You can apply online for a:

• UK visa – to visit, work, study or join a family member or partner in the UK
• certificate of entitlement to prove your right of abode in the UK

You must be outside the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Before you apply

First, check what kind of visa to apply for and what documents you’ll need. Also, check if you need to get tuberculosis (TB) test. When you apply online you need to:

• fill in the application form in English
• pay the visa fee online (in most cases)
• book an appointment at a visa application centre

You can save your application form and finish it later.

Once you’ve applied and booked your appointment, print out the document checklist form (print the front page of your completed form if it does not have a checklist). You must sign this at your appointment.

Apply

What service you use depends on the visa you’re applying for.

Apply for a visit or transit visa

Apply for a visit or transit visa, for example, if you’re coming to the UK to:

• visit family or friends
• visit for tourism
• get married or form a civil partnership
• visit for business or academic research
• pass through in transit to another country
• get private medical treatment

Apply for a work visa

Apply to work in the UK:

• when you’ve been sponsored by an employer (Tier 2)
• as a temporary worker (Tier 5) including the Youth Mobility Scheme
• as a domestic worker in a private household

There is a different service if you need to apply as a dependant.

Apply for a study visa

Apply for a visa to study in the UK including short-term study and Tier 4 visas.

There is a different service if you need to apply as a dependant.

Apply for all other visas

Apply using the Visa4UK service for all other visas, including if you’re applying:

• to live with a family member already in the UK
• to visit your child at an independent fee-paying day school
• to set up or run a business in the UK
• for a UK ancestry visa
• to prove you’re allowed to live or work in the UK without any immigration restrictions (called ‘right of abode’)
• for an official visit or for diplomatic business
• for a visa to prove you’re exempt from immigration control