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The United Kingdom and its thriving economy attract business people from all around the world. The UK’s economy is ranked above regional and world averages.
If you do not own a British passport and wish to carry out your business activities in the UK, you might need to apply for a visa first. The UK Business Visitor Visa is a subcategory of the Standard Visitor Visa.
Why Are British Business Visitor Visas Issued?
You must apply for a UK business visitor visa if you plan to:
- Attend training, meetings, seminars, or conferences.
- Receive training (which is essential for your employment, and you are unable to attend those in your home country from a UK-based company or organization).
- Negotiate and sign deals and contracts
- Attend trade fairs, for promotional work only. The visitor must not be directly selling.
- Carry out site visits and inspections.
- Other business activities.
Who Needs a UK Business Visa?
Nationals of the following countries need a visa in order to visit the UK for business purposes:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cabo Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Republic of the Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Djibouti
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- North Korea
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Peru
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Dominican Republic
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela (non-biometric)
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Eligibility Requirements for UK Business Visitor Visa
If you wish to carry out any business activity in the UK and apply for the UK Business Visitor visa you must first make sure that you meet the eligibility requirements:
- Have a valid travel document or passport. It should be valid for the entire duration of your stay in the UK.
- Provide proof you are traveling for business. This could be, for example, an invitation from a company, organization, or other institution in the UK to attend a business meeting, conference or other business-related activity.
- Provide proof you intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit, such as a return ticket.
- Show that you are able to support yourself during your trip, or, that you have funding from someone else to support you (i.e. your employer or hosting company/organization).
How to Apply for a UK Business Visitor Visa?
You have to apply for a UK business visa online, on the website of the UK government before submitting your application in person at a visa application centre in your country. The step-by-step process is as follows:
Check if You Need a Visa
Depending on your nationality, you may be able to visit the UK for up to 6 months without needing a visa. Therefore, check if you need a UK visa first. On the UK government website, before you are redirected to the application form, you will need to select your nationality and purpose of visit (in this case, a visitor visa), which informs you whether you have to apply for a visa and which one.
Complete the Visa Application Form
On the official visa and immigration website of the UK government, you must create an account first (if you haven’t done so previously) and complete the UK application form online carefully. You must complete the application form in English. You will be able to save your application and go back to it whenever you feel ready to do so. If you are inactive for 25 minutes, you will automatically be logged out but your answers will be saved.
You can start your application here.
Upload the Required Documents for a UK Business Visitor Visa
To apply for a UK visitor visa for business purposes, you must “Upload Evidence” of your trip. This includes documents that support your visa application, such as the following:
- Valid passport or other valid travel documents.
- Evidence of what you will be doing while in the UK, e.g., documents that confirm your meetings, business-related appointments, activities, etc.
- Proof that you have the sufficient means to support yourself during your intended stay. This could include your bank statements
- Proof of your employment. A letter of employment from your employer or your work contract, which states your position and salary.
- Proof of your business, if you are self-employed, such as a business certificate.
- Evidence that you will leave the UK at the end of your visit, such as a return-flight ticket.
- Evidence that you can pay for your onward and return ticket.
The full checklist of documents is on the visa application form. You must upload digital copies of the documents.
Pay the Visa Fee
The visa fee is paid online. Once you have provided all of your information on the application form, you will be able to pay the fee on the UK government website.
Visit a Visa Application Center and Submit Your Documents and Biometrics
You must visit the UK visa application center in person, as you will need to submit your documents and biometric data. If your biometric data has been submitted in the last 59 months, you don’t need to re-submit them.
You can find the exact visa application center that you need to submit your documents at here.
Duration of the UK Business Visa
The Standard Business Visitor Visa is valid for 6 months, during which time you can attend meetings, conferences, and do other business activities. If you visit the UK for business often, you can apply for a long-term visitor visa, which is issued for 2, 5, or 10 years, allowing you to stay in the UK for six months at a time.
Can I Extend My UK Business Visa?
You can extend your stay in the UK only up to six months, if you were originally issued a visa for a shorter period of time. Even if you have a 10-year business visitor visa, you can only stay for six months at a time.
If you want to stay longer than six months or work in the UK, you have to apply for a different visa type, such as a work visa or a startup visa.
How Long Does It Take to Process a UK Business Visa?
UK business visitor visas are issued within three weeks. Depending on the work load of the visa application centers, this period may be extended up to six weeks or longer. So, you should submit your visa application well in advance of your trip; the earliest you can do so is three months before your travel date.
UK Business Visa Fees
The visa fee depends on how much you intend to stay in the UK. The following table lists fees for the different types of Standard Visitor Visas.
| Visa type: | Fee: |
| Standard Visitor Visa (with a validity of 6 months) | £100 |
| Long-term Standard Visitor Visa (with a validity of up to 2 years) | £376 |
| Long-term Standard Visitor Visa (with a validity of up to 5 years) | £670 |
| Long-term Standard Visitor Visa (with a validity of up to 10 years) | £837 |
Applying for a Long-Term Visitor Business Visa
A long-term visitor Business visa grants you the possibility to stay in the UK for two, five, and ten years. You can stay in the country for up to 6 months on each visit. Documents that you’ll need include:
- A valid passport/travel document (a blank page in your passport for your Standard Visitor visa)
- Detailed travel arrangements
- Dates you plan to travel to the UK
- The place you plan to stay at
- Your home address (include for how long you have lived there)
- Your parents’ personal information (their names and dates of birth, if known and possible)
- Your yearly income (how much you earn in a year)
- Details of any criminal, civil or immigration offenses you may have committed
Additionally, you might need to provide:
- Your travel history in the last ten years.
- Your employer’s details (his address and telephone number).
- Your partner’s details (name, date of birth, passport number).
If anyone is paying for your trip, you should include their details (name, address and passport number) as well.
Processing Time for the Long-Term Visitor Business Visa
Once you submit your application at the visa center and submit your fingerprints, that’s when the waiting time begins. It is currently taking 7 weeks on average. You can check to see if you can get a visa decision faster here. However, this depends on where you are applying from. The standard visa processing time is 3 weeks.
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