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

  1. 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.).
    1. (a) Nationals or citizens of the following countries or territorial entities (a “*” indicates there are exceptions in VN 2.2 to VN 6.5):
      1. Afghanistan
      2. Albania
      3. Algeria
      4. Angola
      5. Armenia
      6. Azerbaijan
      7. Bangladesh
      8. Belarus
      9. Benin
      10. Bhutan
      11. Bolivia
      12. Bosnia Herzegovina
      13. Burkina Faso
      14. Burundi
      15. Cambodia
      16. Cameroon
      17. Cape Verde
      18. Central African Republic
      19. Chad
      20. People’s Republic of China*
      21. Colombia
      22. Comoros
      23. Congo
      24. Côte d’Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast)
      25. Cuba
      26. Democratic Republic of the Congo
      27. Djibouti
      28. Dominica
      29. Dominican Republic
      30. Ecuador
      31. Egypt
      32. El Salvador
      33. Equatorial Guinea
      34. Eritrea
      35. Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
      36. Ethiopia
      37. Fiji
      38. Gabon
      39. Gambia
      40. Georgia
      41. Ghana
      42. Guinea
      43. Guinea Bissau
      44. Haiti
      45. Honduras
      46. India
      47. Indonesia
      48. Iran
      49. Iraq
      50. Jamaica
      51. Jordan
      52. Kazakhstan
      53. Kenya
      54. Korea (North)
      55. Kosovo
      56. Kyrgyzstan
      57. Laos
      58. Lebanon
      59. Lesotho
      60. Liberia
      61. Libya
      62. Madagascar
      63. Malawi
      64. Mali
      65. Mauritania
      66. Moldova
      67. Mongolia
      68. Montenegro
      69. Morocco
      70. Mozambique
      71. Myanmar (formerly Burma)
      72. Namibia
      73. Nepal
      74. Niger
      75. Nigeria
      76. North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia)
      77. Pakistan
      78. Philippines
      79. Russia
      80. Rwanda
      81. São Tomé and Principe
      82. Senegal
      83. Serbia
      84. Sierra Leone
      85. Somalia
      86. South Africa
      87. South Sudan
      88. Sri Lanka
      89. Sudan
      90. Suriname
      91. Syria
      92. Taiwan*
      93. Tajikistan
      94. Tanzania
      95. Thailand
      96. Timor-Leste
      97. Togo
      98. Trinidad and Tobago
      99. Tunisia
      100. Turkey
      101. Turkmenistan
      102. Uganda
      103. Ukraine
      104. Uzbekistan
      105. Vanuatu
      106. Venezuela
      107. Vietnam
      108. Yemen
      109. Zambia
      110. Zimbabwe
    2. (b) stateless people; and
    3. (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.

Exceptions to the list of visa nationals

Holders of specified travel documents

  1. 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.
  1. 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:
    1. (a) nationals or citizens of the People’s Republic of China who hold a passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; or
    2. (b) nationals or citizens of the People’s Republic of China who hold a passport issued by the Macao Special Administrative Region; or
    3. (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
    4. (d) people who hold a Service, Temporary Service or Diplomatic passport issued by the Holy See; or
    5. (e) DELETED
    6. (f) DELETED
    7. (g) DELETED
    8. (h) DELETED
    9. (i) DELETED
    10. (j) DELETED
    11. (k) DELETED
    12. (l) DELETED
    13. (m) DELETED
    14. (n) DELETED
    15. (o) DELETED
    16. (p) DELETED
    17. (q) nationals or citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, who hold a confirmed booking to the UK made before 15:00 GMT on 12 March 2025 where arrival in the UK is no later than 15:00 BST on 23 April 2025.
  1. VN 2.3. VN 2.2. does not apply where the person is:
    1. (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
    2. (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)

  1. VN 3.1. DELETED
  1. VN 3.2. DELETED
  1. VN 3.3. DELETED

Obtaining an Electronic Visa Waiver Document

  1. VN 4.1. DELETED
  1. VN 4.2. DELETED
  1. VN 4.3. DELETED

Validity Requirements for an Electronic Visa Waiver Document

  1. VN 5.1. DELETED
  1. VN 5.2. DELETED
  1. VN 5.3. DELETED
  1. VN 5.4. DELETED
  1. VN 5.5. DELETED
  1. VN 5.6. DELETED
  1. VN 5.7. DELETED

Use of the Electronic Visa Waiver Document

  1. VN 6.1. DELETED
  1. VN 6.2. DELETED
  1. VN 6.3. TDELETED
  1. VN 6.4. DELETED
  1. VN 6.5. DELETED

Exception where the Visitor is a person aged 18 or under on an organised trip from a school in France

  1. 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.