UK tourist visa: Standard Visitor visa or ETA

Visa type: Standard Visitor visa (or an ETA, depending on your nationality)
Length of stay: up to 6 months per visit
How to apply: online application plus a biometrics appointment at a visa application centre
Decision time: usually within 3 weeks of your appointment; it can take longer if extra checks are needed

In short. For tourism, family visits and short business trips, the United Kingdom works with two systems. Nationals of so-called visa national countries need a Standard Visitor visa, which you apply for online on GOV.UK before attending a biometrics appointment. Most other non-British travellers, including EU citizens, need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) instead: a quick digital permission requested online or through the official app. This guide focuses on the Standard Visitor visa, but first let us check which one applies to you.

Visa or ETA: which one do you need?

The UK keeps an official visa national list. If your passport is on it, you need a visa in advance for any visit. If it is not, you usually travel with an ETA.

• Standard Visitor visa required (examples from Latin America and the Caribbean): Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Many countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe (including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and most Central Asian states) are also visa nationals.
• ETA instead of a visa: EU and EEA citizens, Swiss nationals, and nationals of countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, as well as the USA, Canada and Australia.
• No ETA or visa needed: British and Irish citizens, and people who already hold UK permission to live, work or study.

The list changes from time to time (Nicaragua and St Lucia, for example, were moved to the visa list in 2026), so always confirm your nationality on GOV.UK before you book.

Key facts about the ETA

• It costs about $27 and is requested online or through the official UK ETA app.
• Most decisions arrive within a day, but you should allow up to 3 working days.
• It is valid for 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and allows multiple visits of up to 6 months each.
• Every traveller needs their own ETA, including babies and children.
• Having an ETA does not by itself secure entry: the Border Force officer makes the final decision at the border.

Even with an ETA you are a visitor, so the same rules on permitted activities apply. Everything below about documents and purpose of the trip is useful for ETA travellers too, because you may be asked about your plans on arrival.

Where you can apply from

You apply from outside the UK, normally in the country where you live. If you live in a country other than your country of nationality (for example, a Colombian or Venezuelan citizen with a residence card in Spain), you can apply from there. In that case it is important to prove your lawful status in that country: a residence card (TIE), a student card, a work permit, a long-stay visa or an EU family member residence card. UKVI assesses not only the purpose of your trip to the UK but also your overall situation in the country you apply from.

What the Standard Visitor visa allows

With this visa you can visit the UK for tourism, to see family or friends, to attend business meetings or conferences, to take a short course of up to 6 months or to sit an exam, provided the activity fits the visitor rules. You can usually stay up to 6 months per visit. You cannot work for a UK company, provide services as a self-employed person in the UK, access public funds, live in the UK through frequent or long successive visits, or get married without a separate Marriage Visitor visa.

How and where to apply

The application form is completed online on GOV.UK. After paying the visa fee, you book a biometrics appointment at a visa application centre in the country where you apply. Appointment availability, centre locations and the cost of optional services vary by country. The visa fee is paid online when you submit the application. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.

UK visitor visa fees

• Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months): about $175;
• long-term visitor visa valid for 2 years: about $650;
• valid for 5 years: about $1,160;
• valid for 10 years: about $1,450.

Long-term visas still allow a maximum of 6 months per visit. Fees are set in pounds sterling and are reviewed periodically, so check the current amount on GOV.UK before paying.

Step-by-step application

1. Check the visa type. Confirm that you need a visa rather than an ETA, and that your purpose fits the Standard Visitor rules: tourism, visiting family or friends, a business meeting, a short course or another permitted activity.
2. Prepare your documents. Passport, proof of lawful residence in the country you apply from (if it is not your country of nationality), financial documents, proof of employment, studies or business, your itinerary and, if applicable, documents from your host.
3. Complete the online form. Create your application on GOV.UK and enter your passport details, trip plans, employment, income, family situation, travel history and any previous refusals.
4. Pay the fee online.
5. Book your biometrics appointment. After payment, you are redirected to the visa centre booking system, where you choose a centre in your country of application, a date and how you will upload documents.
6. Upload your documents. Scan and upload them yourself, or choose the paid scanning service at the visa centre. Any document not in English or Welsh must come with a translation.
7. Attend the visa centre. On the day, give your fingerprints and photo and hand in your passport if requested. There is usually no interview, but UKVI may ask for additional information.
8. Wait for the decision. The usual target is within 3 weeks of your appointment. It can take longer if extra checks are needed, so do not book non-refundable travel before you have your visa. Priority services are available in some countries for an extra fee.

Documents to prepare

1. Passport. A valid passport covering the whole trip, ideally with blank pages. It helps to include all passports from the last 10 years with your travel history.
2. Proof of lawful residence in the country you apply from, if it is not your country of nationality: residence card, student card, long-stay visa, EU family member card or another document that shows you are lawfully there.
3. Purpose of the trip. Travel plan with dates and cities, an invitation from relatives or friends, an event programme, conference registration or a letter about a short course.
4. Finances. Bank statements, proof of income, payslips, tax returns, business or self-employment documents. It is important to show not only the balance but also where the money comes from.
5. Ties to your country of residence. Employment, studies, business, family, a rental contract or property, long-term residence status: anything that shows you intend to return after your trip.
6. Sponsor, if someone else is paying: a sponsor letter, proof of your relationship, proof of the sponsor’s status in the UK, their financial documents and a description of which costs they will cover.
7. For minors: birth certificate, consent from parents or guardians, copies of the parents’ passports, details of the accompanying adult and where the child will stay in the UK.

Tips by applicant profile

Visa nationals living in their own country

Colombian, Bolivian, Ecuadorian, Venezuelan and other visa-national applicants are assessed mainly on the genuineness of the visit and their reasons to return. A stable job or business, a clear financial history and a coherent travel plan carry more weight than a high one-off balance. A good travel history (for example previous trips to the Schengen area, the USA or Canada) also helps.

Applying from Spain or another EU country as a resident

If you live in Spain with a residence card but your passport is from a visa-national country, you still need a Standard Visitor visa: Spanish or EU residence does not replace it. Include your residence card (TIE), your work contract or university enrolment, recent payslips, your Spanish tax return and your rental contract or padrón certificate. These documents show your ties to Spain and explain why you apply from there. If you hold Spanish or another EU nationality, you only need an ETA.

Translations

Documents in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian or any language other than English or Welsh must be translated into English. Each translation should confirm that it is accurate and include the date, the translator’s full name and contact details.

Consistent finances

Your financial documents should make sense together. Large unexplained deposits, a short account history or income that does not match your expenses often raise questions. Adding tax documents is recommended.

A sponsor does not replace your own ties to your country of residence. Even if your host pays for the trip, you need to show why you will return.

Common reasons for refusal

• an unclear purpose or a vague itinerary;
• funds in the account without a documented source;
• weak ties to the country of residence, or no explanation of why you apply from that country;
• inconsistencies between the form and the documents: different dates, income, employer or family details;
• trying to use a visitor visa to work, live in the UK or make regular long stays;
• requesting a long-term visa (5 or 10 years) without a solid travel history;
• undisclosed previous refusals, removals, breaches of visa conditions or inaccurate answers in the form.

How Via Globally can help

We review your situation, confirm whether you need a visa or an ETA, check which country you should apply from, prepare a tailored document checklist, complete the online form, draft explanations about your finances and ties to your country of residence, upload your documents and prepare you for possible questions from UKVI. Our goal is to make your application complete, consistent and easy for the visa officer to understand. The final decision always rests with the UK authorities.

Free consultation: WhatsApp +34 691 527 216 · viaglobally.com