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Applying for a UK visa

in South Africa

The UK’s Visa Service in South Africa

98% of visa applications from

South Africans are

successful

99% of all non-settlement visa

applications from South Africans

were resolved within 15 working

days

Remember! Average turnaround times can vary significantly throughout the year. UK

Visas & Immigration (UKVI) in Pretoria handles ~160,000 applications every year from

customers in 27 countries across Africa. While you, or someone you know, may have

received a faster ordinary service the last time you applied, we have peaks in demand

and can be extremely busy at any point. UKVI’s global service standard for any Visitor

visa application is 15 working days, and we encourage all customers to ensure they apply

in good time to travel!

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Customer Service Standards

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We are committed to providing first-class customer service and our published

service standards state that;

• You will be able to book an appointment at a convenient Visa Application Centre (VAC) within 5

working days.

• Non-settlement visa applications (for e.g. Visitors, Short-term Stay, PBS Tiers 1, 2, 4 & 5, UK

Ancestry) will be resolved within 15 working days from submission of biometric data at the VAC.

• Settlement visa applications will be resolved within 60 working days from submission of biometric

data at the VAC.

• Where an application is not straightforward, and will (likely) take longer to resolve than our published

service standard, we will inform the applicant, and keep them informed.

• Remember! Plan travel and ensure you apply for a visa in good time.

• Remember! You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before you intend to travel and we can post-

date a Visitor visa by up to 3 months where you tell us to do so.

• Remember! It is not possible to purchase a priority service to fast-track a standard application after

you have submitted your application and biometric data at the VAC.

Important note! When communicating with customers, UKVI will use the email address or

phone number entered on the Visa Application Form (VAF). Ensure this information is noted

correctly! We advise that all (adult) applicants provide their own personal contact details. UKVI

cannot be held responsible for messages sent that are not communicated or passed on to the

visa applicant where alternative contact details (for e.g. an agent’s) have been provided on the

VAF.

Visa Routes for Visitors to the UK

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There are now just four Visitor visa routes;

• Visit (Standard)

• Visit (Marriage & Civil Partnerships) https://www.gov.uk/marriage-visa

• Visit (Permitted Paid Engagements) https://www.gov.uk/permitted-paid-engagement-visa

• Visit (Transit)

• Remember! A Visit Permitted Paid Engagements visa will be valid for single entry only to cover the

period of the event in the UK.

Further information and a full range of online UK visa guidance for visitors is available at:

www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/tourist-short-stay-visas

• Remember! UKVI does not ask that any customer applying for a visit visa include confirmed flight

tickets, hotel reservations or travel itineraries. All online guidance advises against purchasing travel

ahead of a visa decision.

Important note! A Marriage Visitor visa allows you to marry or register a civil partnership in the UK – i.e. to

conduct the legal ceremony. It is usually valid for 6 months but remember you cannot settle in

the UK afterwards.

Check guidance carefully at this page to understand what type of activity is considered a

Permitted Paid Engagement and view full details of what you can and can’t do.

Business Visitors

Business visits.

A Standard Visitor visa is suitable if you want to come to the UK for a short time to carry

out activities relating to your business or work.

Permitted activities include:

Attending meetings or conferences.

Negotiating or signing trade agreements or contracts, and making deals.

Undertaking fact-finding missions.

Checking details or goods.

Conducting on-site visits.

Promotional activities.

Consider a long-term visit visa if you are a regular traveller and visit the UK frequently.

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Important note! A Standard Visitor visa is usually issued for 6 months and is valid for multiple entries to the UK

during that period. You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months. If you can prove you need

to visit the UK regularly over a longer period, you can apply for a long-term Visitor visa that is

valid for 2, 5 or 10 years. Remember! You can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit, a

10-year Visitor visa does not allow you to remain in the UK for 10 years and you cannot spend

long periods of time in the UK through frequent visits.

Other Visa Routes

Remember! It may not be appropriate to apply for a Visitor visa.

