UK Visa allows an individual to travel to United Kingdom for business purposes. If a person holding an Indian passport is engaged in business activities with clients in UK, they are required to obtain a valid business visa for UK from the Embassy. Because of its developed and diversified market, United Kingdom has been a high performing economy drawing many foreign organizations and independent business entities initiating business relationship with companies in UK for broader business objectives.

Get details about available UK visa types, documents requirement for the application, visa fees, visa form, visa center and general guidelines for Indian citizen who wish to travel United Kingdom (UK) with business visa.

 

When can you apply for UK visa?

It is important that you give yourself a lot of time to prepare your documents and all the necessary requirements for the application process. The earliest you can apply for your UK visa is 3 months prior to your travel dates.

Below is the complete list of required documents for UK Business Visa:

1. Original passport valid for six months from the expiry date of your visa
2. Visa application form – We fill online.
3. Two recent photographs
4. Invitation letter from UK Company
5. Evidence of your travel plans – ticket bookings, hotel bookings, itinerary
6. Original private bank’s last 6 months account statement
7. Income Tax Returns for last 3 years
8. Covering letter & Financial documents of Indian Company
9. Invitation letter from the UK company/business/establishment
10. Confirmation and details regarding the purpose you are visiting the UK
11. If employed, Letter from employer approving your leave for a specified period. The letter should include details of your employment, duration, your position, salary etc.
12. If self-employed: Evidence of your business activities, accounts and financial credibility
13. Evidence of ties to your home country – e.g. ownership of property, family ties/responsibilities, employment ties

Visa Application process:

1. Choose the right type of Visa – which can be a Visit visa, Transit Visa, Work Visa, Study Visa and some other visa types. Most of the application process for a British visa, including the visa requirements, depends on your purpose of visiting the UK.
2. Complete the application form online – Usually the application form contains questions on personal information such as your personal details, contact information, passport number, reason for wishing to enter the UK and other information about your application. If the information in the application form does not comply with the information in the other required documents, your application might face rejection.
3. Required Documents you need to collect for UK visa application – To apply for a UK visa you have to submit all the required documents, based on which the UK Home Office decides whether you meet the criteria to obtain a UK visa. There are different UK visa types for various traveling purposes. Therefore, for every visa type there are specific documents required to support your UK Visa application.
4. Schedule an appointment for UK Visa – After making the appointment online, print the email confirming the details of your appointment along with the required documents, and take it with you to the UK visa application center you have chosen to attend.
5. Attend the Interview for UK Visa – Every applicant who is submitting a visa application must attend the visa application center in person, including children. An adult must accompany applicants under 18 years old. When you attend the UK visa application center, you will need to provide your biometric information, which includes a photograph and a digital scan of your fingerprints.

Validity & Stay period:

The maximum duration of stay period allowed per visit is 180 days. Therefore, an applicant needs to demonstrate the intentions to visit the UK for a short period. Usually, the UK business visa duration is around 1-3 weeks but certainly not more than 180 days!

You can also apply for a longer-term UK Visa if you travel regularly to the UK. These UK Visas are valid for up to 2-10 years and allow multiple entries for up to 6 months on each trip.

Processing time:

Successful applications take 3 – 5 workdays to process before the passport is sentto the courier for delivery. Expect the delivery in another 2 working days.