page_title: Visa policy of the United Kingdom
section_title: Obtaining an entry visa
hierarchical_section_title: Visa policy of the United Kingdom / Obtaining an entry visa
caption_attribution_description: UK visa in a Russian student's passport
context_page_description: The visa policy of the United Kingdom is the policy by which Her Majesty's Government determines visa requirements for visitors to 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 no longer a member of the European Union, but is in a transition period until at least 31 December 2020 implementing EU law, including the right to freedom of movement. It operates its own visa policy and 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.
context_section_description: Visitors entering the UK, the Channel Islands and/or the Isle of Man who do not qualify for one of the visa exemptions listed above have to apply for a visa in advance through the UK Visas and Immigration at a visa application centre.
  All visitors must apply by registering an online account (except citizens of North Korea who must apply in person at the British Embassy), fill in the application form, pay the fee and attend an appointment at a visa application centre.
  A visitor's visa for a single stay or multiple stays of up to 6 months costs £95. A multiple-entry visitor's visa valid for 2 years costs £361, 5 years £655, and 10 years £822. Special provisions are made for Chinese citizens as they are eligible for a 2-year, multiple-entry visitor's visa at a cost of £95.
  Family members of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who are not covered by one of the visa exemptions above can apply for an EEA Family Permit free of charge (instead of a visa).
  Visitors applying for most types of UK visas (including a visitor's visa and an EEA Family Permit) are required to submit biometric identifiers (all fingerprints and a digital facial image) as part of the visa application process. However, diplomats, foreign government ministers and officials and members of Commonwealth Forces are exempt from the requirement to submit biometric identifiers. Applicants who have obtained a new passport and are merely requesting a transfer of their visa vignette from their old passport to their new passport are not required to re-submit biometric identifiers. In addition, applicants who are travelling directly to the Channel Islands or Gibraltar without passing through the UK or the Isle of Man are exempt from providing biometric information. Children must be accompanied by an adult when their biometric identifiers are taken. Biometric identifiers may be shared with foreign governments. Biometric identifiers are destroyed 10 years after the last date a person's fingerprints and digital facial image were captured.
  Most visa applications are decided within 3 weeks.
  Applicants resident in the following countries and territories who wish to enter the UK for 6 months or more are required to be tested for tuberculosis as part of the visa application process:
   Afghanistan
   Algeria
   Angola
   Armenia
   Azerbaijan
   Bangladesh
   Belarus
   Benin
   Bolivia
   Botswana
   Brunei
   Burkina Faso
   Burma
   Burundi
   Cambodia
   Cameroon
   Cape Verde
   Central African Republic
   Chad
   China
   Congo
   DR Congo
   Djibouti
   Dominican Republic
   East Timor
   Ecuador
   Equatorial Guinea
   Eritrea
   Ethiopia
   Gabon
   Gambia
   Georgia
   Ghana
   Guatemala
   Guinea
   Guinea-Bissau
   Guyana
   Haiti
   Hong Kong
   India
   Indonesia
   Iraq
   Ivory Coast
   Kazakhstan
   Kenya
   Kiribati
   Kyrgyzstan
   Laos
   Lesotho
   Liberia
   Macau
   Madagascar
   Malawi
   Malaysia
   Mali
   Marshall Islands
   Mauritania
   Micronesia
   Moldova
   Mongolia
   Morocco
   Mozambique
   Namibia
     Nepal
   Niger
   Nigeria
   North Korea
   Pakistan
   Palau
   Panama
   Papua New Guinea
   Paraguay
   Peru
   Philippines
   Russia
   Rwanda
   Sao Tome and Principe
   Senegal
   Sierra Leone
   Solomon Islands
   Somalia
   South Africa
   South Korea
   South Sudan
   Sri Lanka
   Swaziland
   Sudan
   Tajikistan
   Tanzania
   Thailand
   Togo
   Turkmenistan
   Tuvalu
   Uganda
   Ukraine
   Uzbekistan
   Vanuatu
   Vietnam
   Zambia
   Zimbabwe
  After a person has successfully obtained a UK visa, if they subsequently obtain a new passport, but the UK visa in their old passport still has remaining validity, they are not required to have the UK visa vignette affixed in the old passport transferred to the new passport, but must be able to present both the new and old passports at passport control when entering the UK.
  If a person who has successfully obtained a UK visa subsequently loses the passport in which the visa vignette is affixed (or if it is stolen), they have to pay the original visa fee in full again and may be required to show that their circumstances have not changed when applying for a replacement visa. However, a new 'confirmation of acceptance for studies' (CAS)/'certificate of sponsorship' (COS) is not required when applyin
caption: The UK visa in a Russian student's passport
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