The Standard Visitor visa covers tourism, visiting family, short business trips and courses of up to six months. The Home Office charges £135 for a six-month visa, usually decides within three weeks of biometrics, and issues the permission as an eVisa linked to your passport.
Who needs a UK visitor visa? Every Indian passport holder visiting the UK, for any length of stay. India is a visa-national country, so the £20 electronic travel authorisation (ETA) does not apply; you apply for the Standard Visitor visa online and give biometrics at a VFS Global centre before travelling. Transit through a UK airport without passing immigration needs a Direct Airside Transit visa unless you hold an exempting visa.
What does it cost? £135 for a visa valid six months, £506 for two years, £903 for five years and £1,128 for ten years, each allowing stays of up to six months per visit. Fees are paid online when you apply and are not refunded on refusal. A priority decision costs £500 extra and super priority £1,000 extra where offered at your centre.
How long does it take from India? The Home Office service standard is 15 working days (about three weeks) from the biometrics appointment, and its published figures for Indian applications have stayed inside that standard through 2026. The earliest you can apply is three months before travel; allow one to two weeks for a VFS appointment in peak months.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Visa type | Standard Visitor visa (C-visit), issued as an eVisa |
| Government fee | £135 for 6 months; £506, £903 or £1,128 for 2, 5 or 10 years |
| Biometrics | Included in the fee; fingerprints and photo at a VFS Global centre |
| Validity | 6 months, or 2, 5 or 10 years for the long-term visa |
| Stay per entry | Up to 6 months per visit; up to 11 months for private medical treatment (£234) |
| Processing from India | About 3 weeks (15 working days) after biometrics |
| Where to apply | Online at gov.uk, then VFS Global in India |
| Health surcharge | Not payable for visitor visas |
The Immigration Rules (Appendix V) ask the officer to be satisfied that you are a genuine visitor: you will leave at the end of the visit, you will not live in the UK through frequent or successive visits, you will not work or do anything outside the permitted activities, and you have enough money for the trip and the return journey without working or relying on public funds. There is no points test and no interview in most cases; the decision is made on the papers.
A strong file from India shows a clear reason for the visit (itinerary and bookings, a wedding invitation, a conference registration, or an invitation from a relative with proof of their status), a reason to return (a job with approved leave, a business, property, family), and money that has been in your account for months. Previous travel to the UK, Schengen states, the US, Canada or Australia helps; a refusal from any country that is not declared is treated as deception.
Permitted activities include tourism, visiting friends and family, business meetings and negotiations, attending conferences, short recreational courses, and study of up to six months at an accredited institution. You cannot take paid or unpaid work, be self-employed, marry (that needs the Marriage Visitor visa) or receive public funds. Parents of children at UK schools and people coming for private medical treatment use the same application with extra evidence.
| Item | GBP | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Visitor visa, 6 months | 135 | Per person; children pay the same |
| Long-term visitor visa, 2 years | 506 | 6 months per visit |
| Long-term visitor visa, 5 years | 903 | 6 months per visit; a shorter visa may be issued without refund |
| Long-term visitor visa, 10 years | 1,128 | Valid until the passport expires, then transfer the eVisa |
| Visitor for private medical treatment, 11 months | 234 | Needs a UK clinician's letter and proof of funds for treatment |
| Visitor in Transit (landside) | 74.50 | Up to 48 hours |
| Priority service | 500 extra | Decision in about 5 working days where offered |
| Super priority service | 1,000 extra | Decision by the end of the next working day where offered |
The fee is paid by card at the end of the online form. VFS Global charges its own service fee in India when you book the appointment, and optional extras such as document scanning or keeping your passport are priced separately. No immigration health surcharge applies to visitors.
| Stage | Typical time | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Documents gathered | 1 to 2 weeks | Six months of bank statements, employer letter, ITRs, bookings or invitation |
| Form submitted to VFS appointment | 3 to 14 days | Appointment slots in Delhi and Mumbai fill quickly from April to July |
| Biometrics to decision | About 3 weeks | 15 working days service standard; priority 5 working days |
| Decision to travel | Same day | eVisa is live once the UKVI account is linked |
Count backwards from the travel date: six to eight weeks is comfortable for a straightforward file, ten or more if you want time to reapply after a refusal. You can apply up to three months before you travel.
