UK Visa Biometric Appointment 2026: Booking, Cost, What to Bring

TL;DR

Every UK visa applicant aged 5 and over must enrol their biometric information (fingerprints and a photograph) before a visa decision is issued. The biometric enrolment fee is £19.20 where charged. Appointments are booked through TLScontact, VFS Global or Sopra Steria depending on the country of application. Standard processing typically takes 3 to 8 weeks from biometric submission, with priority service at 5 working days and super-priority at next working day for an additional fee.

Last reviewed: 31 May 2026

Why biometric enrolment is needed

Biometric enrolment is a statutory requirement under the UK Borders Act 2007 and the Immigration (Biometric Registration) Regulations 2008. The Home Office collects fingerprints and a digital facial photograph from every visa applicant aged 5 and over, regardless of route, and stores the data on the Home Office Biometrics platform (HOB), which superseded the older IDENT1 and IABS systems. Biometric data is checked against UK Border Force watchlists, Interpol notices, and the National Automated Biometric Identification System (NABIS) records, and is also used at the UK border for entry verification. For grants of leave longer than 6 months issued before 2025, biometric data populated the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) chip; from 2025 onward the Home Office has been migrating to digital-only eVisa status, and the BRP card is being phased out, but the underlying biometric enrolment step remains mandatory at the application stage. Applicants under 5 are exempt from fingerprinting but still need a facial photograph.

Step-by-step booking process

The biometric appointment is booked after the online visa application is submitted and the application fee paid. The provider depends on the country of application: TLScontact handles most European, North African and Middle Eastern locations; VFS Global handles most South Asian, African and East Asian locations; and Sopra Steria handles UK in-country biometric appointments. The full network of overseas providers is documented in the guide to VFS Global UK visa centres. The booking sequence is:

Complete the visa application on the gov.uk online application service (form name varies by route, for example VAF1A for Standard Visitor, online Skilled Worker application form, online Student visa application form).
Pay the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge upfront. The fee receipt includes a GWF reference number that the visa application centre system uses to retrieve the application.
The confirmation page redirects to the relevant visa application centre booking portal (TLScontact, VFS Global, or Sopra Steria) and an account is created.
Select a centre, date and time slot. Slots typically open 2 to 6 weeks ahead, depending on country demand.
Choose any premium services at the time of booking: premium lounge, courier return, walk-in without appointment, photocopy services, or super-priority decision turnaround. Prices vary by centre.
Print the booking confirmation showing the appointment date, time, centre address, and the documents required.
Attend the appointment with the documents listed below. The biometric enrolment itself takes 5 to 15 minutes; the supporting document scan can add 30 to 60 minutes during busy windows.

Walk-in services are available at certain centres at additional cost where the applicant cannot wait for an appointment slot.

Cost of the biometric appointment

The headline biometric enrolment fee is £19.20 per person, charged at most overseas application centres at the time of the appointment. It is set under the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 and is separate from the Home Office visa application fee. A handful of centres have absorbed the enrolment fee into the application service, but most charge it as a discrete line item. Beyond enrolment, the centre may charge for premium services chosen by the applicant:

Biometric enrolment fee: £19.20 per person where charged.
Priority Visa service (5 working days from biometric): £500 add-on per applicant, paid via the Home Office application.
Super-priority Visa service (next working day from biometric): £1,000 add-on per applicant, paid via the Home Office application.
Premium lounge at the visa application centre: typically £90 to £150 per applicant.
Courier return of the passport: typically £15 to £35 depending on country and carrier.
Passport retention service (where supported, allowing the applicant to keep the passport during processing): typically £120 to £180.
SMS notification service: typically £5 to £10.

None of the centre premium charges are refundable once the appointment has taken place. The application fee and IHS are paid through the Home Office portal and the calculator at UK visa fee calculator models them alongside dependant counts and route variant. For applicants who need to change the appointment date, the rescheduling fee and the rules around how many free reschedules are permitted vary by provider; the dedicated guide at reschedule UK visa biometric appointment sets out the current fee and the process for each network.

