused entry. This can happen for various reasons, for example, if the border guard has doubts about the true purpose of your trip and whether it corresponds to your type of visa.
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