Visit for a paid engagement or event

You can visit the UK for certain paid engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’) if you:

  • have a written invitation from a UK-based organisation or client for a pre-arranged event or other permitted engagement
  • can show you’re an expert in your profession
  • are 18 or over

The engagement must be relevant to your expertise, qualifications and main job in your home country.

You can come to the UK for up to 6 months, but you must do the engagement in the first month.

You can be invited:

  • as a professional artist, entertainer or musician
  • as a professional sportsperson
  • as a qualified lawyer - to represent a client
  • to give a lecture or series of lectures
  • to speak at a conference
  • as an academic - to be a student examiner or assessor
  • as an air pilot examiner

You should:

Who can invite you and what you can use to show you’re an expert depends on your profession.

Professional artists, entertainers or musicians

You can be paid to do an activity that relates directly to your profession including:

  • performing
  • talking about, presenting or launching your work to other professionals or the public
  • giving lectures
  • joining judging panels or debate panels
  • taking part in professional conferences

A ‘professional artist’ can be anyone working in the performing or creative arts. For example, poets, make-up artists, stylists, set designers, photographers and fashion models.

Your invitation

You must have an invitation from a UK-based:

  • creative organisation, such as a gallery, university arts faculty, school or events venue
  • agent or agency
  • broadcaster

Your expertise and employment

The event or engagement must relate directly to your full-time profession.

You must be able to show you’re an established artist, entertainer or musician in your home country, for example:

  • your published work
  • publicity material for recent performances, screenings, concerts, talks, readings or exhibitions
  • media coverage and reviews
  • awards you’ve received

Professional sportspeople

You can be paid to do an activity that relates directly to your sporting profession. For example, taking part in a sporting event.

Your invitation

You must have an invitation from a UK-based:

  • sports organisation that organises or hosts sporting events or matches
  • agent or agency
  • broadcaster

Your expertise and employment

The event or engagement must relate directly to your full-time profession.

You must be able to show you’re an established sportsperson in your home country, for example:

  • proof of recent performances, awards and media coverage
  • media coverage
  • awards you’ve received

Qualified lawyers

You can be paid by a client to represent them in the UK at a court or tribunal hearing, arbitration or other form of legal dispute resolution.

You can also be paid to visit the UK to prepare for the hearing.

Your invitation

You must have an invitation from your client, showing you’ve been asked to represent them in the UK.

You must provide confirmation of your right of audience or ‘temporary call’.

Your expertise and employment

You may need to show that you’re a qualified lawyer, such as a practising certificate or certificate of good standing.

Lecturers

You can be paid to give a lecture or series of lectures about your area of expertise.

You cannot take a full-time or part-time teaching post for your host organisation.

Your invitation

You must have an invitation from a UK-based:

  • higher education institution
  • research organisation
  • arts organisation, such as a museum, theatre, art gallery, arts festival or other arts venue

Your expertise and employment

Your work overseas must be relevant to the lecture or lectures that you’re giving.

You must be able to show you’re highly qualified in your area of expertise. For example, you can provide:

  • a letter from your employer confirming where you work and your area of expertise
  • examples of your published work
  • evidence of lectures you’ve already given

If you want to give a lecture on a subject not relevant to your current role, you may need to provide evidence of:

  • any previous employment or posts held in this area
  • publications on the subject
  • other recognised qualifications

You can visit for a permitted paid event or engagement, if you’re semi-retired and earning an income from giving regular lectures. You cannot do this if you’re retired.

Speakers at conferences

You can be paid to speak at a conference or seminar. 

Your invitation

You must have an invitation to speak from the organiser of a conference or seminar in the UK.

Your expertise and employment

You must be able to show that the conference or seminar is relevant to your area of expertise and profession in your home country.

Academic examiners or assessors

You can be paid to:

  • examine or assess students
  • chair or take part in selection panels

Your invitation

You must have an invitation from a UK higher education institution or a UK-based research or arts organisation.

Your expertise and employment

Your work overseas must be relevant to the role you’ve been invited to do.

You must be able to show you’re highly qualified in your area of expertise. For example, you can provide:

  • a letter from your employer confirming where you work and your area of expertise
  • examples of your published work
  • evidence of lectures you’ve already given

You can visit for a permitted paid event or engagement if you’re semi-retired and earning an income from regular examination work. You cannot do this if you’re retired.

Air pilot examiners

You can be paid to examine UK-based air pilots, so they meet the national aviation regulatory requirements of your country.

Your invitation

You must have an invitation from a UK-based approved training organisation regulated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Your expertise and employment

You must be able to show that you’re in full-time employment overseas with your country’s national aviation authority.

  1. Step 1 Check if you’re eligible

    Find out what activities you can do and how to prove your eligibility if you’re:

    You must meet the eligibility requirements even if you do not need a visa.

  2. Step 2 Check if you need a visa

    Depending on the country you're from, you might be able to visit the UK without a visa or by applying for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA).

    1. Check if you need a visa or an ETA to come to the UK
  3. Step 3 Apply for a visa

    1. Apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you're:

    A Standard Visitor visa costs £115 and allows you to stay in the UK for up to 6 months.

    If you are visiting the UK for a paid engagement or event (a ‘permitted paid engagement’), you must do the engagement in the first month.

  4. or Apply for an electronic travel authorisation

    1. Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA)

    An ETA costs £10 and allows you to stay in the UK for up to 6 months.

  5. or Apply for a family permit

    You may be able to visit on a family permit if you have a family member who is:

    • a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
    • a Person of Northern Ireland
    • a British citizen
    1. Check if you can apply for a family permit
  6. Step 4 Check what you can bring with you

  7. Step 5 Check what you need to show at the UK border