Do I Need a Visa to Visit the UK?

Amir Nikfekr
Feb 16
4 min read

The UK is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, with 136 million arrivals in the 12 months leading up to September 2025. From historic sites like the Tower of London, Stonehenge, and Hadrian's Wall, each year, millions of visitors travel here to experience what British history and culture has the offer.

As tourists, most people will require permission before travelling to the UK. This is normally through a traditional Visitor visa or the more recently introduced ETA (Electronic Travel Authority). Your nationality will determine whether you need a visa or an ETA. There are differences between the two processes, so it is important to know which one applies to you, how much it costs, and how long you can expect processing to take.

What is a 'visa national'?

A visa national is a person who holds a nationality which the UK has determined will require prior permission, through an approved visa, before entering the UK as a tourist. A standard visitor visa is needed for the purpose of tourism, visiting friends or family, or carrying out other specifically approved activities. The process involves making an official application to UK Visas & Immigration, paying the application fee, uploading documents, and attending a biometrics appointment. The fee for a 6-month visitor visa is £127. The processing time is around 3 weeks.

The current visa national list contains 113 countries and territories. These countries are categorised by continent below:

Africa (52 countries)

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Asia (36 countries)

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen.

Americas (13 countries)

Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

Europe (9 countries)

Albania, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine.

Oceania (3 countries)

Fiji, Nauru and Vanuatu.

What is an 'ETA national'?

Electronic Travel Authorisation was introduced in 2023 for people from countries which do not require a visa for short stays (i.e. non-visa nationals). As with the visa national list, the list of nationalities requiring an Electronic Travel Authorisation before travel to the UK are known as as ETA nationals. The process involves making an official application to UK Visas & Immigration and paying the application fee. The fee for an ETA is currently £16. The processing time is normally within 72 hours. Once approved, your ETA will be valid for 2 years or until your passport expires (whichever is sooner).

The current ETA national list contains 85 countries:

Europe (34 countries)

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Vatican City.

Americas (21 countries)

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, USA, Uruguay, and The Bahamas.

Asia (15 countries)

Bahrain, Brunei, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Oceania (13 countries)

Australia, Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu.

Africa (2 countries)

Mauritius, Seychelles

Which nationalities visit the UK the most?

Home Office statistics up to the year ending September 2025 place Indian nationals at the highest number of Visitor visas granted with approximately 555,000. In second place is Chinese nationals with 475,000 grants. Turkish nationals are third highest with 223,000.

Other nationalities include Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Which nationalities have the most visitor visa refusals?

The countries with the highest number of refusals include India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and China, each with >10,000 refusals in total between Q1 - Q3 2025.

Which nationalities made the most ETA applications?

Home Office statistics up to the year ending September 2025 place U.S. nationals as the highest number of ETA applicants with approximately 4.67 million (>99.9% issued). The next on the list is Germany with 1.96 million ETA applications (>99.7% issued), followed by France, Italy, and Spain which had a combined 3.48 million applicants (>99.6% issued).

Which nationalities have the most ETA refusals?

The U.S. had 4,340 ETA refusals. The next six nations are occupied by EU countries, with a total of 4,904 ETA refusals across 5.1 million applicants between them. These are Romania, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, and Italy.

At Lace Law, we commonly advise applicants on the most appropriate route for their trip to the UK. An ETA is normally a straightforward process, but can be complicated by criminal convictions or past immigration issues. A Visitor visa is a lengthier process, with higher application fees and wait times. Whether you need an ETA or Visitor visa, you may want the peace of mind that your application is being made by experienced professionals who can spot potential problems and advise on the best strategy to avoid disappointment.