Visa requirements differ from person to person and are based on their nationality, reason for travelling to the UK, family status, and length of stay.
Understanding your immigration requirements is the first step to successfully applying for your visa. If you require a visa, you must apply for and obtain this before travelling to the UK.
You may need a visa, depending on your nationality and what you intend to do while you are in the UK, plus how long you are planning to stay.
You are likely to require a visa if you are coming to the UK for:
- employment
- study
Visiting the UK for Research - If you are visiting the UK to carry out research you should read this overview of current guidance.
Before travelling to the UK check if you will need a visa to enter the UK.
You can find advice on how to apply for a visa. Further details are available on the UK Visas and Immigration's (UKVI) website.
‘Family members’ in this context include your spouse or partner, your child under-18 or your child over-18, if they’re in the UK as a dependant.
It is very likely that your family will need to apply for a visa to enter the UK. Conditions for application can vary dependent on your and your family’s nationality.
If you have a valid work or student visa, your family must also apply for a visa to join or remain with you, depending on the length of their stay.
If you are an EEA or Swiss national but members of your family are not, it’s likely that they will need a visa or EEA family permit to come to the UK. This also depends on the length of their stay. You may also be able to bring ‘extended’ family members (e.g. parents), who are not EEA or Swiss nationals with a family permit.
For further information and application details go to the UK Visas and Immigration website.
If you are a national from a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland you may need to apply for the UK's points-based immigration system if you are moving to the UK. This system is in effect from 1 January 2021 following Brexit. You also need to pass relevant checks, including UK criminality checks. You can continue to visit the UK for up to 6 months without applying for a visa and may participate in a wide range of activities, including tourism, visiting family and friends, short term study, attend job interviews and other business-related activities, such as events and conferences.
If you have settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme your rights to live, study and work in the UK are unchanged and protected.
If you or your close family members started living in the UK before 1 January 2021, you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme.
Otherwise, you are likely to need a visa to work, or do business in the UK, depending on the length of your stay. If you are studying, you may require a visa, depending on the length of your stay. Before travelling to the UK, please check if you will need a visa to enter the UK.
Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Members of the EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter and live in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.
Switzerland is neither an EU nor an EEA member but is part of the single market - this means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.