London Visa Requirements
Citizens of Canada, the USA, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and certain Commonwealth countries, do not require a London visa to visit London for a holiday. However, signing of special form is necessary to apply for entry clearance and arrival in London for a non-extendable maximum period of six months. However, to work in London, work permit is necessary even for citizens belonging to these countries. Citizens of the European Economic Area and Swiss nationals do not require visas to enter, live, and work in London. The European Economic Area covers the countries of the European Union, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. However, nationals of the new European Union member states Romania and Bulgaria currently need to apply for London travel documents for work, study or for a holiday trip.
London visa regulations are under constant revision and one must check the latest regulations, terms, and conditions before applying for a London visa. Travel documents for London are important and necessary for citizens of countries apart from the ones mentioned above. Failure to produce proper London travel documents on arrival to the city may lead to imprisonment and a hefty fine. Originally, a London visa for a visit is up to six months however, depending on special request or circumstances and under certain conditions; this visa may extend up to a period of two years. Travel companies do assist with visa processing for their package tours to London, which makes applying for visa for a pleasure trip to London hassle free and easy for tourists opting for conducted tours to the city.
There are different British Visa Types
British tourist visa
British transit visa
British visitor visa
British business visa
British student visa
British employment visa
British permanent residence visa
British tourist visa – If you are tourist visiting London or any other part of the UK, you need to have appropriate British visa if you are not from the list of exempted nationals.
British transit visa – You need to get London transit visa if you are visa national who is passing the country on your way to another country. If your stay in London or in the UK is for more than 48 hours, then you need to have a transit visa for which you need to apply. You can find more information on British transit visa and how to apply for London transit visa at:
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf20transit.
British visitor visa – You would need visitor visa if you intend to stay for up to 6 months in the UK. You must leave the country before the expiry of your visa. During this period you cannot work anywhere in the UK and you should have the needed resources to support yourself. For more information on British visitor visa check:
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf2visitors.
British Visa Fee – The British visa application and processing fee varies with your application status. For more information on British visa fee visit: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/visafees/
If you are not sure whether you need a British visa to visit London you can find useful information at: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/doineedvisa/
To find more information on how to apply for different types of British visa you can visit: