Standard UK Visit Visa
Online Application Form
Travel information
What is the main reason for your visit to the UK?
Tourism (including visiting family and friends)
Will you be travelling to the UK as part of an organised group?
If any organisation is sponsoring you then answer 'Yes'.
But in most cases, the answer is No, for example, for parents/family/friend's visit.
Will you be travelling to the UK with someone who is not your partner, spouse, or dependant?
Yes - if your spouse is travelling with you and you are applying for a visa together.
No - if you are applying with someone who is not your partner/spouse/dependant.
What is the main reason for your holiday visit to the UK?
Choose the valid options from the set of options available. Mainly the option will be 'Tourist'.
Your planned travel information
Date you plan to arrive in the UK?
The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel. So, if you are planning to travel on December 1st, you should not be applying before September 1st.
Date you plan to leave the UK?
You can stay upto 6 months from the date you arrive in the UK. For example, if you are arriving on December 1st, 2023, you should be travelling back before May 31st.
Personal information
Given Name/ First Name:
Enter the name same as the Passport given name/ first name
Family Name/ Last Name:
Enter the name same as the Passport family name/ last name
Are you now or have you ever been known by another name?
Enter any other name if you have or had one before. This is not your name with initials as passports will only hold expanded name. This is some other name that you have known by, for example, before your marriage. You should be presenting proof of this - might be school certificates, or name change affidavits, to support this.
Who does this email address belong to?
You - if you are applying for yourselves.
If somebody is applying on behalf of you, you would have to enter their details also at the end of the application.
Do you have another email address?
Mostly not needed. But in case if you want to add another email ID, feel free to do so.
What is your relationship status?
Enter your relationship status. It is better if you have your spouse's name on your passport, but if you haven't, you can show other legal documents (marriage certificate or evidence showing your relationship) as proof.
Place of birth
Enter the place of birth shown in the Passport.
Do you have a valid national identity card?
It is better if you present a national identity card here. For applicants in India, you can provide an Aadhar card.
Issuing authority
This will be the issuing authority for that document, for example, in case of Aadhar, it will be Government of India.
Do you currently hold, or have you ever held, any other nationality or citizenship?
Mostly No.
But, if you have changed your nationality, enter 'Yes' and add the other nationality details you have. You would have to submit proofs for this.
Address
It is better to enter the address details same as in the Passport. But if you are staying at some other address and you wish to show this address, you might need to show valid proof.
Is this address also your correspondence address?
Yes - if you are able to respond to the letters send to the above mentioned address.
No - if you wish to receive communications at any other address.
But mostly, there will be no physical communications or letters to this address. All application and communication will be online only. The only documents send will be your passport with visa after the end of the whole process, and you have the option to collect it from the delivery office. So you need not bother much about this address.
How long have you lived at this address?
Enter the years you lived in the correspondence address.
What is the ownership status of your home?
If it is the same as the address in your passport, you can say 'Own it', even though if it is currently owned by your father or someone else in your family.
If you have provided some other address, you can say you 'Rent it' or 'Own it'.
Provide your telephone number:
telephone details
Where do you use this telephone number?
You can use this number in the UK if you plan to have Roaming plans. It is not necessary that you need a UK sim to be used in the UK.
Passport details
Here, you need to give the details of your latest passport such as passport number, issuing authority, issue date and expiry date , and no need to give the details of your former passports.
Spouse / partner details
If dependent is travelling with you, please enter their details in this section.
Dependant details
In this section, you can add anyone other than your spouse, who is travelling with you. You need NOT add your spouse's detail here.
Does anyone rely on you for financial support? Include both those travelling with you and those who are not. : If anyone other than spouse is traveling with you, please mention their details here. You have to submit relevant proofs showing your relation and show proof of funds to support this.
Parent details
Enter your father's and mother's details here.
Given names:
Enter your parent's first name as shown in your passport
Family name:
Enter your parent's second/family name as shown in your passport.
Date of birth:
Enter your parent's date of birth
Country of nationality
Enter the parent's nationality
Have they always had the same nationality?
Yes/No.
If no, then enter the other nationalities your parents had.
Employment
Enter your employment status and organisation name. You might need to provide payslips or letters from your organization as proof to this.
Income and expenditure
Do you have another income or any savings?
This is the most important section of the whole application and you have to show ample savings to sustain yourselves while in the UK and it is advisable to show your assets or job, which acts as a proof that you will be travelling back to your home country.
If you are salaried and have income, you have to provide payslip as proof. You would also need letters from your organisation certifying the payment you receive, your job status (saying you have permanent job with the organisation), and leaves, if you have taken any.