There are many occasions when a Standard Visitor visa is not the correct option, or

where other conditions apply, and guidance should always be read carefully for individual

circumstances. The following pages provide generic Top BritishTIPS! for the following

categories;

• Child Visitor.

• Domestic Workers in a Private Household.

• Overseas Territory.

• EEA Family Permit.

• UK Ancestry.

• Vignette Transfer.

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Other Visa Routes

Child Visitor Guidance for Minors

Anyone under the age of 18 is considered a minor. In the same way as other countries, the UK

is obliged to protect children and ensure the vulnerable are not exploited. Visa applications for

children are usually linked to a parent or legal guardian. Please note the following;

• Where a child will be accompanied, the parent’s passport details will be endorsed onto the visa. This

means that the child can only travel if accompanied by that adult.

• Take care when noting the accompanying adults on the VAF. If it is possible the child may travel

regularly over the 6 months with either one of the parents only, it is advisable to include details of

both adults in the endorsement. The child’s visa will then read only valid if accompanied by x or y.

Tip! The accompanying adult’s passport number is endorsed on the child’s visa, take note of when

the adult’s passport is expiring for long-term Child Visitor applications.

• It is possible to apply for a Child Unaccompanied Visitor visa, if the child will travel alone, or for

example to take part in an organised group/school trip. We may require some additional information

or authorisation from the parents. Unaccompanied is useful for long-term Child Visitor visas.

• Important! Please check endorsements carefully on receipt of your visa. Any mistakes made in

noting the details of the accompanying adult may result in denied boarding by the airline carrier.

• Remember! On turning 18 a minor is considered to then be an adult and will be treated as such.

Any child Visitor visa issued will therefore only be valid for up to 6 months past the applicant’s 18th

birthday.

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Important note! Online guidance is clear and there are several alerts during the online application process. Any

Visitor visa issued to a minor, regardless of duration applied for (i.e. including long-term Visitor

visas usually valid for 2, 5 or 10 years) will only be a valid for a maximum of 6 months past the

applicant’s 18th birthday. Customers are advised to remember that the difference in fee will not be

refunded! Pay particular attention when applying for long-term Visitor visas for children.

Other Visa Routes

Domestic Workers in a Private Household

This includes nannies, au pairs, chefs, security personnel, personal carers. Any employee

of an individual travelling with that person to undertake their duties in the UK while their

employer visits the country is not a Standard Visitor and must apply for a Domestic

Worker in a Private Household visa to accompany their employer on their visit to the UK.

Please note the following;

• The applicant must have been employed in the same role for a minimum of 1 year.

• A contract of employment must be included with the application.

• The applicant must intend to travel with the employer and leave the UK within 6 months or at the

same time as the employer leaves, whichever is sooner.

• The employer must state officially that the employee will be paid at least the UK minimum wage for

the duration of their time in the UK.

• Remember! A Standard Visitor visa application for employees travelling to the UK with their

employer to conduct their usual duties during the employer’s visit will be refused. Appeal rights do

not apply and fees for the incorrect visa application will not be refunded.

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Read full guidance

https://www.gov.uk/domestic-workers-in-a-private-household-visa

Other Visa Routes

Overseas Territories, The Channel Islands & The Isle of Man

The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) and you will need

to apply for a UK Visitor visa noting your destination in the CTA.

There are also a number of Overseas Territories where UKVI is responsible for issuing Entry

Clearance, or a visa, on behalf of that Territory.

• These Territories include, Gibraltar, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands.

• Where an application for a visa to these countries needs to be made, this can be done at a UKVI

VAC. The application is noted as OTHER on the Visa4UK online application system.

• UKVI will contact the authorities in the Overseas Territory and any visa is issued by us on their

behalf.

• A visa to enter an Overseas Territory is not a visa to enter the UK.

• Applicants who intend to travel to or from the Overseas Territory via the UK may also require a UK

Transit visa or a UK Visitor visa.

• Remember! South Africans with a valid long-term Visitor visa to the UK (i.e. 2 years or more) are

eligible to enter Gibraltar at the ultimate discretion of the Immigration Authorities without the need for

an additional visa. Persons who wish to avail themselves of these exemption arrangements but who

enter Gibraltar from Spain intending to return there, or those in transit into Spain, will only be

admitted if they hold valid Schengen visas ensuring their entry or re-entry into Spain.

