UK Family Visit Visa: Standard Visitor Rules, Evidence and Application

The UK Standard Visitor route can cover a temporary visit to see family or friends, usually for up to six months. Before arranging travel, check whether the visitor needs a visa, an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), or neither. All visitors must still meet the visitor rules: have a permitted reason, plan to leave at the end, and show they can cover the trip without working or claiming public funds. This guide summarizes GOV.UK and Home Office information checked on 28 October 2026.

Is a Standard Visitor visit the right route?

Seeing family or friends is an allowed Standard Visitor activity. The route is for a temporary visit, usually up to six months; it does not give permission to settle, work for a UK business, or live in the UK through frequent or successive long visits. A long-term visitor visa may be valid for two, five or ten years, but each visit is still normally limited to six months and UKVI may cancel the visa if the travel pattern looks like extended residence.

If the person’s real plan is to move to the UK to live with a partner, read the separate UK partner Family visa financial-requirement guide. If a child’s aim is to join a parent who lives in the UK, see the UK child Family visa guide. Those are longer-term family routes with their own rules and evidence; a Standard Visitor visa should not be used as a substitute for them.

Standard Visitor is also not the route for a person who intends to marry or give notice of marriage or civil partnership in the UK; check the separate Marriage Visitor route. The UK has distinct permission categories for work, study, transit and private medical treatment. A short visit that includes one of these activities may need additional route-specific checks.

If the traveller is only changing flights on the way to another country, read the separate UK transit visa guide to check the airside/landside distinction and transit-specific routes.

If the traveller is lawfully resident in Ireland, check whether the separate UK ETA guide for Ireland residents applies to the route. That CTA exemption is limited to non-visa nationals travelling from within the Common Travel Area and does not replace a visa where one is required.

Check visa, ETA and passport requirements first

The required travel permission depends on the traveller’s nationality and circumstances. A visa national must obtain Standard Visitor entry clearance before travelling. Other nationalities may need an ETA, or may be able to seek entry without either a visitor visa or ETA. An ETA is a pre-travel authorisation, not a visitor visa and not permission to enter: the traveller must still qualify for admission when they reach the border.

Use GOV.UK’s current check whether you need a UK visa and ETA guidance for the traveller’s passport and itinerary. Do not infer the answer from where a person lives, the nationality of their UK host, or the rules for another country. The passport or travel document must be valid for the whole planned stay. GOV.UK says travel arrangements from Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man can involve different rules; check the current guidance for that journey rather than assuming ordinary visa rules apply unchanged.

What the genuine-visitor test asks

The Visitor Rules require the applicant to satisfy the decision maker that they are a genuine visitor. In practical terms, the application and supporting evidence should tell one coherent story:

1. Purpose: why the applicant is coming, who they will visit, what they plan to do and how long the visit will last.
2. Departure: why the visit is temporary and how the applicant will leave at the end of the permission granted.
3. Costs: how the visitor and any dependants will cover accommodation, living costs, activities and the return or onward journey.
4. Permission limits: how the plan stays within activities allowed for a visitor and does not make the UK the applicant’s main home through repeated long stays.

The Rules do not set one minimum bank balance for every visit. The amount needed depends on the length and cost of the trip, who is travelling, what accommodation is provided and what funds are genuinely available. A UK-based relative or friend can pay for travel, accommodation or maintenance, but the evidence should explain exactly what they will provide, the relationship with the visitor, and that the supporter can afford it for the stated period. A third-party sponsor must have a genuine relationship with the visitor, be able to provide the promised support, and not be in breach of UK immigration law. Where relevant, the sponsor should show their UK passport or immigration status.

An invitation letter is useful context, not a guarantee or an automatic sponsorship approval. Keep the visit dates, address, itinerary, funding explanation and application form consistent. If the host is paying only for a room or some meals, do not describe them as covering all trip costs.

Build evidence around the visitor’s real circumstances

GOV.UK’s supporting-documents guide describes examples that may help the decision maker assess the application; it is not a fixed checklist where every suggested item is compulsory. Tailor evidence to the applicant’s situation and to the statements made in the form.

