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UK visa from India: fees, documents and the eVisa

By Ganesh · 24 May 2025

How Indians apply for a UK Standard Visitor visa: online form, fee, VFS biometrics, documents, decision times and what the UK eVisa changes.

The short answer: Indians need a UK Standard Visitor visa for tourism, family visits and short business trips. Apply online on gov.uk, pay the fee (a 6-month visitor visa cost £127 after the April 2025 increase), then give your fingerprints and photo at a VFS Global visa application centre in India. UKVI says most applications made outside the UK get a decision within about three weeks. Indians are not eligible for the UK ETA, so you need the visa even for a short trip.

UK visa fees usually change every April. Check the current fee on gov.uk's visa fees page before you apply. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Step by step

1. Apply online on gov.uk (Standard Visitor). You can apply up to three months before you travel.
2. Pay the visa fee online, and any optional priority service if it's offered at your centre.
3. Book a biometrics appointment at a VFS Global centre. There are centres in most major Indian cities.
4. Upload or submit your documents as instructed (many centres scan them at the appointment).
5. Wait for the decision. Your passport is returned with a vignette, or your decision tells you how to view your eVisa.

Fees (approximate)

Frequent travellers often choose a 2-year visitor visa: each stay is still up to six months, but you don't reapply for every trip.

The UK eVisa: what changes

The UK is replacing physical immigration documents with eVisas: your immigration status lives online in a UKVI account instead of on a sticker or card. Depending on your visa and when you apply, a visitor visa may still be a vignette in your passport or may be an eVisa. Your decision letter tells you which. If it's an eVisa, create your UKVI account, link your current passport to it, and update it if you get a new passport, or the airline may not be able to check your status.

Documents

• Current passport (and old passports showing travel history, if you have them).
• Bank statements for the last few months showing you can afford the trip.
• Proof of employment and leave approval, business registration, or student ID.
• Income tax returns or salary slips.
• A trip plan: where you'll stay and what you'll do. You don't need to buy flights before the decision.
• If visiting family: an invitation letter and a copy of their UK status.

Documents not in English or Welsh need a certified translation.

Tips that help

• Explain your money. Large unexplained deposits just before applying raise questions. Add a short note if needed.
• Be consistent: the dates, places and costs in your form should match your documents.
• Apply early for summer: searches for UK visas from India rise from January, and centres get busy before the May–June holidays.
• Keep your plan in one place: a Sancharees itinerary with your hotels and day plans makes it easy to describe the trip and to print a summary.

FAQ

How long does a UK visitor visa take from India?

UKVI's published guidance is that most visitor applications made outside the UK are decided within about three weeks of the biometrics appointment. Faster services are sometimes available for an extra fee.

Can Indians use the UK ETA?

No. The ETA is for nationals who don't need a visa. Indian passport holders need a visitor visa.

Can I visit Ireland with a UK visa?

Under the British Irish Visa Scheme, some UK visitor visas issued in India allow travel to Ireland too. Check the visa conditions and Ireland's official guidance before you rely on it.

What if my UK visa is refused?

The refusal letter gives the reasons. Fix them (usually finances, ties or unclear plans) and apply again; there's normally no appeal for visitor visas.

Photo: Puente de la Torre, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-11, DD 092 by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Read in: भारत से UK वीज़ा: स्टैंडर्ड विज़िटर वीज़ा फ़ीस, दस्तावेज़ और eVisa