Table Of Contents
- Documents and information you will need to apply in 2025
- General or common documents
- If you are visiting your family member
- If you are visiting the UK to study
- If you are visiting to do an elective
- If you are visiting as an academic
- If your UK visit visa is for medical reasons
- If you are visiting for a paid engagement or event
- Let’s summarise
One can visit the UK for various permitted activities such as travel and tourism, visiting family and friends, business activities, receiving medical treatment, studying, and doing research etc. A UK visit visa is for short stays in the UK that last for no more than 6 months and is designed for visa nationals. Non-Visa nationals need to apply for and obtain an ETA before travelling to the UK.
Documents and information you will need to apply in 2025
Like any other UK immigration route, a visit visa also requires you to submit several documents in support of your application. Let us see the list of the most common/general documents and other documents required, depending on the purpose of your visit to the UK.
General or common documents
You must provide a passport or a valid travel document. This must be valid for the complete duration of your stay in the UK and must have a blank page for your family visitor visa.
The other documents you will/should be required to submit include, but are not limited to:
Copies of your older passports showing evidence of travel to other countries
• You are genuinely seeking entry to the UK for a Permitted Activities or for a PPE (Permitted Paid Engagement) activity
• Proof of funds required, such as a bank statement or payslip, to demonstrate that you can pay for all reasonable costs related to your visit to the UK,
• In case someone else (your sponsor, such as a family member) is covering the cost of your maintenance, travel, or accommodation, you should provide evidence showing:
• What support are you being provided, and whether the support extends to any dependent family members
• How you are being provided this support is being provided
• Your sponsor has sufficient funds to support themselves and their dependents adequately
• The relationship between you and the sponsor
• Your sponsor is legally resident in the UK (if applicable), for example, if they hold a British passport
• Your travel details and proof of your accommodation, such as confirmation of your accommodation booking. If you will be staying with your family member, you should provide evidence of the family member’s address (e.g., a copy of a tenancy agreement).
• Other socio-economic evidence to show that you have strong ties to your home country, and hence you will return to your country at the end of your visit. For example, your job or study details where you have stated in your application that you are employed or in full-time studies. This could include: –
- A letter from your employer with details such as your job role, salary, and length of employment, and stating that you have been granted annual leave to visit the UK
- A letter from your education provider in your home country confirming your enrolment and leave of absence
- Evidence that you own property in your country of origin
- Evidence of having a family member who depends on you in your country of origin
• Details of any criminal, immigration, or civil offences you may have committed
• Details of your travel history in the last 10 years
1. If you are visiting your family member
You will need to provide a letter of invitation from a family member whom you are visiting in the UK. The invitation letter must state the full address of the family member in the UK, your relationship with them, the purpose and date of your visit, and your accommodation details.
2. If you are visiting the UK to study
If you are visiting the UK to do a short piece of research
You must be 16 or over, already enrolled in an eligible course overseas that is the equivalent of a UK degree, and have been accepted by a UK HEP (Higher Education Provider) to undertake research that’s relevant to the course you’re studying overseas.
Documents you must provide
You will need to provide a letter of confirmation from your overseas education provider that your research or research tuition is part of, or relevant to, the course you are doing overseas.
3. If you are visiting to do an elective
You must be 16 or over, already enrolled on an eligible course (the course must be in medicine, veterinary medicine and science, dentistry, nursing, or midwifery) overseas that is the equivalent of a UK degree, and doing an elective (often part of another program (e.g., medical or academic training)) at a UK higher education institution as part of your course.
Documents you must provide
Your UK HEP (Higher Education Provider) will need to give written confirmation that you will not be being paid for the elective or treating patients.
If you are visiting to do an unpaid dental observer post (for dentists or dental students) or a clinical attachment (medical)
In order to do an unpaid dental observer or clinical attachment post for up to 6 months, where you must not treat patients, you will need to be an overseas graduate from a medical, dental, or nursing school.
