Non-UK residents from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland can apply for a Business Visitor visa if they need to visit the UK for a short period of time for any business-related activities. EEA and Swiss nationals do not need a UK visa.
The need for a visa will apply if you have set up a UK limited company and you wish to travel to the UK to open a business bank account, meet with service providers and suppliers, or carry out site visits, etc. You cannot apply for this type of UK visa if you qualify for British citizenship or dual nationality. In these cases, you must apply for British citizenship instead.
There are other types of visas available to non-UK residents who wish to remain in the UK for business purposes on a long-term basis. These visas are known as Tier 1 visas and they are available to entrepreneurs, graduates, and investors. However, strict criteria must be met to be eligible for this type of UK visa.
Business Visitor visa
A Business Visitor visa lasts for up to 6 months, or up to 1 year for academic visitors, but you can apply to extend your visa if the total time spent in the UK is less than 6 months.
If you need to make repeat visits to the UK over a longer period of time, you can apply for a long-term visit visa if you can prove your need to make repeat visits. This type of visa can last for 1, 2, 5, or 10 years and it will allow you to stay for up to 6 months per visit.
How long does it take to get a UK visa?
You can apply for a Business Visitor visa online up to 3 months before your planned date of travel to the UK. It will take approximately 3 weeks to get a decision on your visa application, but the processing times do vary, depending on where you are making an application from.
How much does a UK visa cost?
A Business Visitor visa costs £85 per person. Long-term visit visa fees are as follows:
- 1 year – £324
- 2 years – £324
- 5 years – £588
- 10 years – £737
Eligibility for a Business Visitor visa
To qualify for a Business Visitor visa, you must meet all of the following criteria:
- Reside outside the EEA or Switzerland
- Be at least 18 years old
- Receive a salary from abroad and be able to support yourself for the duration of your visit
- Not be in transit to another country, with the exception of Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
You must also meet one of the following criteria to be eligible for a Business Visitor visa:
- An employee on secondment to a company office in the UK that is not part of the same group of companies as your employer
- A business advisor or trainer
- An academic on sabbatical, conducting 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
- An overseas qualified nurse taking the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
- A member of an overseas film crew coming to the UK for a location shoot
- A representative of a new 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 advisor, consultant, trainer, internal auditor, or troubleshooter coming to a UK branch, or a member of the same group of companies as your overseas employer
- An employee of an international law firm that has offices in the UK, advising UK clients on litigation or international transitions
- An overseas scientist or researcher advising or sharing knowledge on an international project that’s being led from the UK
- 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
- Speaking at a single conference that is not for profit
- Getting training for techniques and practices used in the UK
If you are applying for a long-term visitor visa, you must also prove that:
- You have a frequent and ongoing need to travel to the UK to do business
- The reason for your need to travel to the UK is unlikely to change significantly while the UK visa is valid
- You plan to leave the UK at the end of each visit
Required documentation for a UK visa
To apply for a Business Visitor visa, you will have to provide each of the following documents:
- A current passport or other form of valid travel identification
- A passport size colour photograph
- Evidence that you are able to support yourself for the duration of your trip to the UK – bank statements or payslips for the past 6 months will suffice
- Details of your travel plans and where you intend to stay, however, do not pay for travel or accommodation until you receive your UK visa
- Certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh
UK visa application process
You must apply online for a Business Visitor visa. As part of the application, you will be required to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at your nearest visa application centre. However, if you are applying from North Korea you must download the relevant application form – you cannot apply online.
To apply online, you must:
- Register for an account
- Complete the application form in English
- Pay for the visa fee online
- Print out your form
- Book and attend an appointment at the appropriate visa application centre
- Get your fingerprints and photograph taken at the visa application centre
- Have the original and a photocopy of all supporting documentation required for your UK visa
- Translate any supporting documents and include them with the originals if they are not in English
- You may have to get a TB test depending on where you are applying from
Long-term business UK visas
Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa
If you are a non-UK resident from outside the EEA and Switzerland and you wish to set up or run a business in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa if you have access to at least £50,000 investment funds.
This UK visa will allow you to:
- Stay for a maximum of 3 years and 4 months
- Set up or take over the running or one or more companies
- Work for your business, including being self-employed
- Bring family members with you
- Apply to extend the visa for a further 2 years if you are already in this category
- Apply to extend the visa for a further 3 years if you switch to it from another category
However, this visa will not allow you to work outside your own business (i.e. be employed by another company) or get public funds.
