Types of Business Visitor visas
There are 3 types of Business Visitor visa.
- Business
visitor – This visa is for people working outside the UK who are coming to the UK to carry out activities
relating to their job, eg conferences, meetings and training.
- Academic visitor – This
visa is for academic visitors – eg academics on sabbatical, doing research
or accompanying students on a study abroad programme.
- Doctors and dentists
–This visa is for doctors and dentists undertaking clinical attachments
or clinical observer posts, or taking the Professional and Linguistic
Assessment Board (PLAB) test.
How long it will take
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.
You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.
Check the guide processing times to find out how long getting a visa might
take in your country.
How long you can stay
This visa lasts for up to 6 months, or up to 1 year if you’re an academic
visitor.
You can apply to extend your visa as long as the total time you spend in the
UK
is less than 6 months.
You can also apply for a long-term visit visa if you can prove you need to
make repeat visits over a longer period. You can stay for a maximum of 6 months
on each visit and your visa can last for 1, 2, 5 or 10 years.
Family members of academic visitors
Family members of academic visitors can also apply to stay for 12 months.
They’ll need to apply for a general visitor or child visitor visa.
Fees
Business Visitor visas cost £83 per person.
Long-term visit visa fees are:
1 year – £300
2 years – £300
5 years – £544
10 years – £737
What you can and can’t do
You can:
do the permitted activities related to your job as long as you’re employed
and paid by an overseas company
study for up to 30 days, as long as it’s not the main reason for your visit
You can’t:
- take other paid or unpaid
work
- live in the UK for
long periods of time through frequent visits
- marry or register a civil
partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
- get private medical treatment
- get public funds
You can’t be an academic visitor if you’re on sabbatical leave from a
private research company. You should apply for a visa under Tier 2 or Tier 5 –
check what visa you need.
2. Eligibility
You must be:
- from outside the European Economic
Area (EEA) or Switzerland
- 18 or over
- receiving your salary from
abroad and able to support yourself for the duration of your trip
- not in transit to another
country (except for Ireland,
the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands)
Read part 2 of the Immigration Rules to make sure you’re eligible for this
visa. Your visa will be refused if you aren’t eligible or don’t provide enough
information.
You must also be one of the following to be eligible for a Business
Visitor visa:
- an employee on secondment to a
company office in the UK
that isn’t part of the same group of companies as your employer
a business advisor or trainer
- an academic on sabbatical,
doing research or accompanying students on a study abroad programme
- a doctor or dentist
undertaking clinical attachments or clinical observer posts, or taking the
Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test
- a member of an overseas film
crew coming in for a location shoot
- a representative of a news
media organisation not based in the UK
- a religious worker
- a guide accompanying a tour
group, but only if the company is based outside the UK
- a driver delivering goods or
carrying passengers
- a visiting professor
- an adviser, consultant,
trainer, internal auditor or trouble shooter coming to a UK branch
or a member of the same group of companies as your overseas employer
You can also apply if you’re:
- attending a pre-arranged
meeting or interview, a conference or a trade fair (but not selling
products or services)
- negotiating a business deal
or trade agreement
- carrying out a fact-finding
mission to explore potential markets or suppliers
- making a site visit
- providing certain services on
behalf of a foreign manufacturer (see part 2 of the Immigration Rules if
you’re unsure whether you qualify)
- speaking at a single conference
that is not for profit
- getting training for
techniques and practices used in the UK
If you’re applying for a long-term visit visa
You must also prove that:
- you have a frequent and
ongoing need to come to the UK to do business
- the reason for your need to
come to the UK
is unlikely to change significantly while the visa is valid
- you plan to leave the UK at the
end of each visit
Your visa may be taken away (revoked) and you may get a long-term ban on
visiting the UK
if your travel history shows you’re repeatedly living here for extended
periods.
3. Documents you must provide
When you apply you’ll need to provide:
- a current passport or other
valid travel identification
- a passport size colour
photograph
- evidence that you can support
yourself during your trip, eg bank statements or payslips for the last 6
months
details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans – you shouldn’t
pay for accommodation or travel until you get your visa
- You’ll need to have a blank
page in your passport on which to put the visa.
You’ll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that aren’t
in English or Welsh.
Read the full list of documents you can provide.
You may need to provide additional documents depending on your
circumstances.
If you’re applying for a long-term visit visa
You must also provide proof you can support yourself financially for the
duration of your visa.
You may be given a visa for a shorter period than requested if you don’t do
this. You won’t get a refund of the application fee if you get a shorter visa
or your application is refused.
4. Apply
Apply outside the UK
You must apply online for a Business Visitor visa.
You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric
information’) taken at a visa application centre as part of your application.
You may be able to get your visa faster or other services depending on what
country you’re in – check with your visa application centre.
North Korea
You can’t apply online if you’re from North Korea.
To apply from North Korea
you must Download the relevant application form for:
business visitors
academic visitors
doctors and dentists
Read the guidance notes before you fill in the form:
guidance notes for business visitors and academic visitors
guidance notes for doctors and dentists
Read the instructions for North
Korea on how to apply.
Apply in the UK
You can only extend your visa if you’re already in the UK.
5. Extend your visa
Eligibility
You can apply to extend your visa as long as the total time you spend in the
UK is less than 6 months – eg if you have a 3 month visa, you can apply to
extend it for 3 more months.
You should apply before your current visa expires.
How to extend your visa
Read the full guidance before applying.
Within the UK
you can:
download the form and guidance and apply by post – the address is on the
form
download the form and apply in person at a premium service centre
Fees
You’ll pay:
£601 if you apply by post
£1,001 if you apply in person
How long it takes
A decision will be made:
within 8 weeks for postal and online applications
usually on the same day if you use the premium service
You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, eg:
if your supporting documents need to be verified
if you need to attend an interview
because of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal
conviction)
Once you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a
decision, as long as you applied before your last visa expired.
How long you can stay
You can stay for a maximum of 6 months.
