UK Transit Visa Rules & Requirements

Section A: UK Transit Visa Rules

A UK transit visa allows travellers to pass through the UK on their way to another destination without staying in the country. There are two types of transit: airside, where passengers remain within the airport’s international transit area without going through border control, and landside, where passengers must pass through immigration before continuing their journey.

Travellers must ensure they meet the requirements for transit, as rules vary depending on nationality and travel plans. Some passengers, particularly those from visa-national countries, must apply for a UK transit visa before travelling, while non-visa nationals may be able to transit without one if they meet specific conditions.

Failure to obtain the correct transit clearance can lead to denied boarding or refusal of entry at the UK border. Carrying the right documents, including confirmed onward travel and any required visas for the final destination, is essential to avoid disruptions.

The introduction of the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme adds new considerations for certain travellers, particularly those transiting landside.

1. Do you need a Transit visa for the UK?

Whether you need a UK transit visa depends on your nationality. If you are a national of a country on the visa national list, you will usually need to apply for a UK transit visa before travelling. Non-visa nationals may be able to transit without one, provided they meet specific conditions or hold an ETA under the new scheme.

To be granted a UK transit visa, you must also show that you:

• are in transit to another country and have sufficient funds and the intention to travel onwards
• have evidence to prove you can enter that country
• can show that the only reason for your visit to the UK is for transit purposes

In addition, rules introduced by the British Government now require nationals of Russia and Georgia to apply for a transit visa if they plan to transit through the UK.

2. Visa national transit rules

As a visa national, you may need a Visitor in Transit visa to be able to transit the UK landside. However, under “Appendix Visitor: Visa National list” of the UK’s Immigration Rules, anyone seeking to come to the UK as a transit visitor may apply for permission to enter on arrival in the UK where they are a visa national and an exception applies.

Appendix Visitor: Visa National list sets out the nationals or citizens of the countries and territories who must apply for entry clearance prior to travel to the UK as a transit visitor. However, under the exceptions to this list, the following holders of specified travel documents will not be required to apply for a UK transit visa before they travel:

• nationals/citizens of the People’s Republic of China who hold a passport issued by either the Hong Kong or Macao Special Administrative Regions
• nationals/citizens of Taiwan with a passport issued by Taiwan (including the number of the identification card issued by the Taiwanese competent authority)
• those who hold a (Temporary) Service or Diplomatic passport issued by the Holy See
• nationals/citizens of Bahrain, Oman, Indonesia, Kuwait, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey, the UAE and Vietnam who hold a diplomatic or special passport issued by their country.

Section B: Types of UK transit visa

The UK immigration rules recognise two types of layovers: airside, when you do not pass through UK immigration control for your connecting journey, and landside: when you do pass through UK border control but return shortly (usually within 24 hours) to leave the UK.

To reflect these two types of transiting, there are two types of transit visa for the UK:

• the Visitor in Transit visa: for landside transiting, and
• the Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV): for airside transiting.

You may need to apply for a Visitor in Transit visa if you are travelling to the UK and you will be going through border control, but then subsequently leaving the UK within a period of 48 hours of your arrival. You may also need a Visitor in Transit visa if you will be frequently passing through the UK over a period of more than 6 months, although to stay in the UK at any one time for more than 48 hours you may need a Standard Visitor visa.

Alternatively, you may need to apply for a DATV if you will be changing flights from within the UK and will not be passing through UK border control.

1. Direct Airside Transit Visa

You should apply for a Direct Airside Transit visa if you are catching an onward flight within 24 hours and without passing border control or changing airports. Airside transit passengers do not pass through UK border control.

Direct Airside Transit visas last for up to 24 hours, meaning the onward flight must be within 24 hours of your arrival in the UK.

You cannot apply for this visa if you need to go through UK border control, for example to check in your luggage on to a connecting flight or to change airports. In this case, you would apply for a Visitor in Transit visa instead.

a. Which nationalities need a Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV)?

With direct airside transiting, as you will not be deemed to have entered the UK, you will not need permission to enter the UK for this type of journey. However, as a visa national, you may still need a Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV) for an airside layover.

Not all visa nationals are required to apply for a DATV. There are also various exceptions under the rules for DATV nationals, based on the type of visa or residence permit held to enter certain destination countries. However, even if you possess a qualifying document, neither an e-visa nor e-residence permit will be acceptable unless your airline is able to verify it with the issuing country. You should contact your airline for more information.

