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

You’ll need a visa to come to the UK

If you’re arriving in the UK before 3pm (UK time) on 24 December 2024

You can stay in the UK as a tourist for up to 6 months without a visa if all the following apply:

you booked and paid for your journey to the UK before 3pm (UK time) on 26 November 2024
you’re arriving in the UK before 3pm (UK time) on 24 December 2024
you meet the Standard Visitor eligibility requirements

You may want to apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you have a criminal record or you’ve previously been refused entry into the UK.

What you can and cannot do

You can visit the UK on holiday or to spend time with family and friends.

You can also do other permitted activities with a Standard Visitor visa.

While in the UK as a tourist, you cannot:

do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person
claim public funds (benefits)
live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent or successive visits
marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership. You’ll need a Marriage Visitor visa instead

What you need at the UK border

You must provide a valid passport or travel document. Your passport should be valid for the whole of your stay in the UK.

You may also be asked to prove that:

you’re visiting for tourism
you’re able to support yourself and your dependents during your trip (or have funding from someone else to support you)
you’ve arranged accommodation for your stay
you’re able to pay for your return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else)
you’ll leave the UK at the end of your visit
you booked your journey to the UK before 3pm (UK time) on 26 November 2024

The rules on what you’ll need to enter the UK may be different if you’re travelling from Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.

If you’re under 18 and travelling alone

You may need to show a letter from your parent or guardian giving:

their contact details and consent for you to travel to the UK
the name, date of birth, address and relationship to you of the person you’re staying with
their consent for you to stay with the person named in the letter

Your parent or guardian must tell the relevant local authority about your visit if both of the following apply:

you’re under 16 (or under 18 if you have a disability)
you’re going to be looked after for more than 28 days by someone who is not a close relative (called ‘private foster care’)

You should bring a reply from the local authority if you have one.

If you need to leave and re-enter the UK

You’ll need a Standard Visitor visa to re-enter the UK if either of the following apply:

you did not book your return journey to the UK before 3pm (UK time) on 26 November 2024
you’re returning to the UK on or after 3pm (UK time) on 24 December 2024