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

You'll need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) or a visa

What you need to apply for depends on your circumstances.

You need an ETA for some business and academic activities, but you must get a visa if you plan to work in the UK.

You will need to apply for an ETA to come to the UK if you’re either:

invited as an expert in your profession doing a ‘permitted paid engagement’
visiting for certain business or academic activities, but not working in the UK

You must meet the eligibility requirements and only be doing permitted activities.

If you’re invited as an expert in your profession

Apply for an ETA to stay in the UK for up to 1 month. You can only be paid by a UK-based organisation to do certain things, for example:

give guest lectures at a higher education institution
provide advocacy in legal proceedings
take part in arts, entertainment or sporting activities

If you’re doing a permitted paid engagement, you must do it within one month of arriving. You can stay in the UK for up to 6 months, but cannot do any paid engagements after the first month.

Check the full list of business activities, academic activities or permitted paid engagements you can do as a Standard Visitor.

To research certain subjects at postgraduate level or above, you may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. If you do need one, you’ll need to get your ATAS certificate before starting your research.

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 need at the UK border

You must go to a border control officer to get a stamp in your passport. Do not use the automatic ePassport gates. You need a stamp to do the activities you came to the UK to do.

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 eligible for the activities you want to do
you’ve arranged accommodation for your stay
you’ll leave at the end of your visit
you’re able to support yourself and your dependents during your trip (or have funding from someone else to support you)

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 visiting for certain business or academic activities

You can come to the UK as a Standard Visitor for up to 6 months if you apply for an ETA. You can only do certain business or academic activities, for example go to a conference or a meeting.

You cannot:

do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person
do a work placement or internship
sell directly to the public or provide goods and services

Check the full list of business activities and academic activities you can do as a Standard Visitor.

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 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:

you’re eligible for the activities you want to do
you’ve arranged accommodation for your stay
you’ll leave at the end of your visit
you’re able to support yourself and your dependents during your trip (or have funding from someone else to support you)

Find out more about visiting the UK as a Standard Visitor.

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 want to do paid work in the UK

You must apply for a visa if you want to work:

as a volunteer
in a work experience role
for a charity
for a religious organisation
in a seasonal horticulture job, for example picking fruit, vegetables or flowers
as a domestic worker in a private household
in a senior or specialist role in your overseas employer’s UK branch
in a graduate trainee role at your overseas employer’s UK branch
in a skilled job
in work covered by international law, for example for a foreign government or as a private servant in a diplomatic household
to provide services to a UK company as part of an international trade agreement
as part of a high-value contract between your overseas employer and a UK organisation
to provide a service on behalf of a Swiss company
in arts or entertainment
in sports
in a fast-growing UK business (sometimes known as a ‘scale-up’ business)

If you want to work in arts or entertainment for 3 months or less

You need an ETA if you’re coming to the UK using the Creative Worker visa concession.

You must bring a certificate of sponsorship and evidence of savings to show officers at the UK border.

You must see a Border Force officer - do not use the automatic ePassport gates