United Kingdom · Business
Standard Visitor visa — Visit on business
Standard Visitor visa — Visit on business is issued by UK Visas and Immigration. VisaAI tracks 14 official requirements for it, each traced to the government page that states it.
Last verified against the official source on .
VisaAI is not a government body and does not issue visas. It cannot decide, predict or guarantee the outcome of an application, and this page is not legal or immigration advice.
Requirements change. Confirm every item on UK Visas and Immigration’s own page before you apply.
Each requirement below is written in plain English by VisaAI. The indented text beneath it is quoted from UK Visas and Immigration’s own page, so you can check what we say against what they say. Where a quotation shows “ ... ”, text has been left out.
Conditions you must meet
- Do business activities only if you are not paid by a UK-based organisation or client
You can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor for up to 6 months: to do certain business activities, if you are not paid by a UK-based organisation or client
- Do only the permitted business activitiesGOV.UK lists: attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars; negotiate and sign deals and contracts; attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things); get work-related training if you are employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country; give a one-off or short series of talks that are not for profit or a commercial event; carry out site visits and inspections; oversee delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company; deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas; and carry out specific activities where your overseas employer has an eligible contract of purchase, supply or lease with a UK company.
You can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor to do the following business activities if you’re not paid by a UK-based organisation or client: attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
- Any other paid or unpaid work needs a work visa, not a visitor visa
You’ll need to apply for a work visa if you want to do any other paid or unpaid work in the UK.
- Paid work is allowed only as a permitted paid engagement, as an expert in your professionThe rules for permitted paid engagements are on a separate GOV.UK sub-page that is not a registered source, so their contents are not extracted here.
if you are visiting as an expert in your profession to do a permitted paid engagement
- Extra activities are allowed in certain overseas job rolesGOV.UK names archaeologists; artists, entertainers or musicians; bodyguards; camera operators; drivers; internal auditors; journalists or correspondents; lawyers or expert witnesses; market researchers or analysts; personal assistants; pilots or cabin crew on a CAA-approved wet lease agreement between 1 March and 31 October; professors from an overseas academic institution; religious workers; scientists or researchers; seafarers; sports people or sports officials; tour group couriers; translators or interpreters; film crew including actors, producers, directors and technicians; production team members supporting an artist, entertainer or musician; and technical staff supporting an artist, entertainer, musician or sports person. What each role may actually do is set out in the visitor rules, which are not a registered source.
You can do certain additional activities in the UK as a Standard Visitor, if you’re employed overseas as: an archaeologist
Documents you must provide
- Passport or travel document valid for the whole of your stay in the UK
You must have a passport or travel document that is valid for the whole of your stay in the UK.
- Extra details some applicants must give, depending on circumstancesGOV.UK lists these under "depending on your circumstances, you might also need to provide": details of your travel history for the past 10 years; your employer's address and telephone number; your partner's name, date of birth and passport number; the name and address of anyone paying for your trip; the name, address and passport number of any family members you have in the UK. For a business visitor the employer's contact details and the name and address of whoever is paying for the trip are the ones most often reached for, but the page states no rule for which apply to whom.
Depending on your circumstances, you might also need to provide: details of your travel history for the past 10 years
- Tuberculosis (TB) test certificateGOV.UK ties this to a visit of more than 6 months.
a certificate proving that you’ve had a tuberculosis (TB) test if you’re visiting for more than 6 months
- Certified translations of documents not in English or Welsh
You must provide certified translations of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.
Steps in the process
- Check the basic Standard Visitor eligibility requirements and whether you need a visaWhether you need a Standard Visitor visa, an ETA, or neither depends on your nationality, and GOV.UK publishes that only through its separate checker tool.
You should: check you meet the basic eligibility requirements for a Standard Visitor ... check if you need a visa to visit the UK ... apply for a Standard Visitor visa online - if you need one
- Apply online before you travel, and book an appointment at a visa application centreThe UK publishes no application form number for this route — the application exists only as an online service. GOV.UK also states you can save the form and finish it later, and that each person travelling needs their own application, fee and appointment.
If you need a Standard Visitor visa, you must apply online before you travel to the UK and attend an appointment at a visa application centre. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.
- Give the required information in your online applicationGOV.UK lists: the dates you're planning to travel to the UK; where you'll be staying during your visit; how much you think your trip will cost; your current home address and how long you've lived there; your parents' names and dates of birth (if known); how much you earn in a year (if you have an income); details of any criminal, civil or immigration offences you may have committed.
You’ll need to provide the following information in your online application: the dates you’re planning to travel to the UK
- Prove your identity and give biometrics at a visa application centreGOV.UK notes the visa application centre could be in another country, that your passport is returned the same day, and that the centre may keep some of your other documents while the application is processed.
At your appointment, you’ll need to: prove your identity with your passport or travel document ... have your fingerprints and a photo (biometric information) taken ... provide the required documents that show you’re eligible for a Standard Visitor visa
Government fees
- Standard Visitor visa application feeA business visit is made on a Standard Visitor visa and pays the same fees. GOV.UK publishes six tiers: GBP 135 for up to 6 months; GBP 234 for a visit for medical reasons (11 months) and GBP 234 for academics (12 months); and the long-term visitor visas at GBP 506 (2 years), GBP 903 (5 years) and GBP 1,128 (10 years), each allowing a maximum stay of 6 months per visit. Each person applying pays their own fee.
Fee Maximum length of stay Standard Visitor visa £135 6 months Standard Visitor visa for medical reasons £234 11 months Standard Visitor visa for academics £234 12 months 2 year long-term Standard Visitor visa £506 6 months per visit 5 year long-term Standard Visitor visa £903 6 months per visit 10 year long-term Standard Visitor visa £1,128 6 months per visit
Official sources
- Official page — Official page, UK Visas and Immigration
- How to apply — How to apply, UK Visas and Immigration
- Online application on the UKVI visa service — Official form, UK Visas and Immigration