UK Visitor Visa Checklist — What to Prepare
Everything a UK Standard Visitor visa application actually needs: passport, fees, financial evidence and your visa centre appointment — plus the official list of things you should not submit. Print this and tick it off. Verified against gov.uk, September 2026 — see the Standard Visitor visa page and the supporting documents guide for the authoritative word.
No photo required — biometrics happen at the visa centre
Unlike the US or Schengen applications, a UK visitor visa does not ask you to bring or upload a photo. Your fingerprints and facial image are captured at the visa application centre (VAC) when you attend your appointment — gov.uk's own supporting-documents guidance even lists personal photographs among the things not to submit. So ignore forum advice about printing 35 × 45 mm photos for a UK visit visa. (That size is the British passport standard — if that's what you actually need: UK passport photo requirements →)
The four things everyone needs
- A valid passport — it must be valid for the whole of your stay in the UK. There is no official six-month validity rule for visitors, despite what many blogs claim. Copies of travel history from old passports (previous visas, entry stamps) are officially suggested supporting evidence.
- The completed online application — you apply online up to 3 months before you travel. Each family member, including children, applies separately; there is no family group application.
- The visa fee, paid — £135 for a 6-month Standard Visitor visa. Longer multi-year visas cost more (see below) but most first-time visitors should apply for 6 months.
- A VAC appointment — booked after applying, and attended within 240 days of submitting the application. Most centres offer free appointments within 5 working days; where free slots run out, paid standard appointments exist at some locations.
Fees at a glance
| Standard Visitor visa | Fee | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months | £135 | Default choice for first applications |
| 2 years | £506 | Only if you visit the UK repeatedly |
| 5 years | £903 | Frequent travellers with strong history |
| 10 years | £1,128 | Long-visa veterans; no refund if refused |
Supporting documents by trip purpose
| Your trip | Prepare |
|---|---|
| Tourism | Your travel plans (rough dates and places are fine — it's an intention, not a fixed itinerary); financial evidence you can fund the trip and where the money came from. |
| Visiting family or friends | An invitation letter from your host: your relationship, where you'll stay, and their UK immigration status (British citizen, settled, visa). If they're hosting, say what they cover. |
| Business | An invitation from the UK organisation you're visiting. For an internal company visit (your own employer's UK site), a letter from your employer explaining the visit instead. |
| Children / minors | Birth certificate. If the child travels without one or both parents: a signed consent letter from the absent parent(s) covering the trip, who the child travels with and stays with, and how to reach them. |
Financial evidence that actually helps
- Show access and origin. Statements must demonstrate the money is yours to spend and explain where it came from (salary, savings, sale, gift). A sudden unexplained balance invites questions.
- No fixed months rule. Official guidance sets no "6 months of statements" requirement — that's forum folklore. Statements older than about 12 months add almost nothing.
- Sponsored trips need a sponsor letter: what they'll pay for, how, their funds, their relationship to you, and their UK immigration status if they're based there.
What NOT to submit (official list)
- Photos — biometrics are taken at the VAC; submitted photos are unnecessary.
- Flight and hotel bookings (except for transit trips) — gov.uk explicitly says not to submit them as evidence. The safe order is: apply → get the visa → then book tickets and rooms. Anyone who told you to buy a refundable ticket first was risking your money for nothing.
- Briefcase-dumps — every document should earn its place; year-old bank statements and irrelevant certificates just bury the evidence that matters.
Paperwork rules people miss
- Certified translations — any document not in English or Welsh needs a certified translation: the translator must confirm it is accurate, and date, sign it, with their contact details included.
- No TB test for short visits — tuberculosis screening applies to stays of 6 months or more (and to residents of listed countries), not to typical visitor applications.
- Timing — apply up to 3 months ahead; decisions usually arrive within 3 weeks of attending the VAC, and your passport is normally handed back the same day as your appointment, before the decision.
Before you leave home — 60-second check
- ✅ Passport valid for your whole stay (old passports: copies of travel history)
- ✅ Online application submitted and £135 fee paid
- ✅ VAC appointment booked — within 240 days of applying
- ✅ Financial evidence with source of funds; certified translations where needed
- ✅ Invitation letter if visiting family/friends or on business
- ✅ Minors: birth certificate + consent letters
- ✅ NO printed photos, NO flight/hotel bookings in your folder
Fees, appointment rules and document guidance change — the gov.uk pages linked above are the authoritative word for your nationality and location. Photos not needed for this one? Good — but if your trip continues into Europe, Schengen visa photos are required: check the spec and validity rules.