Hello there, welcome to the forum!
I'm assuming that you're referring to a standard visitor visa, which would enable you to do some sightseeing around the UK. This type of visa also includes those visiting relatives in the UK or those who have business purposes in the UK. With the standard visitor visa, you can stay in the UK for six months at the most. In order for your visa to get approved, you have to
prove the following:
- That you have the funds that can support your trip to the UK.
- That you would leave the UK once your visa expires or even before that.
Here are the
documents that you would need when applying for a UK standard visitor visa:
- Original passport with six months of validity at the very least, there should be a blank page at least for stamping of the visa
- Duly completed visa application form
- Previous passports as evidences of your travel history in other countries
- Bank statements for the last three months
- Proof of earnings such as payslip and letter from employer (stating your start date in the job, salary and position), should be recent at least three months
- If self-employed or has business, provide your company registration certificate, proof of proprietorship/partnership and balance sheets
- If someone from the UK is going to be your host and handle all your expenses, you need to provide proof of their capability for that, like their occupation, residence and cover letter from the host
- Flight tickets preferably return ticket included, itinerary and hotel booking (optional)
If any of your documents is in a language other than English or Welsh, you need to have it translated by a translator. The name of the translator, date it was translated, contact details and signature must be included in the document as well.
Here are the
steps you need to go through in order to apply for a visa for the UK:
- Go to the official visa application website of the UK (Visa4UK) and register an account.
- Once you have registered an account, complete the application form online. Make sure that you have everything filled out and that you provide the correct answers.
- You can then choose your date and schedule for the appointment. Pay the required online fee and you'll get your appointment letter which you can print out.
- Once you have completed these steps, you now need to wait for your scheduled appointment.
- On the scheduled date, arrive at least 15 minutes early at the required visa application centre. You need to bring your passport, application form and appointment letter.
- Collect your token once you arrive in the visa application centre and wait for your number to be called. Once your number is called, you can then submit the documents and you'd be given a receipt. Hold on to this receipt as you need it for collecting your documents later.
- Your biometrics would then be taken, your fingerprints and photograph. Make sure that your fingers are clean and free from any henna as this can obstruct the biometric processing. Your face should be free from any accessories like sunglass or cap.
- You can then choose whether your documents will be sent to you via courier or you'd rather pick them up from the application centre yourself. The status of your application would be given to you via text message or your email so make sure that you have access to these two.
There you go, as long as you adhere by these requirements and steps, you can easily apply for the standard visitor visa for the UK. If you can prove that you would come back to your home country, like you have a very stable job and you have a family to get back to, then your chances of being approved are higher.
I hope this helps you.
P.S.
Online application is now required so you cannot just show up at the application centre and apply personally without an appointment letter. Good luck!