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Important note! If the applicant already holds a valid Visitor visa to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man they do

not need a separate UK Visa to pass through or visit mainland UK for short periods.

Other Visa Routes

(European Economic Area) EEA Family Permit

You can apply for an EEA family permit to come to the UK if you are from outside the EEA

and the family member of an EEA or Swiss national.

• An EEA Family Permit is gratis, it is valid for 6 months multiple entry.

• The EEA citizen you are joining must either be in the UK already exercising their treaty

rights, or be travelling with you to the UK.

Read full guidance https://www.gov.uk/family-permit

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Important note! This does not include British nationals.

Other Visa Routes

UK Ancestry

You can apply for a UK Ancestry visa if you are;

• A Commonwealth citizen,

• able to prove that one of your grandparents was born in the UK,

• able and planning to work in the UK.

• You can live in the UK for 5 years on this visa and can apply to extend your stay and

settle permanently afterwards.

Please read the guidance online carefully at https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa

• Remember! You must be able to support and house yourself and any dependents.

• Remember! You must be able and planning to work.

• Remember! Your grandparent must have been born in the UK.

• Remember! You will need to include original full birth certificates of the parent and

grandparent your ancestry claim in based on.

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Important note! Remember you will need to pay the Health Surcharge as part of this application.

Other Visa Routes

Vignette Transfer

Lost, Stolen or Damaged Passports

You can apply for a Vignette Transfer to have a valid UK Visitor visa transferred to a new

passport.

You can do this where the passport has expired but the visa is still valid. Tip! You are not

obliged to do this, you could travel with both passports.

You can also apply for a Vignette Transfer if you have lost your passport containing a

valid UK Visitor visa or where your passport with valid Visitor visa has been stolen or

irreparably damaged.

• The application is noted as OTHER on the Visa4UK online application system.

• Remember! You will be required to include an affidavit/SAPS Report to confirm that

you have notified the relevant issuing authorities and declared your previous passport

lost, stolen or damaged.

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Important note! The fee for a Vignette Transfer is higher than a 6-month Standard Visitor visa. Consider whether

you are replacing a long-term visa with significant validity remaining. It is cheaper to apply for a

new 6-month Visitor visa.

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Transit

Direct Airside Transit & Visitor in Transit Visas Top BritishTIPS!

• Always work from the initial assumption that a South African national will require a visa to enter or

transit through the UK and then check whether any exemption criteria apply.

• Start online at https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa and click on Start Now. Follow the simple

questions, answering South African for nationality and then Transit (on your way to somewhere

else) where the system asks what you intend to do in the UK. You will then be asked to confirm your

destination and whether you will pass through the UK Border or remain airside en route. Tip! This

information should be clear from the ticketing or can be obtained from airlines. You will now have all

Transit exemption criteria to hand!

• Remember! A DATV or a Visitor in Transit visa is usually issued for 6 months and is valid for

multiple entry, so you only need one visa to do a return trip.

• Tip! If you can evidence a regular need to transit the UK you can apply for a long-term Visitor in

Transit visa. You can stay for a maximum of 48 hours on each visit. You must prove that you have a

frequent and ongoing need to pass through the UK in transit; the reason for your need to pass

through the UK is unlikely to change significantly while the visa is valid; and you plan to leave the

UK at the end of each transit.

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Important note! You must meet the same transit passenger criteria on the return journey.

Airside Transit

Airside

Airside Transit passengers are those who do not need to change airports and do not

need to pass through the UK border at Immigration Control – for example to collect

luggage. They will remain in the transit channel and get an onward flight from the same

airport on the same day.

Passengers cannot transit airside to the Republic of Ireland or anywhere within the

common travel area.

South Africans must apply for a Direct Airside Transit visa before travelling.

