What the UK visitor visa is
The Standard Visitor visa is the general purpose UK visitor visa. It covers tourism, visiting friends and relatives, business meetings and conferences, short courses of study up to six months, and private medical treatment.
It allows a stay of up to 6 months per visit. The standard visa costs GBP 135 and is usually valid for 6 months. Long term visitor visas are available for 2, 5 and 10 years at higher fees, and they still limit each individual visit to 6 months. You can apply up to 3 months before you travel, and a decision normally comes within 3 weeks.
The UK process has one feature that shapes everything else: there is no interview. A caseworker you will never meet reads your file and decides. You do not get a chance to explain anything in person, so everything you want the decision maker to understand has to be visible in the documents, written clearly enough that someone with no knowledge of your life can follow it in a few minutes.
You cannot work, run a business, or access public funds on this visa. It is also not designed for living in the UK through repeated back to back visits, and caseworkers do look at your pattern of travel.
Who needs one
- Thai nationals travelling to the UK for any purpose.
- Foreigners living in Thailand whose nationality is not on the UK's visa free list. The exemption follows your passport, not your Thai residence.
- Anyone with family or a partner in the UK who will be hosting or paying. Documented properly, this is one of the strongest kinds of application.
- Business travellers attending meetings, conferences or trade events.
- Families travelling together, where the paperwork for children is easy to get wrong.
- Anyone refused a visa before, by the UK or anywhere else, since the UK asks about refusals worldwide and checks them.
Documents required
The UK asks for more written detail than most countries, particularly the ten year travel history and the questions about previous refusals anywhere in the world. What matters is not just having each document but presenting them so a stranger can follow the story in a few minutes. We assemble the file that way.
Everyone
- Passport and passport details.
- Current address and how long you have lived there.
- Parents' names and dates of birth, if known.
- Travel dates and the purpose of the visit.
- Where you will stay in the UK.
- A travel plan for the trip and an estimate of what it will cost.
- Bank statements and evidence that you can pay for the trip and support yourself while you are there.
- Details of your travel history for the past 10 years, including any previous visa refusals anywhere in the world.
Proof of occupation
- Employees. Employment certificate, your employer's address and telephone number, and an approved leave letter covering your travel dates.
- Business owners. Business registration certificate, plus company information, address and contact details.
- Students. Student certificate or enrolment letter.
- Retired applicants. Evidence of pension or income after retirement.
- No standard certificate available. A written explanation of your occupation and income, usually alongside a financial supporter's documents. We prepare this with you.
Additional
- Your partner's name, date of birth and passport number.
- The name, address and passport number of any family members you have in the UK.
- Where someone in the UK is paying: their identity and immigration status, their financial evidence, and a letter of invitation confirming exactly what they are covering.
- For foreign residents of Thailand, your Thai visa, work or business evidence and lease, which explain why Thailand is your base.
Financial requirements
The UK publishes no minimum figure. The caseworker is looking at whether your funds are credible for the trip you have described and consistent with the income you have declared. A balance with a visible history behind it does more work than a larger balance that appeared recently.
Because there is no interview, unexplained money is simply unexplained. If there is a large recent deposit in your statements, we tell you exactly what will evidence its source before the file goes anywhere.
Third party sponsorship is normal and accepted. What matters is that it is documented: the invitation, the sponsor's immigration status in the UK, and their own financial evidence. A properly documented sponsor adds more to a UK application than almost anything else you can arrange.
What this costs
- Our fee: 4,500 THB. This covers document preparation, the application, your sponsor briefed where there is one, the appointment, submission and follow up through to the decision.
- Visa fee: GBP 135 for the standard six month visa, paid separately. Long term visitor visas cost GBP 506 for 2 years, GBP 903 for 5 years and GBP 1,128 for 10 years.
The visa fee is not refundable if you are refused.
How we help
You are not buying information, you are buying execution. We go through your documents against the Standard Visitor requirements and give you one list built for your circumstances instead of the full checklist, telling you precisely what to obtain and where when something is missing or would carry more weight in a different form. We complete the application, which is long and detailed, and we do the ten year travel history properly rather than approximately. We prepare your financial evidence so the caseworker can see where your money comes from without guessing, and write the cover letter that explains your trip and your connections to Thailand. Where someone in the UK is inviting you, we deal with them directly and tell them exactly what their invitation letter and their own bank statements need to show, which is quicker than several rounds of corrections. Then we handle the submission, book and prepare you for the biometrics appointment, and when the visa is issued we check the dates and conditions before you book anything non refundable.
FAQ
1. Is there an interview?
Normally no. The decision is made on your documents alone. This is why the file has to be written for a stranger rather than for someone who already knows your situation.
2. How much money do I need to show?
There is no published minimum. What matters is that the funds are credible for your trip and consistent with your declared income, and that anything unusual is explained on the page. Send us your statements and we will tell you what else would round out the picture.
3. How long does it take?
Around 3 weeks from the biometrics appointment in most cases. You can apply up to 3 months before you travel, and using that window makes everything easier.
4. Can I work or study in the UK on this visa?
You cannot work. You can do a short course of study up to six months. If your plan is work or long term study, there is a different category that fits, and we will point you to it.
5. What if I was refused before, by the UK or anywhere else?
Declare it, every time. The UK asks about refusals anywhere in the world and they check. Show us the refusal letter and we will build the file specifically around evidencing whatever was not established last time.
6. Should I get a 2, 5 or 10 year visa?
Worth considering if you genuinely travel to the UK often. The longer visas cost more and each visit is still capped at six months. For most first time applicants the standard six month visa fits the trip they are actually making.
7. Do I need travel insurance?
It is not a formal requirement, unlike Schengen, but it is sensible and it supports the impression of a well planned trip. If you are coming for private medical treatment, evidence of how you will pay for it is essential.
8. My friend in the UK will pay for everything. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Third party sponsorship is normal and accepted. What matters is that it is documented, and we prepare the sponsor side properly.
9. Can I visit the UK and Europe on the same trip?
Yes, but they are entirely separate applications. The UK is not in the Schengen area, so neither visa admits you to the other. If your trip covers both, we run the two applications together and time them so neither delays your departure.
10. I am a foreigner living in Thailand. Does applying from Bangkok make a difference?
Not adversely, as long as your status here is legal and documented. The caseworker wants to understand why Thailand is your base, and your Thai visa, your work or business here, your lease and your local income all answer that.
11. What if I do not have every document on the list?
Most applicants do not, and some items only apply in certain circumstances. Send us what you have and we will work out what is genuinely required for your case and what can be evidenced another way.
12. Do I need to attend in person?
Yes, once, to verify your identity and give fingerprints and a photograph. We arrange the appointment and tell you exactly what to bring.
The UK rewards preparation more than almost any other visa we handle, because there is no interview to add context later. Send us your documents and the details of anyone inviting you and we will confirm what is needed for your case.
