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. Botswana
      14. Burkina Faso
      15. Burundi
      16. Cambodia
      17. Cameroon
      18. Cape Verde
      19. Central African Republic
      20. Chad
      21. People’s Republic of China*
      22. Colombia
      23. Comoros
      24. Congo
      25. Côte d’Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast)
      26. Cuba
      27. Democratic Republic of the Congo
      28. Djibouti
      29. Dominica
      30. Dominican Republic
      31. Ecuador
      32. Egypt
      33. El Salvador
      34. Equatorial Guinea
      35. Eritrea
      36. Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
      37. Ethiopia
      38. Fiji
      39. Gabon
      40. Gambia
      41. Georgia
      42. Ghana
      43. Guinea
      44. Guinea Bissau
      45. Haiti
      46. Honduras
      47. India
      48. Indonesia
      49. Iran
      50. Iraq
      51. Jamaica
      52. Jordan
      53. Kazakhstan
      54. Kenya
      55. Korea (North)
      56. Kosovo
      57. Kyrgyzstan
      58. Laos
      59. Lebanon
      60. Lesotho
      61. Liberia
      62. Libya
      63. Madagascar
      64. Malawi
      65. Mali
      66. Mauritania
      67. Moldova
      68. Mongolia
      69. Montenegro
      70. Morocco
      71. Mozambique
      72. Myanmar (formerly Burma)
      73. Namibia
      74. Nepal
      75. Niger
      76. Nigeria
      77. North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia)
      78. Pakistan
      79. Palestine
      80. Philippines
      81. Russia
      82. Rwanda
      83. São Tomé and Principe
      84. Senegal
      85. Serbia
      86. Sierra Leone
      87. Somalia
      88. South Africa
      89. South Sudan
      90. Sri Lanka
      91. Sudan
      92. Suriname
      93. Syria
      94. Taiwan*
      95. Tajikistan
      96. Tanzania
      97. Thailand
      98. Timor-Leste
      99. Togo
      100. Trinidad and Tobago
      101. Tunisia
      102. Turkey
      103. Turkmenistan
      104. Uganda
      105. Ukraine
      106. Uzbekistan
      107. Vanuatu
      108. Venezuela
      109. Vietnam
      110. Yemen
      111. Zambia
      112. 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) DELETED
    18. (r) nationals or citizens of Botswana, who hold a confirmed booking to the UK made before 15:00 BST on 14 October 2025 where arrival in the UK is no later than 15:00 GMT on 25 November 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
  2. VN 3.2. DELETED
  3. VN 3.3. DELETED

Obtaining an Electronic Visa Waiver Document

  1. VN 4.1. DELETED
  2. VN 4.2. DELETED
  3. VN 4.3. DELETED

Validity Requirements for an Electronic Visa Waiver Document

  1. VN 5.1. DELETED
  2. VN 5.2. DELETED
  3. VN 5.3. DELETED
  4. VN 5.4. DELETED
  5. VN 5.5. DELETED
  6. VN 5.6. DELETED
  7. VN 5.7. DELETED

Use of the Electronic Visa Waiver Document

  1. VN 6.1. DELETED
  2. VN 6.2. DELETED
  3. VN 6.3. DELETED
  4. VN 6.4. DELETED
  5. 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.

Exception where the Visitor is a person aged 19 or under on an organised trip from a school in Germany

  1. VN 8.0. Nationals or citizens of any country who are aged 19 or under, studying at a school or educational institution in Germany, the existence of which is confirmed by the relevant German municipal or competent authority, and seeking to enter the UK as part of a school party of 5 or more organised by that school or institution, do not need entry clearance before they travel to the UK as a Visitor.