Visas and immigration

Check if you need a UK visa

You may need a visa to come to the UK to visit, study or work.

Depending on your nationality, you may need to get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA).

An eVisa is a digital record of:

your identity and immigration status – for example the type of visa you have or if you have indefinite leave to remain (settlement) in the UK
the conditions of your status – for example if you’re allowed to work or study in the UK

eVisas are replacing physical immigration documents.

Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK

An electronic travel authorisation (ETA) lets you travel to the UK for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons for up to 6 months.

An ETA costs £16.

Other websites may charge more to apply. Avoid websites that imitate government services.

Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application

Most people need to pay the immigration health surcharge (IHS) as part of their online immigration application.

Whether you need to pay depends on the immigration status you’re applying for.

You’ll need to have a tuberculosis (TB) test if all of the following are true:

you’re coming to the UK for 6 months or more
you’ve lived in any of these listed countries for 6 months or more
you were living there (or another listed country) within the last 6 months

Visa to pass through the UK in transit

You do not need a transit visa if you:

have an electronic travel authorisation (ETA)

have an EU Settlement Scheme family permit

have a Home Office travel document, for example you’re a refugee or stateless person

have a Standard Visitor visa

have a Marriage Visitor visa

Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor

You can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor for tourism, business, study (courses up to 6 months) and other permitted activities.

You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months. You might be able to apply to stay for longer in certain circumstances, for example to get medical treatment.

You can come to the UK for up to 30 days as part of a tour group through the approved destination status agreement (ADS) if you’re a Chinese citizen.

To qualify you must enter the country as part of your tour group (minimum 5 people) and stay with the group for the whole of your visit.

How to apply for a visa to come to the UK

Choose a visa

You may need a visa to come to the UK to study, work, visit or join family.

There are different visas depending on:

where you come from
why you want to come to the UK
how long you want to stay for
your personal circumstances and skills

You must apply for a Marriage Visitor visa if:

you want to get married or register a civil partnership in the UK
you want to give notice of a marriage or civil partnership in UK
you’re not planning to stay or settle in the UK after your marriage or civil partnership
you meet the other eligibility requirements

Find us Here

Lisson Grow,
City of Westminster,
London,
NW8 8FT
United Kingdom

Get In touch

+44 20 53687183
+44 77 80807781

Useful Links

Persian Platform is an officially registered UK-based company licensed for international operations. We offer comprehensive services in immigration, education, employment, tourism, marketing, and cultural exchange. With legal credibility and global expertise, we operate representative offices and support teams across multiple countries. Our headquarters is located in London, with active operations in Germany (Berlin), Turkey (Antalya), Italy (Sicily), Armenia (Yerevan), Romania, and Iran.

Persian Platform’s 2024 content