Check if you need a UK visa: Information based on your answers

You’ll need a visa to pass through the UK in transit

You normally need a Direct Airside Transit visa if you arrive in the UK on a flight and leave again without passing through immigration control.

Exemptions

You do not need a Direct Airside Transit visa if you have one of the following:

  • a visa for Canada, New Zealand, Australia or the USA (this can be used for travel to any country)
  • a permanent resident visa issued by Australia or New Zealand
  • a common format residence permit issued by an European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland
  • a permanent resident card issued by Canada on or after 28 June 2002
  • a uniform format category D visa for entry into a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland
  • an Irish biometric visa (marked ‘BC’ or ‘BC BIVS’ in the ‘Remarks’ section)
  • a Schengen Approved Destination Scheme (ADS) group tourism visa where the holder is travelling to a Schengen country
  • a flight ticket from the Schengen area, if you can prove that you entered the Schengen area in the previous 30 days on the basis of a valid Schengen ADS visa
  • a valid USA I-551 Temporary Immigrant visa issued by the USA (a wet-ink stamp version will not be accepted)
  • a valid USA permanent residence card issued by the USA on or after 21 April 1998
  • an expired USA I-551 Permanent Residence card issued by the USA on or after 21 April 1998, with a valid I-797 letter authorising extension
  • a valid standalone US Immigration Form 155A/155B issued by the USA (attached to a sealed brown envelope)

All visas and residence permits must be valid.

E-visas or e-residence permits are not acceptable unless your airline is able to verify it with the issuing country. Contact your airline for more information.

Your answers

Start again

What’s your nationality as shown on your passport or travel document?
China
Change What’s your nationality as shown on your passport or travel document?
What are you coming to the UK to do?
Transit (on your way to somewhere else)
Change What are you coming to the UK to do?
Where are you travelling to?
Somewhere else
Change Where are you travelling to?
Will you pass through UK border control?
No
Change Will you pass through UK border control?

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