Visa Information

The visa policy of the United Kingdom is the policy by which Her Majesty’s Government determines who may and may not enter the country of the United Kingdom, and the Crown dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man. Visitors must obtain a visa unless they are exempt.

The UK is a member of the European Union, but it has an opt-out from the Schengen border-free area. It operates its own visa policy and also maintains the Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

British Overseas Territories generally apply their own similar but legally distinct visa policies.

Visa policy of the United Kingdom is similar to the visa policy of the Schengen Area. It grants visa-free entry to all Schengen Annex II nationalities, except for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Peru, Serbia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The UK also grants visa-free entry to several additional countries – Belize, Botswana, Maldives, Nauru, Namibia and Papua New Guinea.

All visitors to United Kingdom must:

hold a passport or a travel document valid for more than 6 months at the time of departure,

hold an onward or return ticket,

have sufficient funds to stay in United Kingdom,

have entry documents (including a visa) to their next destination, if required,

have a completed Disembarkation/Embarkation Card.

Types of Visa

Visa exemptions

Visa policy of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Freedom of movement (EU/EEA/CH citizens)

Visa-free entry for 6 months

Electronic visa waiver countries

Visa required for entry, and landside transit (unless holding exemption documents); visa-free airside transit

Visa required for entry, and both landside and airside transit (unless holding exemption documents)

The following individuals can enter the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man without a visa:

As of right

British Nationals who are European Union citizens:

British citizens
British Overseas Territories citizens deriving their statuses from Gibraltar
British subjects with the right of abode in the United Kingdom
Citizens of Commonwealth countries who have the right of abode in the United Kingdom under the Immigration Act 1971

Irish citizens under the Common Travel Area

All European Union citizens

Citizens of EFTA member states

Visa Free Nationals

British Nationals who are not European Union citizens and citizens of 56 countries and territories are visa-exempt for stays in the UK of up to 6 months (or 3 months if they enter from the Republic of Ireland)

British Nationals who are European Union citizens:

British Overseas Territories citizens not deriving their statuses from Gibraltar
British Nationals (Overseas)
British Overseas citizens
British protected persons
British subjects without the right of abode in the United Kingdom