If you are unsure whether or not you need a Direct Airside Transit visa, and what documentation will mean you are exempt, you should use the online tool at GOV.UK. You will first need to select your nationality, followed by “Transit (on your way to somewhere else)” as your reason for coming to the UK. You will then be asked where you are travelling to and whether you will pass through UK border control. However, you may want to apply for a UK transit visa before you travel if you are still unsure if you are exempt.

b. How to apply for a DATV

The DATV application typically costs £39, though this may vary depending on which country you are applying from.

You apply online for a Direct Airside Transit Visa, unless you are applying from North Korea which requires a printed form. You will then make an appointment at the UK embassy or a visa application centre in your country.

At the interview, you will need to provide your current passport or other valid travel identification and submit your biometric information.

You will also need evidence of your permission to travel to the next country, such as a valid visa or proof of permanent residence there. You should carry this documentation with you when you travel through the UK.

You may also need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances, such as proof of your onward journey, e.g. flight booking confirmation.

2. Visitor in transit visa

You should apply for a Visitor in Transit visa if you will be going through UK border control but leaving the UK within 48 hours. You will need to provide your current passport or other valid travel identification when you apply. As with the DATV, you will also be asked to evidence your permission to enter the next country, and evidence your onward travel arrangements to take you out of the UK. Your onward flight must be within 48 hours of your arrival in the UK.

The Visitor in Transit visa application is made online (unless applying from North Korea) and usually costs £70, though this may vary depending on which country you are applying from. Once you have completed the form, you will be invited to arrange and attend an interview. During the interview, you will need to provide evidence of your transit plans and permission to enter the country you are travelling to. You will also be required to submit your biometric information.

a. How to apply for a UK transit visa

To apply for a Visitor in Transit visa, you will need to submit an online application at GOV.UK and pay the relevant fee, which is £70 for a Visitor in Transit visa. As part of your application, you will need to prove your identity and nationality using your passport or other valid travel document. You may also need to submit documentation in support.

If you are not a national of the country you are travelling to, you will need to provide proof that you are allowed to enter that country, such as a residence permit or valid visa. Equally, if you are neither a resident nor a national of your destination country, you may need to explain why you are going there, with details of where you will be staying. You may also be asked to prove that your onward journey has been booked or confirmed, such as a flight booking email, a copy of your ticket or boarding pass, or confirmation from a travel agent.

Having been granted a UK transit visa, you should bring with you any documentation that you submit in support of your visa application when you travel through the UK.

3. Transit Without a Visa (TWOV) scheme

In addition to the exceptions to the list of visa nationals as set out under Appendix Visitor: Visa National list, some visa nationals do not require a visa to transit the UK landside if they meet specific eligibility requirements and hold an exemption document. Under “Appendix Visitor: Transit Without Visa scheme”, as a visa national transiting the UK landside without a visa, you may be granted permission to enter the UK on arrival as a transit visitor, provided you meet the following requirements for admission under the TWOV scheme.

• you have arrived in the UK by air and will be departing by air
• you will be genuinely in transit on your way to another country, meaning the purpose of your visit is to transit the UK and that you are taking a reasonable transit route
• you will not access public funds or seek medical treatment, nor work or study in the UK
• you genuinely intend and are able to leave the UK before 23:59 hours on the day after the day when you arrived, instead of the usual 48 hours when transiting landside
• you have a confirmed flight departing from the UK before 23:59 hours on the day after the day when you arrived
• you are assured entry to your country of destination and any other countries you will be transiting through on your way there.

You must also either:

• be travelling (or on part of a reasonable journey) to or from Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the USA and have a valid visa for that country — unless you are a national/citizen of Syria holding a visitor visa for entry to the USA
• be travelling (or on part of a reasonable journey) from Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the USA and it is less than 6 months since you last entered that country with a valid visa — unless you are a national/citizen of Syria holding a visitor visa for entry to the USA
• hold a valid permanent residence permit issued by either Australia, New Zealand or Canada (where any Canadian permit was issued after 28 June 2002)
• hold a valid USA permanent resident card (I-551) issued on or after 21 April 1998
• hold a valid USA temporary immigrant visa (I-551), where a wet-ink stamp version will not be accepted
• hold an expired USA permanent resident card (I-551) issued on or after 21 April 1998, accompanied by a valid I-797 letter authorising extension of your permanent residency
• hold a valid standalone US immigration form 155A/155B that is attached to a sealed brown envelope
• hold a valid common format residence permit issued by an EEA state (under Council Regulation (EC) No.1030/2002) or Switzerland
• hold a valid uniform format category D visa for entry to a state in the EEA or Switzerland
• be travelling on to the Republic of Ireland (ROI) with a valid Irish biometric visa
• be travelling from the ROI and it is less than 3 months since you were last given permission by Irish authorities to land or be in Ireland with a valid Irish biometric visa.

