Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Visa national list
List of nationalities requiring entry clearance prior to travel to the UK as a Visitor, or for any other purpose for less than six months
- VN 1.1. A person who meets one or more of the criteria below needs entry clearance (a visa) in advance of travel to the UK for any purpose, unless they meet one of the exceptions set out in VN2.1 and VN2.2. (subject to VN 2.3.).
- (a) Nationals or citizens of the following countries or territorial entities (a “*” indicates there are exceptions in VN 2.2 to VN 6.5):
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia Herzegovina
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- People’s Republic of China*
- Comoros
- Congo
- Côte d’Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast)
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia*
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Korea (North)
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar (formerly Burma)
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia)
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Russia
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and Principe
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa*
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Taiwan*
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Turkey*
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam*
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- (b) stateless people; and
- (c) people travelling on any document other than a national passport, or, in the case of a person to whom paragraphs 11A and 11B of these rules apply, a national identity card, regardless of whether the document is issued by or evidences nationality of a state not listed in VN 1.1. (a), except where that document has been issued by the UK.
- (a) Nationals or citizens of the following countries or territorial entities (a “*” indicates there are exceptions in VN 2.2 to VN 6.5):
Holders of specified travel documents
- VN 2.1. It is not necessary for a Transit Visitor to hold an entry clearance before they travel to the UK if they are travelling on an emergency travel document issued by, and evidencing the nationality of, a country not listed in VN 1.1.(a) and the purpose of their transit is to travel to the country in which they are ordinarily resident.
- VN 2.2. The following people do not need a visit visa before they travel to the UK as a Visitor, other than where VN 2.3. applies:
- (a) nationals or citizens of the People’s Republic of China who hold a passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; or
- (b) nationals or citizens of the People’s Republic of China who hold a passport issued by the Macao Special Administrative Region; or
- (c) nationals or citizens of Taiwan who hold a passport issued by Taiwan that includes in it the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan; or
- (d) people who hold a Service, Temporary Service or Diplomatic passport issued by the Holy See; or
- (e) DELETED
- (f) DELETED
- (g) DELETED
- (h) nationals or citizens of Turkey who hold a diplomatic passport issued by Turkey; or
- (i) DELETED
- (j) DELETED
- (k) nationals or citizens of South Africa who hold a diplomatic passport issued by South Africa; or
- (l) nationals or citizens of Vietnam who hold a diplomatic passport issued by Vietnam; or
- (m) nationals or citizens of Indonesia who hold a diplomatic passport issued by Indonesia.
- (n) DELETED
- (o) nationals or citizens of Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu, who hold confirmed bookings to the UK made on or before 15:00 BST 19 July 2023 where arrival in the UK is no later than 16 August 2023.
- VN 2.3. VN 2.2. does not apply where the person is:
- (a) visiting the UK to marry or to form a civil partnership, or to give notice of marriage or civil partnership, unless they are a “relevant national” as defined in section 62 of the Immigration Act 2014; or
- (b) seeking to visit the UK for more than 6 months.
Exception where the applicant holds an Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) Document (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates nationals or citizens only)
- VN 3.1. DELETED
- VN 3.2. DELETED
- VN 3.3. DELETED
- VN 4.1. DELETED
- VN 4.2. DELETED
- VN 4.3. DELETED
- VN 5.1. DELETED
- VN 5.2. DELETED
- VN 5.3. DELETED
- VN 5.4. DELETED
- VN 5.5. DELETED
- VN 5.6. DELETED
- VN 5.7. DELETED
- VN 6.1. DELETED
- VN 6.2. DELETED
- VN 6.3. TDELETED
- VN 6.4. DELETED
- VN 6.5. DELETED
- VN 7.0. Nationals or citizens of any country who are aged 18 or under, studying at a school or educational institution in France registered with the French Ministry of Education and seeking to enter the UK as part of a school party of 5 or more pupils organised by that school or institution, do not need entry clearance before they travel to the UK as a Visitor.