UK Tourist Visa: Solicitors for Holiday and Sightseeing Visits

A UK tourist visa lets you visit the UK for a holiday, sightseeing or to see friends for up to 6 months. It is not a separate visa: tourism is one of the permitted purposes of the Standard Visitor visa. The fee is £135, you can apply up to 3 months before you travel, and most decisions arrive within 3 weeks. Nationals of the US, EU, Canada, Australia and other visa-exempt countries don’t need a tourist visa — they need a £20 Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) instead.

Adam Bernard Solicitors has helped over 15,000 clients in 15 years from offices in High Holborn and Upton Park. Our SRA-regulated tourist visa solicitors in London check your eligibility, build your evidence around a clear travel plan, and flag refusal risks before you pay the Home Office fee. Call 0207 100 2525 (24/7) or book a free consultation.

Do you need a UK tourist visa or an ETA?

Whether you need a tourist visa depends on your nationality, not your trip. Visa nationals (for example India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, Ghana and Bangladesh) must apply for a visitor visa before travelling. Non-visa nationals need an ETA.

Check your nationality with the GOV.UK visa checker. For ETA rules, read our guide: do I need an ETA to enter the UK?

What can you do in the UK on a tourist visa?

On a tourist visa you can holiday, sightsee and visit people, but you cannot work or live in the UK. Under Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities of the Immigration Rules you can:

• Travel around the UK, visit attractions and attend events such as concerts or sports fixtures
• Stay with or visit friends and family
• Take a recreational course of up to 30 days (for example a cookery or art class — English language courses are not recreational)
• Volunteer with a registered UK charity for up to 30 days, where this is incidental to your holiday

You cannot:

• Do paid or unpaid work for a UK organisation, or work as self-employed
• Claim public funds or get free NHS hospital treatment (outside limited exceptions)
• Marry or register a civil partnership (you need a Marriage Visitor Visa)
• Make the UK your main home through frequent or back-to-back visits

UK tourist visa requirements

To get a UK tourist visa you must satisfy an Entry Clearance Officer that you are a genuine visitor who will leave. In practice, the Home Office checks four things:

1. Genuine intention to visit and leave. Your job, business, studies, property or family at home show you will return.
2. Enough money for the trip. You can cover travel, accommodation and daily costs without working or claiming public funds.
3. A realistic plan. The length and cost of the trip make sense against your income and leave from work.
4. A clean immigration history. Past overstays, breaches or undisclosed refusals are the fastest route to a refusal.

A friend or relative in the UK can pay for some or all of your trip. They must show they can afford it, and you must still show ties to your home country.

Evidence for a tourist visa application

A tourist application stands or falls on its travel plan. Alongside a valid passport and previous passports, we usually build:

• A day-by-day itinerary with cities, attractions and dates
• Accommodation evidence (hotel booking or host’s letter and address)
• Six months of bank statements, with any large deposits explained
• An employer’s letter confirming approved leave, or business/pension evidence
• A provisional flight reservation (don’t buy non-refundable tickets before a decision)
• A TB test certificate only if you are applying to stay longer than 6 months (not needed for a standard holiday visit)

For the full list, see our UK visitor visa documents checklist.

UK tourist visa fees and processing time (2026)

A 6-month UK tourist visa costs £135 and most decisions take about 3 weeks. Frequent visitors can pay for a long-term visa, but each visit is still limited to 6 months.

Source: GOV.UK, checked 29 September 2026. Priority services cost extra where your visa centre offers them. See how long a UK visit visa takes in 2026. Successful applicants now receive an eVisa rather than a passport sticker.

Why UK tourist visas are refused — and what to do next

Most tourist visa refusals come down to money or ties, not the trip itself. Common reasons we see:

• Large or unexplained deposits shortly before applying
• Trip cost out of proportion to your income
• Weak evidence of a job or family you’ll return to
• An itinerary that doesn’t match your leave dates or budget
• Failing to declare a previous refusal from any country

A refused tourist visa has no right of appeal and no administrative review. You can make a fresh application that answers every reason in the refusal letter, or challenge an unlawful decision by judicial review. A rushed reapplication with the same evidence is usually refused again, so get the refusal letter reviewed first. Our visit visa refusal guidance explains both routes.

Visiting the UK for another reason?

Tourism is one visitor purpose among several. If your trip is mainly for something else, use the matching page:

How our tourist visa solicitors in London help

Our solicitors turn your trip into an application that answers the Entry Clearance Officer’s questions before they are asked. We:

• Confirm whether you need a visa or an ETA, and whether a long-term visa is worth it
• Review your finances and explain any deposits in a covering letter
• Draft a sponsor letter if family or friends are funding your holiday
• Check the online form for inconsistencies that trigger refusals
• Rebuild applications after a previous refusal

Adam Bernard Solicitors is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and listed on the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor directory. Speak to us in person at High Holborn or Upton Park, or by Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp or Skype.

Call 0207 100 2525 (24/7) or book a free consultation with our tourist visa solicitors today.

This page is for general information and does not constitute legal advice. Fees correct as of 29 September 2026.