You should apply for a UK visitor visa at the UK Mission in the country where you are normally and legally resident. You should plan to apply for your travel visa well in advance of your proposed travel date. The process could take up to several weeks.
Once you have a valid UK travel visa, you should be allowed entry to the UK on arrival unless your circumstances have changed, you gave false information, or you did not tell the entry clearance officer important facts when you applied for your visa. The final decision, however, rests with the immigration officer at the UK port of arrival.
Visa Nationals
If you are a citizen of one of these countries, you will need to apply for a UK visitor visa if you wish to visit the UK:
Direct Airside Transit Visa
Citizens of the following countries need a visa in order to travel through the UK (note that there are many exceptions to this listed at the bottom of this page):
You do not need a transit visa if you, or the person you are traveling with to the UK, holds any of the following:
- A valid Australian, Canadian, New Zealand or US visa and a valid airline ticket for travel via the United Kingdom to or from the country from which you have a visa;
- A valid airline ticket for travel via the United Kingdom as part of a journey from Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States of America to another country or territory, provided that you do not seek to transit the United Kingdom on a date more than six months from the date on which he last entered Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States of America with a valid visa for entry to that country;
- A valid US Permanent Resident Card issued on or after 21st April 1998;
- A valid Canadian Permanent Resident Card issued on or after 28th June 2002;
- A valid common format Category D visa for entry to an EEA State;
- A valid common format residence permit issued by an EEA State pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No. 1030/2002;
- A diplomatic or service passport issued by the People's Republic of China;
- A diplomatic or official passport issued by India;
- A diplomatic or official passport issued by Vietnam.
Forms
DATV Application