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Airport Transit Channel

Remember! Entering Ireland en route to or from the UK = full UK Visit visa

DATV Exemptions

South Africans can transit airside without a DATV to anywhere in the world if they;

Arrive and depart by air, and;

Have a confirmed onward flight departing the same day from the same airport, and;

Have the correct visa documents for their destination, and;

Hold a valid exemption document.

Exemption documents include a valid visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand

and the USA.

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Airport Transit Channel

Exemption Documents

Exemption documents include;

A valid visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA.

A valid permanent residence permit for Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA.

A valid common format residence permit issued by an EEA state or Switzerland.

A valid common format category D visa for entry to an EEA state or Switzerland.

Remember! A Schengen visit visa is not a valid exemption document to transit the UK

DATV free.

Some conditions apply, check online guidance at https://www.gov.uk/transit-visa.

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Example Routes

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Airport Transit Channel

Valid Schengen Visit Visa

UK DATV Required!

Example Routes

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Airport Transit Channel

Valid Canadian Visa

Landside Transit

Landside

Landside Transit passengers are those who need or wish to pass through the UK

Border and enter the UK, for example to change airports or to collect baggage and

check in for an onward flight, or to break their journey in the UK.

South Africans must apply for a Visitor in Transit visa before travelling.

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UK BORDER Gatwick

by 23:59

next day

It’s very important to check the details of the onward flight. Remember!

Visitor in Transit Visa Exemptions

South Africans can transit landside without a Visitor in Transit visa, but they must;

Arrive and depart by air, and;

Have a confirmed onward flight that departs before 23:59hrs the following day, and;

Have the correct visa documents for their destination, and;

Hold a valid exemption document.

Exemption documents include a valid visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand

or the USA – Remember! passengers need to be travelling to or from these

countries with a valid airline ticket on a reasonable journey via the UK.

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UK BORDER Gatwick

Valid US Visa

by 23:59

next day

Access UK Online Application System

Access UK The new online application system is live globally for all Visitor visa customers and will be rolled out

incrementally to all categories. Feedback has been extremely positive but we welcome all input. If

you’ve used this system, what could we do to improve it, and make it even more user friendly?

Benefits of the system include:

A shorter form with questions logically ordered based on customer insight.

A dynamic and intuitive form that asks relevant questions based on previous answers.

The ability to make group applications, payments and bookings in one transaction.

The ability to apply, book an appointment at the VAC and make all relevant payments

in the same transaction, including paying for a Priority Visa service where applicable.

The ability to review, edit and download a partially completed application at any point

before submission.

Support for those who plan to make a separate application for a Schengen visa, with a

partially auto-populated Schengen Application Form available to download.

Availability on mobile devices – you can now apply from your smartphone or tablet!

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How to Apply Online

Apply directly from the pages of GOV.UK.

You can apply for any UK visa category using Visa4UK. Create an online account at:

https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/account/register

Apply using the new online form for all Visitor visa applications at:

https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/uk-visit-visa

Remember! If you are using the new online form to view questions in another

language you must still provide your answers in English.

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Added Value Services

A range of services, to enhance speed of processing and customer experience, are

available to customers applying in all VACs in South Africa.

Premium products and services include;

Priority and Super Priority Visa Services.

Group Appointments.

Walk-in Appointments.

Submission Without Passport.

Digital Assistance.

Prime Time Appointments.

Premium Lounge.

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https://uk.tlscontact.com

To edit click View>Header and Footer 26

Choose Country of Application

To edit click View>Header and Footer 27

Choose VAC

To edit click View>Header and Footer 28

Browse Services

To edit click View>Header and Footer 29

Information – Contact Us

UKVI cannot provide immigration advice. A full range of guidance is

available online.

Need to contact us?

Please avoid contacting us to request a routine progress update if your application is still

within our global service standard. Our resources are better used assessing applications

in the queue as quickly as possible than to answer basic queries.

Please see online guidance at www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk which

provides information on how to contact UK Visas & Immigration from outside the United

Kingdom.

Got a specific question?

Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions document published by BritishTIPS,

which provides answers to many common queries. This will be updated regularly, and the

information is always accurate.

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