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UK Visitor Visa Cost: £135 for Six Months

Understanding the full cost of a UK Visitor Visa helps you budget for your trip. This guide covers all fees, including the application fee, priority processing, and what you do not need to pay.

Checked 19 August 20266 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
Visitor Visa
Reading time
6 min
Last checked
19 August 2026
Source
The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
Rowan does not
Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.

In short

  • Standard 6-month Visitor Visa: £135.
  • Long-term visas: £506 (2 years), £903 (5 years), £1,128 (10 years).
  • No Immigration Health Surcharge for visitors.
  • Priority service £500, super priority service £1,000, where offered.
  • The fee is not returned once a decision is made.

The UK Visitor Visa is one of the cheaper UK visas. The standard 6-month visa costs £135, and visitors do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. Long-term visitor visas offer better value for frequent travellers. This guide breaks down all costs.

Visa Application Fees

The Standard Visitor Visa fees in 2026 are:

  • 6-month Standard Visitor Visa: £135
  • 2-year long-term Visitor Visa: £506
  • 5-year long-term Visitor Visa: £903
  • 10-year long-term Visitor Visa: £1,128

Long-term visitor visas allow multiple entries over the stated period. Each visit must not exceed 6 months. They are good value if you visit the UK regularly — for example, a 2-year visa costs £506 compared to £135 x 4 (£540) for four separate 6-month visas.

What You Do Not Pay

  • Immigration Health Surcharge: Not required for visitors.
  • Biometric enrolment: Included in the visa fee (you pay at the visa application centre as part of the process).

Compare this to other visa types on our UK visa fees guide. A Skilled Worker visa costs a great deal more once the healthcare surcharge is added — £1,035 a year for most people, £776 a year for students, their dependants, Youth Mobility and under-18s. Visitors pay neither, because the surcharge applies to permission of more than 6 months.

Priority Processing Fees

  • Priority (usually 5 working days): £500 on top of the visa fee
  • Super priority (usually by the end of the next working day): £1,000 on top of the visa fee

These are the fees GOV.UK publishes. Availability depends on your country and the time of year, and during busy periods slots may sell out. Check with your local visa application centre for current availability and pricing. See our processing time guide for more details.

Other Costs to Consider

  • Travel insurance: Recommended, as visitors are not covered by the NHS for most treatments.
  • Document preparation: Translation and notarisation costs if your documents are not in English.
  • TB test: Required for some nationalities. Costs vary by country. See our TB test guide.
  • Courier fees: Some visa application centres charge for passport return by courier.

Refunds

You can cancel an application only while you are still waiting for a decision. GOV.UK says that if you cancel before you give your fingerprints and photo, the fee will be refunded; if you cancel after that, it will not usually be refunded. Once a decision is made — including a refusal — the fee is not returned. The healthcare surcharge, where one is paid, is refunded in full if you cancel before a decision, and the priority service fee has to be asked for rather than coming back automatically. See GOV.UK on cancelling and refunds. Before you submit, see our financial evidence guide and refusal reasons guide.

Next Steps

Related guides:

For official information, see the GOV.UK Standard Visitor visa page and the GOV.UK visa fees table.

Questions and answers

How much is a UK Visitor Visa in 2026?

A Standard Visitor Visa (6 months) costs £135. Long-term visitor visas cost £506 (2 years), £903 (5 years), or £1,128 (10 years). These fees are paid when you submit your online application.

Do visitors pay the Immigration Health Surcharge?

No. Visitors do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. However, visitors are not entitled to free NHS treatment (except emergency treatment). You should have travel insurance.

Is there a priority service for Visitor Visas?

In many countries, yes. The priority service costs £500 on top of the visa fee and the decision usually comes within 5 working days. The super priority service costs £1,000 and the decision usually comes by the end of the next working day. Neither is available everywhere, so check what your visa application centre offers.

Can I get a refund of the fee?

You can only cancel an application while you are still waiting for a decision. If you cancel before you give your fingerprints and photo, GOV.UK says the fee will be refunded. If you cancel after that, it will not usually be refunded. A refused application is a decision, so the fee is not returned.

This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.

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