Is Schengen visa valid for travelling to UK on tourism purpose? I have a C-type (tourists) Schengen short stay visa. I would like to know if I am allowed to visit the United Kingdom (particularly England) with the Schengen visa or do I need to obtain UK visa separately?
UK is not among the 26 countries that constitute the Schengen area, so Schengen visa is not valid for travelling to UK. You must have a UK tourist visa to enter the United Kingdom territory and stay there for tourism purpose. However, if you just need to arrive in the UK for transit purpose by air and do not intend to stay there for more than 24 hours, then you can do without a UK tourist visa. UK offer TWOV or 'Transit Without Visa' facility for the citizens of some countries. But it won't allow you to leave the airport complex. For availing TWOV facility, 1. you must arrive and depart by air, 2. have a confirmed onward flight ticket on the same day or before midnight on the day after you arrive and 3. have a valid visa for your destination country. If there is more than 24 hours gap between your arrival in UK and the connecting flight to another country, then you need to apply for 'Visitor in Transit' visa which would allow you to access the UK airport for another 48 hours. Regards, Deb
No, I am not looking for transit through UK. I want to spend a few days exploring some of the famous tourism hotspots in England. Anyway, as my Schengen visa won't be valid in the UK, I need to apply for a UK visa now. I just hope that it's not too difficult to get a tourist visa for UK. Thanks for your reply.
If you're NOT from a third world country, you probably won't have any problem securing a UK Visa. Hopefully, having secured a Schengen Visa might help in getting a visa for UK. Additionally, having a solid travel history is also pretty useful. I read somewhere that should you get your UK visa, you need to be careful in arranging your flight details. From what I read, normally UK visa grants single entry. So, hopefully you won't be entering UK, proceed to Schengen area, and back to UK for a return fight. That is, be careful in arranging your flights, as you won't be allowed entry again after exiting the first time, unless of course you are granted multiple-entry visa.