If you are retired but have savings, you have to show it's statements as proofs. For retired people, it is advised to show a CA certificate with all your assets and savings valued, because this is a strong document that would suggest your ties to your home country and assure that you will be travelling back after your visit. Make sure that all these proof documents have proof of origin and that you are able to exclusively use this money for yourself.
How much money do you have in savings (in GBP)?
Enter the total amount of your savings converted to GBP. You need to submit the proof of funds for this amount shown.
How much money are you personally planning to spend on your visit to the UK?
For 6 months, an amount from 4000GBP to 5000GBP should be fine.
What is the total amount of money you spend each month?
Enter the monthly average spend in your home country.
Will anyone be paying towards the cost of your visit?
If yes, enter your sponsor's details and the invitation letter from the sponsor. Your sponsor need to show his/her bank accounts and if they are offering you the place for stay, they have to show rental agreements/ownership documents of the address you are invited to. The sponsor also has to prove his residential status in the UK (either a British passport or a BRP).
How much money will they be paying towards your visit?
If the answer to the above question is Yes, enter the amount they planning to spend for your visit. 2000 GBP should be enough.
Why are they helping to pay for your visit?
Give proper reason for why they are sponsoring you. You might have to prove your relationship with them - their passports or BRP should be sufficient.
Family in the UK
Do you have any family in the UK?
Yes/No. You will have to repeat the same details above here if someone from your family is sponsoring you. If yes, enter the relationship, their names , visa statuses and their passport details. Submit proofs for it. But this will mostly be covered when you add the sponsorship letter.
Their relationship to you:
Enter the relationship between you and your family here.
Given names:
Enter the first name shown in your family member's passport.
Family name:
Enter the family name same as in your family member's passport
Country of nationality:
Enter the nationality shown in their passport.
What permission do they have to be in the UK?
Give your family's visa details. Please note that if they are on a Skilled worker / PSW / Student Visa – select 'Temporary Visa'.
Select 'Permanent Visa' only if they are here permanently - with an ILR, or British citizenship.
Their passport number
Enter your family member's passport number.
Accommodation details
Give the accommodation details (eg: Hotel address/ if you are staying with family, their address) where you are planning to stay in the UK. Mention the dates you arrive and leave at this addresses.
IHS Payment
Please note that you do NOT have to pay Immigration Health Surcharge for a visitor visa of 6 months.
If you are planning to come to visit the UK as a tourist, visit your family and friends, or even a short term study or attending business meetings, this is the visa you should apply for.
Overview of steps for applying for the UK standard visit visa :
Prepare documents (proof of savings, CA certificate) for applying.
Fill up online application form on the government website
Book an appointment for submitting biometrics at VFS from the link generated after filling up the form.
Visit the office and submit the supporting documents and biometrics
The government website has excellent and detailed references to most of the stuff you would need to apply for these visa. This site does not aim to answer the obvious questions and answers while applying. However, this site would try to give an answer to some ambiguous or confusing sections within it according to the best of our knowledge.
Now, submit the application and from the link generated, log in to your biometrics (VFS Global) account.
You have to physically go there and submit your biometrics. All the other documents that should be shown as proof can be uploaded in this website until 24 hours before your scheduled appointment. We recommend you to do this so that you do not have to pay for an extra Document scanning assistance or carry or misplace these important documents there. You can carry only your passport, and document checklist to the biometrics appointment (VFS office) if you upload all the other necessary documents.
Agencies asks you to upload several documents, but from our experience, upload only needed and approved documentation. A cover letter is recommended which explains proof of savings, details of your visit, and ties or relationships back to your home country. You have to present proof for these details mentioned in your cover letter. However, please note that submitting more documents is not going to help much, instead submit the relevant documents. The entry clearance officer will have to go through all the submitted documents before arriving at a decision, and if you submit unnecessary documents, it is going to be delayed, and there are chances that there is a discrepancy between any of these documents, or if any information cannot be derived from the proofs you submitted, your application will be rejected. Please refer this UK government website link which tells you the supporting documents you have to submit.
After the appointment, it would take no longer than 3 weeks to know your decision, and the passport with visa will be shipped back to you.
Now, all the best with your application and enjoy your visit to the UK.
Other helpful links :
Guidance of approved supporting documents : Please refer the last section in this page to see which all documents are NOT accepted.
Immigration rules for visitor visa : Please note the Genuine Visitor requirement section and include proofs and cover letter to strengthen your application.