How to come to the United Kingdom as a general visitor
This page explains how you can come to the United Kingdom as a general visitor.
If you are a national of the European Economic Area (EEA) or a member of their family see the for European citizens section.
To come to the United Kingdom as a general visitor you must be able to show that you:
- only want to visit the United Kingdom for up to six months;
- plan to leave the United Kingdom at the end of your visit;
- have enough money to support and accommodate yourself without working, help from public funds or you will be supported and accommodated by relatives or friends;
- do not intend to charge members of the public for services provided or goods received;
- do not intend to study; and
- can meet the cost of the return or onward journey.
- do not intend to carry out business, sport or entertainer visitor activities;
- do not intend to marry or form a civil partnership or give notice of marriage or civil partnership;
- do not intend to receive private medical treatment during your visit , and
- are not in transit to a country outside the Common Travel Area.
If you want to do business during your visit you also have to show that you:
- normally live and work abroad and you have no plans to base yourself in the United Kingdom; and
- do not plan to work, produce goods or provide services in the United Kingdom.
For further information on your rights and responsibilities as a general visitor see the rights and responsibilities section
Terms explained
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European Economic Area
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.
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Public funds
Public funds are income-related benefits paid by the state. They include income support, income-based job seekers allowance, housing and homelessness assistance, housing and council tax benefit, working families' tax credit, a social fund payment, child benefit and any disability allowance. Benefits paid as a result of contributions, such as the state pension, are not considered to be public funds. Social housing is not considered to be a public fund either. Claiming public funds when you are not eligible is known as benefit fraud and it is a criminal offence.