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You may need a visa to come to the UK to study, work, visit or join family.

There are different visas depending on:

• where you come from
• why you want to come to the UK
• how long you want to stay for
• your personal circumstances and skills

You do not need to apply for a visa if you鈥檙e an Irish citizen.

What you need to do

1. Check if you need a visa. The check if you need a visa tool will tell you what your options are.

2. Prepare any evidence and documents you need for your application.

3. Apply online. As part of the application process, you鈥檒l be asked to provide any evidence and documents required and pay the fee.

4. Provide biometrics (fingerprints and photograph).

5. Get your decision. It usually takes between 3 and 12 weeks to get a decision on your application, so you鈥檒l need to apply with enough time before you travel.

When to apply

The earliest you can apply for a visa is usually:

• 3 months before your planned travel date for visit visas
• 3 months before your employment start date for most work visas
• 6 months before your course start date for Student and Child Student visas

You can check how long it will take to get a decision online.

Preparing your evidence

When applying for a visa, you鈥檒l need to:

• usually have a valid passport or travel document
• provide supporting evidence as part of your application
• provide certified translations of any documents that are not in English or Welsh

You may also need to provide additional evidence depending on the visa and your circumstances - for example, a tuberculosis (TB) test result or evidence of your English language ability.

You鈥檒l need to pay the fee as part of your online application. How much you pay depends on which visa you apply for.

If you already know what visa you鈥檙e applying for, you can check how much your application will cost.

If you have dependents who want to come to the UK with you, each person will need to apply and pay separately.

Additional costs

You may be able to pay for a faster decision on your visa application.

If your visa is for more than 6 months, you may also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) as part of your application.

Paying the IHS gives you access to healthcare through the NHS (National Health Service).

Providing your documents and biometrics

You鈥檒l be told exactly what documents and supporting evidence you need to provide as part of the application process.

You鈥檒l also need to provide your biometric information (fingerprints and photograph), usually by going to a visa application centre run by an external company. You鈥檒l find out when you start the application if you can use the UK Immigration: ID Check app instead.

If you need to go to a visa application centre

You鈥檒l be able to book an appointment to provide your biometric information (fingerprints and photograph) at a visa application centre as part of your application.

Most visa application centres offer free appointments within 5 working days. In some locations you鈥檒l need to pay 拢76.50 for a standard appointment. You can choose to travel to a different visa application centre with free appointments, but you鈥檒l need to pay your own travel costs.

You can also choose to pay for optional services - for example, getting your documents scanned for you instead of doing this yourself. Paying for optional services does not mean your application is more likely to be successful.

If you鈥檙e applying for someone else

The person you are applying for will need to attend an appointment at a visa application centre to provide their biometric information (fingerprints and photograph) and documents.

Children under 16

Children under 16 must go to the appointment with an adult who is over 18.

Children under 5 must go to the appointment to have a photograph taken. They do not need to give their fingerprints.

If you need to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app

Some people can prove their identity using the UK Immigration: ID Check app. You鈥檒l be told if you can use the app when you start your application.

In most cases, you will not need to attend an in-person appointment if you use the app to verify your identity.

You need to know which visa you鈥檒l be applying for before starting the application process.

You can use the check if you need a visa tool to find out:

• which visa you鈥檙e eligible for
• about any specific requirements you鈥檒l need to meet
• where to apply online

Check now

Applying for someone else

You can apply for a visa for someone else by entering their details into the form if they cannot apply for themselves.

You must get permission from the person you鈥檙e applying for, or written permission from their parent or guardian if they are under 18.

Changing or cancelling your application

If you want to change something in your application after you鈥檝e applied, contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

You can also ask to cancel (withdraw) your application. Your fee will only be refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

Getting a decision

Your application starts being processed when you鈥檝e completed all of the following:

• submitted your application
• provided your biometrics
• provided any supporting documents and evidence

It usually takes between 3 and 12 weeks to get your decision, depending on the visa you鈥檝e applied for. You can check how long it will take to get a decision online.

The Home Office will contact you if you need to give more information.

You鈥檒l get a letter or email telling you the Home Office has made a decision on your application. It will tell you what you need to do next. If you have not received your email, check your spam or junk folder.

Accessing your visa

If your application is successful, you鈥檒l get an eVisa to prove you can come to the UK. An eVisa is a digital record of your identity and immigration status.

You need a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to access your eVisa. You can create a UKVI account if you do not already have one.

You can use your UKVI account to view your immigration status online and share it with others, for example employers and universities.

If your application is refused

You鈥檒l get a letter or an email explaining why your application was refused.

Your passport will be returned, if it was kept as part of your application.

Your refusal letter will explain if you have the right to either an:

• administrative review
• immigration decision appeal

You must not travel to the UK before your visa application is approved.

You must also check that your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and eVisa details are correct before you travel to the UK.

If you notice an error, or have problems viewing or accessing your eVisa, you can report an error with your eVisa online.

If you were issued with a visa vignette (sticker), you can use it to travel to the UK until it expires.

If you notice an error with your visa vignette, check your eVisa. If the same error is also on your eVisa, report it online.

For any other changes, you can update your UKVI account.

You will not get a replacement vignette.