UK Visit Visa 2026: Tourist, Family and Business Standard Visitor Rules

What a UK Visit Visa allows in 2026

The Standard Visitor visa is the principal short-stay route for people coming to the UK for tourism, family visits, short business meetings, conferences, recreational courses of up to six months, private medical treatment, and a defined list of other permitted activities. The full list sits in Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules, which the Home Office updates twice a year. The visa is granted for a single visit of up to six months by default, or as a long-validity multiple-entry document of two, five or ten years, with each visit during that period limited to six months.

The route is built on the assumption that the visitor will leave at the end of the trip. Caseworkers assess two main questions: is the planned activity inside the permitted list, and will the visitor return home at the end. A holder of a Standard Visitor visa cannot work for a UK employer, cannot run a business based in the UK, cannot access National Health Service treatment without paying, and cannot use the visit route as a stepping stone to settlement.

For 2026 the most material structural change is the continued rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). Citizens of countries that previously visited the UK without any pre-travel documentation now need an ETA. The ETA is granted online for a fee published on GOV.UK and lasts two years or until the holder's passport expires, whichever comes first. ETA holders can use the visit route for up to six months per entry under the same activity rules as Standard Visitor visa holders. Nationals listed as "visa nationals" still require a full Standard Visitor visa.

Who needs which document

The Home Office sorts the world into three groups for visit purposes. Visa nationals (the list is at Appendix Visitor: Visa national list) must always apply for a visit visa before travel. Non-visa nationals must obtain an ETA before travel and can then arrive without a visa. EEA and Swiss citizens are a separate group and continue to use ePassport gates without an ETA for short visits, although they remain subject to the same six-month limit and activity rules.

British and Irish citizens, and people holding any form of UK immigration leave that already permits entry (Skilled Worker, Student, Family, Settlement), do not need a visit visa or an ETA. Holders of indefinite leave to remain returning to the UK after an absence of two years or less use their eVisa or returning resident provisions.

Children under 18 must apply on their own application form and require either accompanying parental travel or a written letter of consent from the parent or legal guardian. Caseworkers will return refusals where the consent documentation is missing or the parental contact information is unverifiable.

How to apply: a practical step-by-step

The application starts at gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa. The applicant creates a UKVI account and completes the online form, paying the fee published in the GOV.UK fees table at the point of submission. The form captures travel dates, sponsor or host details, financial information, and prior immigration history including any past UK refusals.

After paying, the applicant books a biometric enrolment appointment at a Visa Application Centre in their country of residence. Biometric enrolment captures a photograph and fingerprints and uploads them to the case file. Supporting documents (bank statements, employer letters, invitations, accommodation bookings) are uploaded through the UK Visas and Immigration document upload portal.

UKVI publishes processing time targets on GOV.UK. The standard service typically delivers a decision within 15 working days from the biometric appointment, although volumes during peak summer can push that out. A priority service (additional fee) and a super priority service (next working day, additional higher fee) are available in most countries. Applicants should not book non-refundable travel until the visa has been granted.

Documents and evidence caseworkers expect to see

The Standard Visitor application is documentary rather than interview-led, so the file the applicant builds is what the decision rests on. The core items are a valid passport with at least one blank page, a recent photograph that meets the published specification, and proof of intent to return: this can include an employment letter confirming continued employment after the trip, evidence of family ties in the home country, proof of property ownership or rental, and confirmed travel dates with return tickets.

Financial evidence usually takes the form of six months of bank statements showing settled income and savings adequate to cover the trip without recourse to UK public funds. Where a UK-based sponsor (family member, partner, host) will cover costs, the sponsor provides their own statements, an invitation letter, and proof of immigration status (passport, share code, or settled status documentation).

Itinerary detail matters. Caseworkers look for internally consistent travel plans: a stated five-day London trip with hotel bookings only in Manchester invites a credibility refusal. Letters of invitation from UK contacts should include the host's address, the dates of the planned visit, and a clear statement of who is paying for what.

Permitted activities and the work prohibition

Visitors can attend meetings, conferences, training, fact-finding visits, contract negotiations, and trade fairs. They can give a lecture or talk on a one-off basis. They can carry out site visits to oversee a UK contract performed by the visitor's overseas employer. They can attend academic conferences and short recreational study courses lasting up to six months. The list is exhaustive and is set out in Appendices 3 and 4 of Appendix V.

