Visiting the United Kingdom
Do I need a visa?
If you are coming to the United Kingdom as a general visitor you are allowed to stay for up to six months. This section explains the different types of general visitor and what you are allowed to do as a general visitor to the United Kingdom. If you intend staying for longer than six months you need to look at the residency or working in the UK sections of this website.
For information about the requirements you must meet to be allowed to enter, or pass through (transit), the United Kingdom and what you can expect when you arrive at our border, see Travelling to the UK.
Our service standards set out how quickly we aim to decide applications for coming to the United Kingdom as a visitor. The service standard is that we will decide 65% of applications within four weeks.
This section explains:
- how you can come to the United Kingdom as a general visitor;
- how you can come to the United Kingdom as a business and special visitor.
- whether you can come to the United Kingdom for medical treatment;
- how to sponsor a visitor;
- what the group travel scheme is;
- how to change your conditions of stay; and
- what rights and responsibilities you have when visiting the United Kingdom.
News & updates
- Identity cards: new sites for biometric enrolment
- New visa regimes and changes to IRIS accounts for Bolivian and Venezuelan passport holders
- New visa regimes and changes to IRIS accounts for passport holders of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho
- UK Border Agency sets out its service and delivery standards