Useful evidence may include:

• Visit details: the dates, purpose, who is being visited, where the visitor will stay, and an explanation of the estimated cost.
• Home and return circumstances: evidence of work, business activity, study, family responsibilities, lawful residence or other commitments outside the UK that fit the intended return date.
• Available funds: recent financial records showing access to funds and, where needed, how substantial deposits or support arose. The documents should match declared income and costs.
• Host support: a letter explaining whether the host is providing accommodation, money or both; the length of support; and evidence that the sponsor can support themselves, dependants and the visitor. If the host is in the UK, provide evidence of their lawful status where relevant.
• Travel history: previous passports or travel records when relevant to the facts stated in the application.

For a child under 18, the evidence should identify the parent or guardian, show their relationship to the child, and explain who the child will travel with and who will look after them in the UK. If the child is not travelling with a parent or guardian, GOV.UK’s document guide calls for parental consent and clear travel and care arrangements. Each child still has an individual application.

Wherever possible, use digital images of original documents. A document not in English or Welsh needs a full translation that can be independently checked by the Home Office; the translation should include the translator’s confirmation, date, full name and signature, and contact details. The live document guide lists some records that are generally less useful for proving the visit, including personal photographs, hotel bookings and routine flight bookings. Do not rely on a stack of weak documents instead of explaining the visitor’s circumstances and funding clearly.

Apply, attend the appointment and wait for a decision

If the traveller needs a visa, the Standard Visitor application is online and must be made before travel. GOV.UK says the earliest application date is three months before travel. The form asks for the visit dates and accommodation, estimated trip cost, home address, income and relevant personal, travel and immigration history. Declare the requested information accurately, including any criminal or immigration matters.

Each family member needs an individual application and fee, and applicants normally attend their own appointment at a visa application centre to prove identity, give biometrics and submit supporting documents. A parent or other person can apply for a partner or child who cannot apply themselves. The appointment location may be in another country, so allow time for that step.

The published fee for a Standard Visitor visa for up to six months is £135. Long-term visa fees and validity options differ; check the current fee table before applying. If approved, follow the decision email and UKVI account instructions for the visitor’s eVisa or other travel evidence. GOV.UK currently says a decision is usually made within three weeks after the online application, identity checks and documents are complete. This is a service estimate, not a promise; extra checks or information requests can extend the time. Avoid non-refundable bookings before a decision.

Border permission and visit conditions

A visa permits travel to the UK, but it does not guarantee entry. A traveller who needs an ETA or does not need a visa must still satisfy the entry requirements. A Border Force officer may ask about the visit, funds, accommodation and return plans; an officer can refuse entry. Carry a copy of the key evidence that supports the application or travel plan.

Standard Visitors cannot claim public funds or undertake work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, except for activities specifically permitted in the Visitor Rules. Some activities relating to employment overseas, including remote work, may be allowed only when they are not the primary purpose of the visit; the detailed activity rules control. For meetings, intra-company projects, customer work, equipment servicing and remote-work conditions, see the separate UK business visitor permitted-activities guide. Standard Visitors cannot marry, form a civil partnership or give notice under this route. If the plan changes, do not assume a visitor permission can be switched into a family or work route from inside the UK.

An extension is available only under the visitor extension rules. A person admitted for less than six months may be able to extend up to six months total; stays beyond six months are limited to specified situations such as private medical treatment, certain academic visits or PLAB-related reasons. Apply before current permission expires and check the current eligibility, fee and process. An extension is not a route to residence or repeated long-term stays.

A practical preparation sequence

This guide provides a route overview, not an eligibility decision or immigration advice. It does not determine whether a person needs an ETA or visa, whether their evidence is sufficient, or whether they will be admitted. Confirm the current GOV.UK guidance, Appendix V and application instructions before acting.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• GOV.UK: Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor — eligible activities, genuine-visitor conditions and the visa/ETA distinction.
• GOV.UK: Apply for a Standard Visitor visa — application timing, fees, appointment and decision information.
• GOV.UK: Visiting the UK supporting-documents guide — visitor, sponsor, child and translation evidence.
• Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix V: Visitor — binding visitor requirements and conditions.
• Home Office: Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities — permitted activities, including family visits and limited remote work.
• Home Office: Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation — ETA status and the permission-to-enter boundary.
• GOV.UK: Extend your Standard Visitor stay — limited extension categories and application boundary.

Visitor rules, fees and travel requirements can change. Recheck the live official sources and any decision notice for the individual case; sources checked 28 October 2026.