Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor

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Visit on business

You can visit the UK for up to 6 months to do the following business activities:

  • attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
  • negotiate and sign deals and contracts
  • attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things)
  • get work-related training if you’re employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country
  • give a one-off or short series of talks as long as they’re not for profit or a commercial event - you can only be paid for speaking at certain engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’)
  • carry out site visits and inspections
  • oversee the delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company or organisation
  • deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas
  • install, dismantle, repair, service or advise on equipment, computer software and hardware, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK company or organisation

You should:

As a visitor, you cannot work for a UK company or as a self-employed person unless you’re coming to the UK for a permitted paid engagement. You’ll need to apply for a work visa if you want to do any other paid or unpaid work that’s not included in the business activities on this page.

Doing activities as part of an overseas job role

You can do certain additional activities in the UK as a Standard Visitor, if you’re employed overseas as:

  • an archaeologist
  • an artist, entertainer or musician
  • a bodyguard
  • a camera operator
  • a driver
  • an internal auditor
  • a journalist or correspondent
  • a lawyer or expert witness
  • a market researcher or analyst
  • a personal assistant
  • a pilot or cabin crew member coming to work in the UK under a ‘Wet Lease Agreement’ approved by the Civil Aviation Authority
  • a professor from an overseas academic institution
  • a religious worker
  • a scientist or researcher
  • a seafarer (someone whose normal place of work is on board a ship)
  • a sports person or sports official
  • a tour group courier
  • a translator or interpreter
  • a member of a film crew, including actors, producers, directors or technicians
  • a member of the production team supporting an artist, entertainer or musician
  • a member of technical staff supporting an artist, entertainer, musician or sports person

Check the Visitor Rules for details of what you can do as a Standard Visitor in these job roles.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Part of Visit the UK on a business trip

  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.

    1. Check if you need a visa

  3. Step 3 Apply for a visa

    The visa you apply for depends on if you're:

  4. 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

  5. or Apply for an electronic travel authorisation

    Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) if you're a national of:

    • Bahrain
    • Kuwait
    • Oman
    • Qatar
    • Saudi Arabia
    • United Arab Emirates
    1. Apply for an ETA £10

  6. Step 4 Check what you can bring with you

    1. Check what you can bring with you
    2. Check what food, animals or plants you can bring into the UK

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

    1. Check what you need to show at the UK border

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