UK Family Visitor Visa- Eligibility, Documents Required & Application process

The UK family visitor visa is no longer a standalone visa type and falls under the standard visitor visa framework. It is a practical way for foreign nationals to see their close relatives in the UK. Such applications are categorised as family visits, meaning the primary reason for the applicant’s travel to the UK is to see a family member who is lawfully resident in the UK.

A person can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor for family visits and stay in the UK for up to 6 months. They must leave the UK at the end of their visit. 

From April 2025, specified non-visa nationals need to obtain an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) to travel to the UK as a visitor for up to 6 months. An ETA allows an individual to travel to the UK, but it does not allow the ETA holder to enter the UK. The holder of an ETA will still need to obtain permission to enter as a family visitor on their arrival in the UK.

Visa nationals, on the other hand, in order to come to the UK as a visitor, must apply for and obtain entry clearance to the UK before arriving here.

A person who does not need a visa must still satisfy the eligibility criteria as a family visitor. At the UK border, they may be asked questions about their eligibility and the activities they plan to do.

A person who has previously been refused entry to the UK or has a criminal record may want to apply for a UK standard visitor visa (even if they do not need to have one).

Family members for the purpose of a UK family visitor visa

For family visitor visa purposes, family members typically include, but are not limited to:

• Spouses (husband/wife) or civil partners, or their son or daughter

• Parents, step-parents, grandparents

• Siblings (brother/sister)

• Children (including adult children), stepchildren, grandchildren

Where the applicant is visiting extended family, such as an uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, or cousin, they may be required to provide additional evidence to prove the nature of the relationship and the reason for the visit. 

The applicant can use documents such as a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, or official records to establish the family link.

Validity requirements for entry clearance to the UK as a visitor to see family members 

A person seeking entry clearance to the UK as a visitor to see family members must apply online on the website gov.uk using the specified application form VAF 1F. 

An application seeking entry clearance to the UK as a visitor must satisfy all the following criteria:

(a) The applicant must have paid any required fee; and

(b) The applicant must have enrolled in biometrics (their fingerprints and facial photograph) when required; and

(c) The applicant must have submitted a passport or other valid document to establish their identity and nationality.

An application seeking entry clearance to the UK as a visitor must be made from outside the country and to a post designated to accept applications for a UK visit visa. 

Any application that does not satisfy all the validity criteria as a visitor for seeing family member in the UK may be rejected as invalid and not considered.

Suitability Requirements

The family visitor visa applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability, which has replaced the previous Part 9: grounds for refusal and became effective on November 11, 2025.

Eligibility requirements for entry to the UK

Under the Immigration Rules – Appendix V – Visitor, a person applying to visit their family members in the UK must: 

• Be coming to stay in the UK for not more than 6 months

• Must have an invitation from a family member,

• Be a genuine visitor, which means they must

• Leave the UK when their visit ends 

• Not reside in the UK for extended periods through successive or frequent visits, or make the UK their main home

• Not engage in any of the prohibited activities set out in V 4.4. to 4.6

• Maintain and accommodate themselves for the whole stay in the UK without using public funds (or be funded by someone else, including family members, to support them)

• Be able to pay the cost of the return or onward journey (or be funded by someone else, including family members, to pay for the journey)

• Prove their relationship with the family member (who must be a lawful resident in the UK) they intend to visit.

• Have evidence of any other activities they want to do during their stay in the UK, as permitted by the Visitor Rules

Additional eligibility requirements for the child applicant

If the applicant is a child, there must be adequate arrangements for their travel to, reception, and care in the UK. If the child is not travelling with their mother or father or legal guardian who is based in their home country or country of ordinary residence and is responsible for their care, that parent or legal guardian must give their written consent that there will be adequate arrangements for the child’s travel to, reception, and care in the UK.  

The documents they will need

A family visitor visa applicant must provide a passport or a valid travel document. Their passport should be valid for the complete duration of their stay in the UK and have a blank page for their family visitor visa.

The other documents they will need to submit include, but are not limited to:

• Copies of their older passports showing evidence of travel to other countries

• Confirmation of their legal residence, if they are not a citizen of the country they are applying in, or their right to reside there is not included in their passport

• A letter of invitation from a family member in the UK whom they are visiting. The letter must state the full address of the family member in the UK, the relationship between the applicant and their family member, the purpose and date of the applicant's visit, and the details of their accommodation. 

• Proof of funds required, such as a bank statement or payslip, to demonstrate that they can pay for all reasonable costs related to their family visit to the UK, 

• In case someone else (the applicant’s sponsor, such as a family member) is covering the cost of maintenance, travel, or accommodation, they should provide evidence showing:

• What support is being provided, and whether the support extends to any dependent family members

• How this support is being provided

• The sponsor has sufficient funds to support themselves and their dependents adequately

• The relationship between them and the sponsor

• The sponsor is legally in the UK (if applicable), for example, if they hold a British passport 

• Proof of accommodation and travel details, such as confirmation of accommodation booking. If they will be staying with their family member for the duration of their stay in the UK, they should provide proof of address of the family member (e.g., a copy of a tenancy agreement). 

• Other socio-economic evidence to show that they have strong ties to their home country, and hence they will return at the end of their visit. For example, details of their job or studies where they have stated in their application that they are employed or in full-time studies. This could include: - 

• A letter from their employer on company-headed paper, detailing their job role, salary, and length of employment, and stating that they have been granted annual leave to visit the UK 

• A letter from their education provider, on headed paper, confirming their enrolment and leave of absence 

• Evidence of owning property in their home country 

• Evidence of having a family member who depends on them in their home country.

Applying for a UK family visitor visa

A person who needs a family visitor visa must apply online on the website gov.uk using the specified application form VAF 1F. They must apply from outside the UK before they travel to the UK.

The earliest someone can apply for a UK family visitor visa is 3 months before they travel to the UK. 

They need to pay the family visitor visa application (valid for up to 6 months) fee of £127 to apply.

As part of their online visa application, they will need to book an appointment at a VAC (Visa Application Centre) in their country. On the date of appointment, they will have their biometrics (their fingerprints and facial photograph) taken at the VAC. The applicant should allow time to attend their VAC appointment, as the visa application centre could be in another country.

The VAC may keep their passport and documents while processing their application.

Once a person has applied online, proved their identity, and submitted the supporting documents, they will usually get a decision on their application for a family visitor visa within 3 weeks.

Granting leave to enter as a family visitor

Before granting leave to enter, the Home Office must be satisfied: 

• The applicant has valid entry clearance 

• There are no reasons to believe: 

o That the applicant submitted false information to get the entry clearance 

o that circumstances have changed since the applicant was issued entry clearance, or 

o the purpose of entering the UK is different from that for which the entry clearance was issued 

• None of the general grounds for refusal in Immigration Rules - Paragraphs 320 or 321 apply. 

If the Home Office is satisfied that the person fulfils all the requirements, they will grant the applicant leave to enter the UK as a visitor to see their family member. 

A person seeking leave to enter the UK as a family visitor may be admitted here for a period of 6 months or less, subject to a condition prohibiting study, employment, and recourse to public funds.

If a person has permission as a family visitor to the UK for less than 6 months

They may be able to extend their stay as long as the total time they spend in the UK does not exceed 6 months. For example, if a person with a family visitor visa has been in the UK for 3 months, they can apply to extend their stay for another 3 months. This applies to those who needed a visa to visit the UK and also to those who did not need one.

Refusal of a family visitor visa

If the decision maker is satisfied that an applicant meets all suitability and the relevant eligibility requirements for a family visitor visa, they will grant the family visitor visa to the applicant; otherwise, their application will be refused.