Electronic versions of any documents listed above, such as e-visas or e-residence permits (including printed versions), will only be accepted if the airline can verify them electronically. All visas and residence permits must also be valid. In addition to physical evidence that you are allowed to enter your destination country, you should also have in your possession confirmation of your onward flight departing on either the day you arrive or before midnight on the day after you arrive.

You will not be permitted to transit the UK without a landside transit visa if a border force officer decides that you do not qualify under the Transit Without Visa Scheme.

Section C: Long-term visit visa

If you can prove you need to frequently pass through the UK in transit over a longer period, the long-term Standard Visitor visa may be a better solution.

The visitor visa allows you to stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit and your visa can last for 2, 5 or 10 years.

As with the transit visas, you apply for the visitor visa online and pay the application fee and will then be required to attend a visa interview and submit your biometric information.

Through your application, you will need to evidence your intention to leave the UK at the end of your visits, that you are able to support yourself (and any dependants travelling with you) for the duration of your time in the UK, and that you can fund your travel costs. You should also give proof of your planned activity while on layover in the UK.

In addition, as a long-term visitor visa applicant, you will also need to show that you will only ever need to come to the UK briefly to visit (or transit for more than 48 hours) and prove you plan to leave the UK at the end of each visit by for example, giving evidence of your employment, close family and property within your home country.

Section D: Summary

Before transiting through the UK, check if you need permission. The rules differ significantly depending on your nationality, route and whether you remain airside or must pass through border control.

Visa nationals usually need either a Direct Airside Transit visa or a Visitor in Transit visa, with strict conditions on onward travel, funds and entry rights to your final destination.

Non-visa nationals are now affected by the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme, which generally applies to landside transits, although a temporary exemption remains for airside transits at Heathrow and Manchester.

The Transit Without a Visa scheme also provides limited relief for certain visa nationals with specified visas or residence permits, but eligibility is tightly defined and airline verification is critical.

For frequent travellers, a long-term Standard Visitor visa may offer more practical flexibility where journeys involve repeated stopovers.

Failure to comply with the correct visa or ETA requirements risks denied boarding or refusal at the UK border, which can have lasting consequences for your immigration record. Given the complexity of the rules and the financial and travel disruption at stake, travellers should check the official requirements before every trip and consider seeking professional advice if in any doubt.

Section E: Need assistance?

If you have a question about transiting through the UK, contact us from advice from one of our UK immigration specialists.

Section F: Transit visa FAQs

Who needs a UK transit visa?

Travellers from visa-national countries must obtain a transit visa before passing through the UK. Non-visa nationals may not require one, but must meet certain conditions to transit without prior permission.

What is the difference between airside and landside transit?

Airside transit allows travellers to remain in the airport’s international transit area without passing through border control. Landside transit requires passengers to pass through immigration, even if they plan to leave the UK within a short period.

How long can I stay in the UK on a transit visa?

A transit visa allows travellers to stay in the UK for up to 48 hours. The exact duration depends on whether the transit is airside or landside.

Do I need a visa if I do not leave the airport?

Some nationalities still require a transit visa even if they remain airside. However, an exemption may apply in certain cases, such as the new ETA exemption for airside transit at Heathrow and Manchester Airports, although this is a temporary exemption.

What documents should I carry when transiting through the UK?

Travellers should have proof of onward travel, such as a confirmed flight ticket, and any necessary visas or permissions for their final destination.

What happens if I do not meet the transit requirements?

Failure to meet the transit requirements can result in being denied boarding by the airline or refused entry at the UK border. Ensuring compliance with the rules is essential to avoid disruptions.

Will the new ETA scheme affect transit passengers?

Under the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, many travellers who were previously eligible to transit without a visa will need an ETA. However, airside transit passengers at certain airports may qualify for an exemption.

How can I check if I need a transit visa?

The UK government website provides an online tool to check if a transit visa is required based on nationality and travel circumstances.

Section G: Glossary

Section H: Additional Resources and Links