Visitors cannot take up employment, cannot fill a UK-based role (whether paid or unpaid), cannot be paid by a UK source for work delivered in the UK (with limited Permitted Paid Engagement exceptions), and cannot bring in goods for sale at UK markets. The work prohibition is the most frequently breached condition and is the most common reason for refusal of a future application: once a visitor is recorded as having worked, future visit applications face a much higher evidential burden.

The Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) variant is a one-month version of the visit route for invited professionals (visiting academics, certain artists, expert witnesses, qualified lawyers giving advocacy at UK arbitration). It allows the visitor to be paid by the UK inviter and follows a separate, narrower set of activity rules within Appendix V.

Marriage Visitor visa and family visit options

People entering the UK to get married, register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage (but not to settle afterwards) apply for the Marriage Visitor visa rather than the Standard Visitor visa. The Marriage Visitor visa lasts six months and does not allow conversion to a family route from inside the UK. Couples who intend to live together in the UK after the ceremony should instead apply for a fiance or spouse visa under Appendix FM before travelling, or marry abroad and apply for a spouse visa with the relationship already in place.

Family visits use the Standard Visitor route. There is no separate "family visitor visa" since 2013. Applicants who are coming to see a UK-based relative include the relative's contact details, immigration status evidence, and an invitation letter inside the standard application form.

Costs and fees in 2026

Standard Visitor visa fees, as published on GOV.UK and reflected in the 2026 fees schedule, sit at GBP 127 for a single six-month visa. The two-year multiple-entry visa is GBP 475, the five-year multiple-entry visa is GBP 839, and the ten-year multiple-entry visa is GBP 1,059. Priority and super priority services attach additional fees on top of the base visa cost. The Marriage Visitor visa fee tracks the six-month Standard Visitor fee.

None of these fees include the Immigration Health Surcharge: visitors do not pay the IHS because they do not have access to the NHS on a settled basis. Visitors are expected to hold private travel insurance covering medical treatment in the UK, and accident and emergency departments will charge non-residents for treatment under the NHS overseas visitor charging regulations.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a UK Visit visa valid for?

The single-entry Standard Visitor visa is granted for the dates of the planned visit, up to a maximum of six months. The multiple-entry variants are valid for two, five, or ten years, with each individual visit during the validity period limited to six months. The validity period runs from the date of issue, not from the first entry.

Can a visitor extend their stay in the UK beyond six months?

Standard Visitor visas cannot be extended beyond a total stay of six months in almost all cases. Limited exceptions exist for private medical treatment continuing beyond six months, for academic visitors whose role requires up to twelve months, and for certain graduates at the end of a study course. Extensions are applied for from inside the UK before the original leave expires.

Can a UK visit visa be used for short business meetings?

Yes. Attending meetings, conferences, contract negotiations, fact-finding visits and trade events is on the permitted activities list. The visitor must remain employed and paid by the overseas employer and cannot perform work for a UK entity. Permitted Paid Engagement provides a narrow exception for specific professional invitations.

How early can a visit visa application be submitted?

The Home Office allows applications to be lodged up to three months before the intended date of travel. Earlier than that is not accepted by the online form. Applicants should aim to submit at the start of that three-month window during peak summer and Christmas periods, when processing times stretch.

Does the visit visa allow study in the UK?

The Standard Visitor visa permits short recreational courses lasting up to six months and a single research visit of up to six months at a higher education institution. It does not allow degree study or any course that requires Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) sponsorship: those require a Student visa.

What happens if a visit visa is refused?

A refusal letter sets out the reasons by reference to specific paragraphs of Appendix V. There is no general right of appeal against a visit visa refusal, but a fresh application can be lodged at any time with the issues addressed. Common refusal grounds include insufficient evidence of finances, lack of credible ties to the home country, and inconsistencies in stated travel plans.

Can a visitor open a UK bank account?

Some UK banks offer accounts to visitors with appropriate identification, but most full current accounts require evidence of UK residence (a tenancy agreement or utility bill). Visitors typically rely on home-country accounts and international debit or credit cards for the duration of the trip.

How we verified this

This guide reflects Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules as in force for 2026, the fees published by the Home Office in the 2026 fees schedule, and the visit visa caseworker guidance issued by UK Visas and Immigration. The ETA descriptions follow the Home Office's published ETA scheme guidance. Activity lists were cross-checked against the visit caseworker guidance and the published list of permitted activities in Appendix 3 and Appendix 4 of Appendix V.

Primary sources and further reading

• GOV.UK: Standard Visitor visa
• Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix V Visitor
• UKVI: Visit visa caseworker guidance
• GOV.UK: Apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation
• GOV.UK: Visa fees
• GOV.UK: Marriage Visitor visa