Indian travelers always have a fetish to visit once to the UK to explore their culture, their natural beauty, their nightlife and to experience the hospitality of the people there.
For accomplishing the dream of visiting the UK as a visitor you need to apply for the UK Tourist visa as without visa you wouldn’t be allowed to enter into this region. Traveling as a visitor you need to apply under the Standard Visitor Visa category.
This visa is processed offline as you need to submit the passport and the visa received will be stamped on the passport but the application form is been filled online and the documents are also submitted online by the VFS representative so you need to carry hard copies of all documents you wish to submit.
Steps to follow
- Fill the Online Form
- Submit the online form
- Make the payment
- Schedule the appointment
- Arrange the documents
- Visit the VFS center to submit the documents & biometrics
- Visa processing – 13 – 15 days
- Collection of the Passport
Process for UK Visa
• To apply for this visa it is necessary to know whether you fulfill the criteria set by the British High Commission that includes proving the purpose of the travel, financial stability in the home country, will exit the country before the visa expires, and the social ties in the home country.
• The Visa process will start by filling the online form on the UKVI website which covers the details of the passport, family, education, finance, employment, travel plans, the purpose of travel, and inviter’s details if any.
• Once this form is completed need to check and verify all the details before submitting it online as once submitted you won’t be able to make any changes. On submission of the form, a unique GWF number will be generated which will be used for future reference.
• After submitting the form next step will be to make the online payment with the help of debit/credit card for the consulate fees and VFS logistics charges.
• On making the payment you will guide for appointment scheduling at your nearby VFS center as per the available dates and time slots as per your convenience.
• The next step will be to arrange all the required documents before appearing for the submission of the documents and biometrics. Make sure to arrange all the documents as per the UKVI document checklist and on A4 size paper as all these documents will be scanned at the center.
• On the scheduled appointment date reach 15 minutes prior to the appointment timings. Submit all the required documents and biometrics. All the documents except for the passport will be returned back to the applicant as the visa will be stamped on the passport.
• Visa will be processed within 13 -15 days so make sure to apply at least 30 days in advance before the intended travel date. Though the High commission starts accepting the applications for the visa 90 days before the travel date.
• Once the visa is processed a mail is received on the registered mail id. Do not visit the center immediately after receiving the mail you need to wait at least 24 hours to get your passport collected. You can even opt for the courier service at your residential address or office address as per your convenience.
• VFS centers are located in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
Documents required for UK visa for Indians
- Original Passport
- Visa Form
- Document Checklist
- Cover letter addressing to The British High Commission
- Bank Statement
- Income Tax Returns
- Employment Papers
- Leave Letter
- Travel itinerary
- Any other financial documents
- Inviter’s documents if applicable
- Sponsor’s documents if applicable
- All these documents are required to be submitted and some may differ according to the application.
Visa fees
| Tourist Visa | 6 Months | 2 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
| Consulate Charges | INR 9,250 | INR 35,500 | INR 63,000 | INR 79,000 |
| VFS Logistics Charges | INR 1,000 | INR 1,000 | INR 1,000 | INR 1,000 |
| Result in 5 days | INR 20,500 | INR 20,500 | INR 20,50 | INR 20,500 |
| Result in 2 days | INR 88,500 | INR 88,500 | INR 88,500 | INR 88,500 |
All the Indians intending to travel to the UK as a visitor needs to apply for the UK Tourist Visa with the required documents and this visa is processed within 13- 15 days while opting for the normal services.