Eligibility for Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa
- Have access to at least £50,000 investment funds – must be held in one or more regulated financial institutions and free to spend on business in the UK
- Be able to support yourself during your stay
- Score 95 points
- Be at least 16 years old
- Meet the English language requirement, unless you are a national of one of the following countries:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Dominica
- Guyana
- Jamaica
- New Zealand
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- USA
How to apply for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa
You must apply online for a Tier 1 visa by following these steps:
- Register for an account
- Complete the application form in English
- Pay for the visa fee online
- Pay a healthcare surcharge as part of your application
- Print out your form
- Book and attend an appointment at a visa application centre
- Have your fingerprints and photograph taken at the application centre
- Have the original and a photocopy of all supporting documents required for the UK visa
- Translate any supporting documents and include them with the originals if they are not in English
- Get a tuberculosis (TB) test, depending on where you are applying from
- Collect your biometric residence permit within 10 days of your stated date of arrival in the UK
To be eligible, you must possess/provide the following:
- A current passport or other form of valid travel identification
- A passport size colour photograph
- Evidence of the required investment funds available to you
- A business plan
- Evidence that you can support yourself for the duration of your stay in the UK (at least £3,310)
- Proof that you meet the English language requirement
- Your TB test results, if applicable
- Certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh
Evidence of investment funds
You will be required to provide the following evidence to show that you have access to the appropriate investment funds:
- Official letter from the financial institution(s) holding the funds
- If any money is held in the UK – a recent personal bank or building society statement from the UK financial institution holding the funds to confirm the sum of money available to you
- If any money is provided by a venture capital firm or seed funding competition – a recent letter from an accountant confirming the sum of money made available to you or your business
- If any money is provided by a UK government department. A recent letter from an accountant or authorised official confirming the amount of money made available to you or your business
If any other third parties have contributed funds toward your application, or you have held the required investment funds for less than 90 days, you must provide:
- Confirmation that the money has been made available to you to invest in a UK business; and
- A letter from a legal representative confirming the signatures on the declaration are valid
Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa
You can apply for a Tier 1 visa as a graduate entrepreneur if you meet the following criteria:
- Reside outside the EEA and Switzerland
- Possess a UK-recognised bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD awarded before your date of endorsement
- Officially endorsed as having a genuine and credible business idea
- Endorsement is from an authorised UK higher education institution issued in the past 3 months
- Have at least £945 in savings if applying from inside the UK, or £1,890 if applying from outside the UK. Unless you have an endorsement from UK Trade and Investment stating you’ve been awarded funding to cover your maintenance
- The required funds have been in your bank account for at least 90 days before your application
- Satisfy the English language requirement
- Have permission to remain in the UK from your financial sponsor if they are a government or an international scholarship agency and have paid your course fees and living costs in the past 12 months
How to apply
To apply for your visa, you must be outside of the UK, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. You will need to:
- Register for an account online
- Complete the application form in English
- Pay the visa fee online
- Pay a healthcare surcharge as part of your application
- Print out your form
- Book and attend an appointment at a visa application centre
- Get your fingerprints and photograph taken at the visa application centre
- Have the original and a photocopy of all supporting documents required for the UK visa
- Translate any supporting documents and include them with the originals if they are not in English
- Get a Tuberculosis (TB) test, if required
- Collect your biometric residence permit within 10 days of your stated arrival date in the UK
Required documentation
You will have to provide a number of documents when you apply for your visa. These will depend on whether you are being endorsed by a UK higher education institution (HEI) or UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). Typically, however, these will include:
- A current passport or another form of valid travel identification
- 1 or 2 passport size colour photographs
- A letter of endorsement from UK HEI or UKTI
- An original certificate of your academic qualification
- Bank statements to prove you have sufficient funds to support yourself
- TB test results
- Proof that you meet the English language requirement
- Certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh
How much does the UK visa cost?
- If you are applying for yourself from outside the UK, you will have to pay £335
- If you are applying as a citizen of Turkey or Macedonia, you will have to pay £280
- Visas for dependents cost £335 per person if you apply from outside the UK
How long will it take?
You should receive a decision on your visa application within 3-8 weeks, depending on the country you are applying from and whether you are being endorsed by UKTI or a UK HEI.
Tier 1 (Investor) visa
You can apply for a Tier 1 visa as an investor for a maximum stay of 3 years and 4 months if you:
- Wish to invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK
- Reside outside the EEA and Switzerland
- Are at least 18 years old
- Can prove the money belongs to you or your husband, wife, or unmarried or same-sex partner
- Have opened a UK bank account
- The funds are held in one or more regulated financial institutions and free to spend in the UK
Students with financial sponsorship may also be able to apply for this visa if they are currently residing in the UK and are:
- A Tier 4 (General) visa holder
- A student nurse
- Studying, writing up a thesis, or re-sitting an exam
- A postgraduate doctor or dentist
- An overseas qualified nurse or midwife
- A student sabbatical officer
If your course fees and living costs were paid by a government of an international scholarship agency, you must obtain an unconditional agreement in writing from the financial sponsor to re-enter or stay in the UK.
How to apply
You must apply online for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa by following these steps:
- Be outside of the UK, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man when applying
- Register for an online account
- Complete the application form in English
- Pay for the visa fee and healthcare surcharge
- Print out the form
- Book and attend an appointment at a visa application centre
- Get your fingerprints and photograph taken at the visa application centre
- Have the original and a photocopy of the required supporting documents
- Translate any supporting documents and include them with the originals if they are not in English
- Get a Tuberculosis (TB) test, depending on where you are applying from
- Collect your biometric residence permit within 10 days of your stated date of arrival in the UK
Required documents
- Current passport or another form of valid travel identification
- Passport size colour photograph
- TB test results, if applicable
- Evidence of investment funds
- Certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh
How much does the visa cost?
A Tier 1 (Investor) visa costs £1,500. You will also have to pay an additional £1,500 for each dependant, if applicable. A healthcare surcharge will be charge as well.
How long does it take?
Generally, you should receive a decision on your visa application within 3 weeks of submission.
