Short answer: Check whether your nationality and planned activity require a UK visa or an ETA. If you need a Standard Visitor visa, apply online and follow the appointment instructions. The standard fee is GBP 135 and processing usually takes three weeks after the required identity and document steps; longer examination is possible.
Check the visitor route
The Standard Visitor route covers tourism, family visits, certain business activities, short study and other permitted activities. You can usually stay up to six months. Ordinary paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person is prohibited except for permitted paid engagements or events; check the rules for your planned activity.
Depending on nationality and circumstances, you may need a visa, an ETA, or neither. Use GOV.UK’s eligibility tools before applying. A Cyprus residence permit alone does not exempt a visa-required nationality. British and Irish citizens do not need an ETA; other ETA exemptions also exist.
You must show that you will leave at the end of the visit, can support yourself and dependants, and can pay for return or onward travel, or have support covering those costs. You must not use frequent or successive visits to make the UK your main home.
Apply and book an appointment
Apply online for a Standard Visitor visa no earlier than three months before travel. GOV.UK links Cyprus applicants to the current application-centre provider. Use the official centre finder and your booking instructions for the available location, opening hours and charges; this guide does not promise a particular branch.
For this route, book the visa application centre appointment as part of the application. Prove your identity with your passport or travel document, provide the requested evidence, and give fingerprints and a photograph as instructed. Each family member needs their own application, fee and appointment.
Documents and evidence
- Your passport or travel document must be valid for the whole UK stay.
- Provide the planned dates, accommodation and trip costs requested by the form, plus relevant personal circumstances.
- Financial evidence should show access to funds and their origin. Employment or self-employment evidence can help demonstrate your circumstances; it is not a universal employment prerequisite.
- Provide proof of legal residence where relevant if you are applying outside your country of nationality.
- If another person supports the visit, show the nature of the support, their ability to provide it and your relationship.
- Documents outside English or Welsh require a translation that can be independently verified, including the translator’s confirmation of accuracy, translation date, full name, signature and contact details.
GOV.UK lists ordinary hotel bookings, flight bookings and travel insurance among documents less useful for demonstrating visitor eligibility. Do not book travel before the decision. Follow your application’s category-specific evidence instructions; this guide does not prescribe a fixed bank-statement period or daily budget.
Fees and processing
The fee table effective 8 April 2026 lists:
| Standard Visitor visa | Application fee | Normal maximum stay |
|---|---|---|
| Up to six months | GBP 135 | Six months |
| Two years | GBP 506 | Six months per visit |
| Five years | GBP 903 | Six months per visit |
| Ten years | GBP 1,128 | Six months per visit |
A long-term visa does not permit continuous residence. UKVI can issue a shorter visa than requested; the application fee is not refunded for a shorter visa or refusal.
Standard Visitor processing is usually three weeks after online application, identity verification and document submission. Further evidence, verification, an interview, increased demand or technical issues can lengthen processing. Do not treat three weeks as a guaranteed deadline or convert it into a fixed maximum.
If available and you are eligible, faster decisions cost extra:
- Priority: GBP 500, usually within five working days for a visitor application. The clock starts on the appointment day for in-person identity checks, or the working day after completing document uploads with the ID Check app.
- Super Priority: GBP 1,000, usually by the end of the next working day after a weekday identity appointment, or two working days after a weekend or bank-holiday appointment. For app users, the timing depends on when document uploads are completed.
Further checks can delay either service. Check the offered service and any centre charges during your application.
eVisa and passport return
UKVI stopped issuing vignette stickers to successful new applicants on 1 July 2026. Successful new applications receive an eVisa, viewed through a UKVI account. Check the permission in your account before travel.
If a visa application centre holds your passport for a visit-visa application, GOV.UK says it will be returned while processing continues; wait for the centre’s collection notice. The Standard Visitor application page says passports are normally returned on the appointment day. Follow the instructions for your case. If you are issued a form for accompanying an eVisa (FAV), you will usually need to collect it; linked to the eVisa, it allows travel to the UK.
If the application is refused
Read the decision letter or email for the reasons and next steps. It will usually say whether you have a right of appeal or can request administrative review; these rights depend on the decision. Check the fee for any new application. Address the reasons given and provide accurate supporting evidence; property, a job or travel history does not guarantee approval.
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