Indian citizens use the eGates at most UK airports when they hold a visitor visa, so the passport is not stamped; keep your boarding pass as proof of the entry date. Each visit can last up to six months, but Border Force and UKVI watch the pattern: spending more time in the UK than outside it over a year, or back-to-back visits, leads to refusal of the next visa or cancellation of a long-term one.
A visitor cannot switch into a work, study or family visa from inside the UK; you return to India and apply from there. Extending beyond six months is possible only in narrow cases (medical treatment, academics) and costs £1,172. Visitors who study a short course may stay for the course length up to six months; English language courses of up to 11 months use the Short-term Study visa (£228) instead.
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Passport valid for the whole stay | At least one blank page; previous passports with UK, Schengen, US or Australian visas help |
| Completed online application and appointment confirmation | Print the checklist and the VFS appointment letter |
| Passport-size photo if asked | Only where the centre cannot capture a biometric photo; most applicants need none |
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Itinerary with hotel bookings or host invitation | Dates must match the form and the flights; a host letter states relationship, address and who pays |
| Host's status and address proof | Copy of British passport, eVisa share code or BRP, plus a council tax bill or tenancy |
| Return flight reservation | A reservation is enough; do not buy a non-refundable ticket before the decision |
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Bank statements for the last six months | Salary credits visible; large unexplained deposits in the last three months are the most common funds problem |
| Income tax returns for two years | ITR-V or Form 16; audited accounts and GST returns for business owners |
| Sponsor's documents if someone else pays | Their statements, pay slips or ITRs and a signed letter explaining the relationship |
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Employer letter with approved leave | On letterhead with designation, salary, start date and leave dates |
| Business registration | GST certificate or incorporation documents and recent business statements |
| Property, investments and family | Title deeds, fixed deposits, marriage and birth certificates of dependants staying in India |
The officer was not satisfied you would leave the UK at the end of the visit: thin itinerary, unclear purpose, or a history that suggested you intend to live in the UK through repeated visits.
The fix. Rebuild the file around one dated purpose with bookings or an invitation, and set out why you return: approved leave, business, property, dependants. Keep visits well under six months and spaced apart.
Bank statements showed recent lump sums without a source, or the trip cost exceeded what your declared income supports.
The fix. Show six months of statements with the source of every large credit (property sale deed, maturity statement, gift letter with the giver's statements) and keep the trip cost proportionate to income.
UKVI could not confirm the employer letter or the salary did not match the statements, so the ties and funds evidence fell away.
The fix. Use a letter on letterhead with a working phone number and email, and make sure the salary on the letter matches the credits in the statements and the ITR.
A previous refusal by the UK or another country was not declared, or a document could not be verified. A deception finding brings a ban of up to ten years.
The fix. Declare every refusal and attach the letters; never submit a document you cannot stand behind. If an agent prepared an earlier application, obtain a subject access request before reapplying.
Previous overstaying, working as a visitor, or a long stay in the UK on a visitor visa in the last year.
The fix. Explain the history in a short letter with evidence, allow time to pass since the last visit, and show the new trip is short and purposeful.
No. The electronic travel authorisation applies only to nationalities that can visit without a visa. Indian citizens apply for the Standard Visitor visa (£135) before travelling, including for airport transit unless they hold an exempting visa such as a valid US or Canadian visa.
There is no published figure. The officer checks that the trip cost you declare is consistent with your income and savings; a working rule for a two-week holiday is £100 to £150 a day plus flights, held for at least six months rather than deposited just before applying.
Rarely. Most applications are decided on documents. UKVI can call an applicant for a credibility interview or verify documents with employers and banks, which adds time.
You can apply for it (£1,128), but UKVI may issue a shorter visa without refund if your travel history or circumstances do not support a long visa. Most first-time applicants from India apply for the six-month visa and move to a long-term visa after one or two compliant visits.
Yes. Vistolane prepares and files the Standard Visitor application, books the VFS appointment and uploads the documents to the VFS portal; the £135 government fee is charged at the official rate and shown separately on the price card.