What to bring to the appointment

The exact document list varies by visa route, but the universal items required at every biometric appointment are below. Missing documents are the single most common cause of appointment failure and result in either a re-booking (and potentially a fresh fee) or a rejected application.

Current passport with at least one blank page (and any previous passports if the application history refers to them).
The printed appointment confirmation showing the booking reference and the GWF application number.
The printed visa application form (some centres allow electronic confirmation, but a printed copy is safer).
The supporting documents listed on the application checklist generated at the end of the online application.
For Skilled Worker, Student and Health and Care Worker routes: the Certificate of Sponsorship or Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies reference number printed on the application.
For routes that require maintenance funds: bank statements covering the 28-day qualifying period and dated within 31 days of the application.
For routes that require a tuberculosis test certificate: the original certificate from a clinic on the gov.uk list of approved clinics, dated within 6 months of the application.
For routes that require an English language test: the original Secure English Language Test certificate or the equivalent academic qualification.
For applicants under 18: parental consent form and the parent's identification.

Documents in a language other than English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation. Centres do not generally accept document submissions after the appointment, so anything missing on the day forces a re-booking.

Timelines after the appointment

Standard processing times are published by the Home Office on gov.uk and updated quarterly. The published service level is 3 weeks for most outside-UK visit and study applications and 8 weeks for most outside-UK work routes, measured from the date of the biometric appointment. Inside-UK applications run 8 weeks for standard service. Priority service runs to 5 working days, and super-priority service runs to the next working day after the biometric appointment, both measured from the appointment rather than from application submission. Two structural points are worth flagging:

The processing clock does not start until biometric enrolment is complete. Delaying the appointment delays the decision.
The decision is communicated by email and the passport (with the visa vignette or, for grants over 6 months, the eVisa link) is returned by the chosen return method. Decision notification can take a further 1 to 2 working days for the physical return to arrive.

If the decision is delayed beyond the published service level, the gov.uk page for the route in question sets out the escalation process. The Home Office does not refund the priority service fee if the decision is later than the priority deadline unless the delay is attributable to the Home Office itself, and even then the refund is discretionary.

Frequently asked questions

How long after the biometric appointment is a UK visa decision issued?

Standard outside-UK processing is published at 3 weeks for visit and study routes and 8 weeks for most work routes, measured from the date of biometric submission. Inside-UK standard processing is 8 weeks. Priority service is 5 working days and super-priority is the next working day, both also measured from the biometric appointment. Times vary by country and route, and complex cases (such as those requiring additional ECO checks) can run beyond the published service level.

What documents are needed at the UK biometric appointment?

Universal documents include the current passport, the printed appointment confirmation, the printed application form, the supporting documents listed on the application checklist, and any route-specific items (Certificate of Sponsorship, CAS, bank statements, TB test, SELT certificate, translations of non-English documents). Documents missing on the day typically force a re-booking at the applicant's cost.

Can the biometric appointment be rescheduled and is there a fee?

Yes, the biometric appointment can be rescheduled through the booking portal of the relevant visa application centre provider. The first reschedule is typically free if requested at least 24 to 48 hours before the appointment, but subsequent reschedules and any change made inside the cancellation window incur a charge that varies by provider. The dedicated reschedule guide sets out the current fees and the cancellation windows per provider.

Is the £19.20 biometric fee refundable if the visa is refused?

No. The biometric enrolment fee of £19.20 is paid for the service of capturing fingerprints and a photograph and is not refunded if the visa is refused. The Immigration Health Surcharge is refunded in full on refusal, and the Home Office application fee is refunded only if the application is withdrawn before processing begins.

Where are the UK biometric collection centres for overseas applicants?

UK biometric collection overseas runs through three contracted providers: TLScontact, VFS Global and Sopra Steria, covering roughly 200 centres in over 140 countries. The provider for a given country is shown on the country page of the gov.uk visa application centre locator. Where no centre exists in-country, the applicant typically has to travel to the nearest centre in a neighbouring country and the cost of that travel is on the applicant.

Sources

Disclaimer: The figures and guidance on this page are informational. Kael Tripton Ltd is not authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, or the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide immigration advice. For application-specific advice consult a regulated immigration adviser. Verify current fees and rules on gov.uk before applying.