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United Kingdom · Visa guide

United Kingdom UK Standard Visitor Visa

The Standard Visitor visa — to visit the UK for tourism, holidays and visiting family or friends, for up to 6 months.

  • ProcessingStandard service is usually around 3 weeks from a complete application
  • Visa categoryUK Standard Visitor Visa
  • Your guideOne consultant
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United Kingdom UK Standard Visitor Visa — overview

The UK Standard Visitor visa lets Indian travellers visit the United Kingdom for tourism, a holiday, or to see family and friends. You can usually stay for up to 6 months. India is a visa-national country, so a Standard Visitor visa must be applied for and granted before you travel.

The application is made online on GOV.UK, with biometrics given at a UK visa application centre in India. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before travel. A Standard Visitor visa costs GBP 135 for up to 6 months; frequent visitors can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa valid 2, 5 or 10 years.

The decision turns on showing you are a genuine visitor — that you will leave at the end of the visit, can support yourself, and are not using frequent visits to make the UK your home. Lifeset Overseas builds the file so each of those is clearly answered.

7 items

Documents you need

  • Valid passport

    A passport or travel document valid for the whole of your stay in the UK.

  • Proof you will leave the UK

    Evidence you will leave at the end of the visit and not make the UK your main home through frequent visits.

  • Funds to support yourself

    Bank statements and income proof showing you can support yourself and any dependants — or evidence of a sponsor who will.

  • Return / onward journey

    Proof you can pay for your return or onward travel.

  • Travel plan

    A travel itinerary and accommodation details; if visiting family or friends, the host's details and status in the UK.

  • Ties to India

    Employer leave letter, business documents, or family and property evidence showing your reasons to return.

  • Previous travel history

    Copies of previous visas and passport stamps strengthen a genuine-visitor case.

5 steps

How the process works

Typical processing: Standard service is usually around 3 weeks from a complete application — priority services are available at extra cost.

  1. Step 1

    Free eligibility review

    We assess your profile against the genuine-visitor test and build a document checklist for your trip.

  2. Step 2

    Build and verify the file

    Funds, ties-to-India evidence, the travel plan and purpose documents are prepared and cross-checked.

  3. Step 3

    Apply online on GOV.UK

    The application is completed and paid on the official UK government website.

  4. Step 4

    Biometrics at the UK visa centre

    You attend a UK visa application centre in India to give fingerprints and a photograph.

  5. Step 5

    Decision & passport return

    UK Visas and Immigration decides the application and your passport is returned through the visa centre.

Transparent

Costs & fees

Item

Amount

Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months)

Payable online when you apply.

GBP 135

Long-term Standard Visitor visa

For frequent visitors — valid 2, 5 or 10 years; each stay still capped at 6 months.

Higher tiered fee

UK visa centre & optional services

Plus priority or super-priority service if you choose it.

Confirmed at booking

Government and third-party fees change often — we confirm the exact current amounts for your case before you pay anything.

3 answers

Frequently asked questions

Q.Can I work in the UK on a visitor visa?
No. The Standard Visitor visa does not allow paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as self-employed, except for a specific permitted paid engagement. You also cannot claim public funds.
Q.How long can I stay?
Usually up to 6 months per visit. A long-term Standard Visitor visa (2, 5 or 10 years) lets frequent visitors travel repeatedly, but each individual stay is still limited to 6 months.
Q.Do Indians need a visa, or just an ETA?
Indian passport holders are visa-nationals — you must apply for and be granted a Standard Visitor visa before you travel. The UK ETA does not apply to Indian citizens.

Why it matters

Going it alone vs filing with us

On your own

  • Guessing the document list — one missing or wrongly formatted paper triggers a refusal.
  • Generic cover letters copied from the internet that officers recognise and flag.
  • No read on peak rejection windows or what this visa post is strict about.
  • Government and VFS fees are non-refundable — money lost if you are refused.
  • A refusal stamp follows you and weakens every future visa application.

With Lifeset Overseas

  • An honest case assessment before you spend a rupee on government fees.
  • A file built to the embassy's exact checklist and in the exact order.
  • Weak finances, ties or purpose identified and fixed before submission.
  • Previously refused? We can rescue and rebuild the file.
  • Every case handled by one licensed consultant, end to end.

Refused before?

A refusal isn't the end

Refused applicants often win the second time — once the real reason is fixed. If a United Kingdom visa has been refused, we:

  • Read the actual refusal letter and pinpoint the real gaps.
  • Advise whether to pull the officer's notes (CAIPS / GCMS) for the true reason.
  • Identify which part was weak — funds, employment, purpose or ties.
  • Tell you honestly whether to reapply now or strengthen the file first.
  • Rebuild a stronger application — same fixed fee, refusal or first try.
Get refusal support

Your next step

Ready to start your UK Standard Visitor Visa?

A visa file is won or lost on the small things — a mismatched date, a thin financial trail, a document formatted wrong. We go deep into your profile, build every document properly, and give you an honest verdict before you commit. If your case isn't ready, we'll tell you — and tell you exactly how to fix it.

  • Free, honest assessment

    We read your full profile and tell you straight whether your case is ready — before you pay anything.

  • Your file, built right

    Every document prepared, apostilled, translated and stress-tested the way the embassy expects.

  • One consultant, end to end

    The same person handles your case from the first call to the visa decision — no hand-offs.

  • We handle the process

    VFS appointment, biometrics, submission and follow-up — we manage the moving parts for you.

licensed (No. 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024)Fixed fees agreed upfrontWe won’t take a case we believe will fail

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Don’t leave your visa to chance.Let’s build a stronger file together.

  • Honest assessment
  • Fixed all-in fees
  • No handovers between staff
  • Licensed in Patiala

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