NW2014 - UK Brder Agency advice D yu need a visa as a business visitr? This page explains whether yu will need t btain a visa befre yu cme t the UK as a business visitr. Yu will need a visa if yu: are a visa natinal (see 'Mre infrmatin' belw); r are stateless (yu d nt have a natinality); r hld a nn-natinal travel dcument (a travel dcument which des nt give yu the natinality f the cuntry that issued it); r hld a passprt issued by an authrity that is nt recgnised in the UK. Even if yu d nt need a visa, yu may want t btain ne befre yu travel as it culd save yu time when yu arrive at the UK brder and we strngly advise yu t apply fr a visa befre travelling t the UK if: yu have any unspent criminal cnvictins in any cuntry, including the UK; yu have previusly been refused entry, deprted r therwise remved frm the UK; yu have breached the terms f any previus entry t the UK (fr example, by wrking illegally r staying here after yur permissin t stay expired); yu have previusly applied fr a visa and been refused; r yu have been warned by a UK fficial that yu shuld btain a visa befre yu travel t the UK. Yu may nt be allwed t enter the UK if yu d nt have a visa. If yu d nt need a visa and yu travel t the UK withut ne, the next paragraph describes the dcuments that yu shuld bring with yu. If yu cannt shw that yu meet the requirements fr a general visitr, ur fficers at the UK brder may refuse t let yu enter the UK. What dcuments d yu need as a business visitr? This page cntains infrmatin abut the dcuments that yu may want t prvide t supprt yur applicatin t cme t the UK as a business visitr. If yu apply fr a visa, yu shuld prvide these dcuments with yur visa applicatin. If yu travel t the UK withut a visa, yu shuld bring them with yu s that yu can shw them t ur fficers at the brder. Yu shuld prvide as many relevant dcuments as yu can t shw that yu qualify fr entry t the UK. If yu d nt prvide them, we may refuse yur applicatin. Yu must decide which dcuments will best supprt yur applicatin. We advise yu t cnsider prviding dcuments that cntain: infrmatin abut yu infrmatin abut yur finances and emplyment yur accmmdatin and travel details
infrmatin abut yur visit t the UK Yu can als apply t cme t the UK as a business visitr if yu intend t carry ut any f the fllwing 'permitted activities' here: attending meetings (including interviews that have been arranged befre yu cme t the UK) r cnferences; arranging deals, r negtiating r signing trade agreements r cntracts; undertaking fact-finding missins; cnducting site visits; delivering gds and passengers frm abrad (as a lrry driver r cach driver, fr example, prvided yu are genuinely wrking an internatinal rute); accmpanying a tur grup as a tur grup curier, prvided yu are cntracted t a firm utside the UK, and yu intend t leave with that tur grup; speaking at a 'ne-ff' cnference where this is nt run as a cmmercial cncern; representing a freign manufacturer by cming t service r repair its prducts within their initial perid f guarantee; representing a freign machine manufacturer by cming t erect and install machinery t heavy t be delivered in ne piece, as part f the cntract f purchase and supply; interpreting r translating fr visiting business persns, prvided yu are emplyed by the verseas cmpany and are cming slely t prvide this service fr the visiting cmpany member; acting as a mnteur (a wrker such as a fitter r servicepersn) fr up t 6 mnths t erect, dismantle, install, service, repair r advise n the develpment f freign-made machinery; attending bard meetings in the UK as a bard-level directr, prvided yu are nt emplyed by a UK cmpany (althugh yu may be paid a fee fr attending the meeting); and representing a cmputer sftware cmpany by cming t install, debug r enhance their prducts. Yu may als cme here as a business visitr t be briefed abut a UK custmer's requirements - but if yu use yur expertise t make a detailed assessment f a ptential custmer's requirements, we will regard this as cnsultancy wrk, fr which yu will need a visa under the pints-based system. Advice n hw t apply: http://www.ukba.hmeffice.gv.uk/visasimmigratin/visiting/business/apply/ Apply nline UK in the USA: http://www.ukba.hmeffice.gv.uk/cuntries/usa/applying/?langname=uk%20e nglish Mre infrmatin
Are yu a visa natinal? Natinals r citizens f the fllwing cuntries and territrial entities are knwn as 'visa natinals': Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angla Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Belarus Benin Bhutan Blivia Bsnia Herzegvina Burkina Fas Burma Burundi Cambdia Camern Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Peple's Republic f China (unless they hld a passprt issued by Hng Kng Special Administrative Regin r Maca Special Administrative Regin) Clmbia Cmrs Cng Cuba Demcratic Republic f the Cng Djibuti Dminican Republic Ecuadr Egypt Equatrial Guinea Eritrea Ethipia Fiji Gabn Gambia Gergia Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau
Guyana Haiti India Indnesia Iran Iraq Ivry Cast Jamaica Jrdan Kazakhstan Kenya Krea (Nrth) Ksv Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Las Lebann Lesth Liberia Libya Macau Macednia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mldva Mnglia Mntenegr Mrcc Mzambique Nepal Niger Nigeria Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territries Peru Philippines Qatar Republic f Suth Sudan Republic f Sudan Russia Rwanda Sa Tme e Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal
Serbia Sierra Lene Smalia Suth Africa Sri Lanka Sudan Surinam Swaziland Syria Taiwan (unless they hld a Taiwan passprt which includes the number f the identificatin card issued by the cmpetent authrity in Taiwan) Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Tg Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vatican City Venezuela (unless they hld a Venezuelan passprt which cntains bimetric infrmatin held in an electrnic chip) Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe The territries frmerly cmprising the scialist Federal Republic f Yugslavia Travelling t the UK withut a visa Yu d nt nrmally need a visa t cme t the UK as a visitr fr up t 6 mnths if yu are a nn-visa natinal, but yu are nt guaranteed entry int the UK. When yu arrive at the UK brder, yu must satisfy a Brder Frce fficer that yu meet the requirements f yur visitr categry. Yu might need t shw the fficer sme dcuments t supprt yur request t enter the UK. T find ut abut the requirements fr different visitr categries, and the types f dcument that yu shuld shw, see the Visiting the UK sectin. The Brder Frce fficer will assess yu n yur individual merits, and will decide whether yur accunt f yur reasns fr travelling t the UK is reasnable and credible. Please d nt feel intimidated when the fficer asks yu questins - this is part f the prcess t ensure that nly genuine travellers can enter the UK.