Documents you must provide
You must provide written confirmation:
• of your dental observer post or clinical attachment offer
• That you have not done a dental observer post or clinical attachment, or dental observer in the UK before
If you’re taking the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) or PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) test
You can use a UK visit visa to sit for the PLAB or OSCE test. If you pass the PLAB test, you can also apply to stay in the UK to do unpaid clinical attachments or dental observer posts.
Documents you must provide
You must provide a letter from the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) confirming you have registered for an OSCE test.
You will need a letter from the GMC (General Medical Council) confirming you have registered for your PLAB test.
4. If you are visiting as an academic
You can visit the UK as an academic if you are an academic, scientist, or researcher, and you want to
• participate in formal academic exchange arrangements with UK counterparts
• carry out research, either independently or as part of your job
Those applying as a senior doctor or dentist can also:
• conduct research
• teach (it must not be a permanent teaching post)
• undertake clinical practice (it must not be a permanent position)
Documents you may need
You will need to prove that you meet the eligibility criteria, for example, by providing:
• A letter from your employer mentioning the dates of your exchange or sabbatical
• A letter from your employer mentioning the research to be undertaken
• A letter from the UK host organisation (for example, a university, higher education institution, a research organisation, or an NHS organisation) confirming the arrangements for your research, exchange, or clinical practice
5. If your UK visit visa is for medical reasons
You can visit the UK as a standard visitor for up to 6 months to:
• Receive medical treatment at a private hospital or other medical facility
• Receive treatment at an NHS hospital, provided the care is pre-arranged and fully paid for by your own government under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement• Donate an organ to a family member, close relative, or friend in the UK
If you are visiting the UK for treatment at a private hospital
You must provide a letter written by a consultant or doctor confirming:
• the medical condition (through documents such as medical reports or test results) you have that needs consultation or treatment
• the likely duration and estimated cost of any treatment
• where and when the consultation and treatment will take place
If you are visiting for medical treatment at an NHS hospital
You must provide an official confirmation, issued by the government of your country, saying they will pay for your treatment.
If you are travelling to the UK as an organ donor
You will need to provide a letter from the lead transplant nurse, a registered NHS consultant (senior, fully qualified medical doctor), or a GMC-registered specialist confirming:
• You are a donor match to the recipient, or you are being tested to determine if you are a potential donor
• The organ recipient is genetically related to you (for example, parent, sibling, or child) or in a close personal relationship with you
• Where and when the transplant or tests will take place
The letter should be dated up to 3 months before you plan to arrive in the UK.
If the organ recipient is not legally resident in the UK, you must give their name, nationality, and date of birth in your UK visit visa application.
6. If you are visiting for a paid engagement or event
You can visit for certain paid events or engagements (a PPE (Permitted Paid Engagement)) as one of the following:
• a professional artist, musician, or entertainer
• a professional sportsperson
• a qualified lawyer – to represent a client
• to give a single lecture or a series of lectures
• to speak at a conference
• an academic – to be an assessor or student examiner
• an air pilot examiner
You will need to have a written invitation from a UK-based organisation or client in the field of your expertise, you are applying for (for example, entertainers need a written invitation from a UK-based organisation in the entertainment industry), for a pre-arranged event or other permitted engagement.
You may also need further documents depending on your overseas profession.
Let’s summarise
Visitor visas (UK) typically remain valid for a period of up to six months. While you hold this visa, working is generally prohibited, with some exceptions like Permitted Paid Engagements (PPE).
For a UK visitor visa in 2025, you must provide a mix of essential documents, evidence related to your purpose of visit, proof of finances, and travel plans. Essential documents usually consist of your valid passport, a filled-out visa application, payment for the application fee, and any other requisite paperwork.
You might also need to provide additional documents depending on the reasons why you want to visit the UK. For example, your professional and academic credentials, an invitation letter from a UK resident, or confirmation for exams or medical treatments.
It is crucial that all documents you submit clearly demonstrate the temporary nature and intent of your visit. More documents may be necessary depending on your individual circumstances.