Visitor Visa Money: There Is No Minimum Balance

The Rule, in Full

Most searches for this land on a number. There is not one. For a Standard Visitor visa the whole of the money requirement is paragraph V 4.2(e) of Appendix V, which says the applicant:

must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds, including the cost of the return or onward journey, any costs relating to their dependants, and the cost of planned activities such as private medical treatment. The applicant must show that any funds they rely upon are held in a financial institution permitted under FIN 2.1 in Appendix Finance.

Three things follow from that. The amount is set by your trip, not by a threshold — a fortnight staying with family is not the same sum as three months in a hotel. The journey home counts, which is why a return or onward booking does double duty as evidence. And where the money sits matters: it has to be in a financial institution the rules permit.

Compare the Student visa, which does name figures — £1,529 a month in London, £1,171 outside it, for up to 9 months, held for 28 consecutive days. The visit route has no equivalent, and anyone quoting one for it is guessing.

What People Actually Send

GOV.UK publishes no document checklist for visitors, so nothing below is required. It is what applicants use to evidence V 4.2(e):

• Bank statements: no period is prescribed. Applicants commonly send several months of official statements, because a run of them shows where the money comes from and whether the balance is ordinary for them — a single day's balance shows neither.
• Employment letter: from your employer confirming job, salary, and approved leave. It evidences two things at once: where the income comes from, and what you are going back to under V 4.2(a).
• Business evidence: If self-employed, provide business registration, accounts, and tax returns.
• Property evidence: ownership documents for property in your home country, which speak to V 4.2(a) rather than to funds.

If Someone Is Sponsoring Your Visit

GOV.UK puts the requirement as being able to support yourself “or have funding from someone else”, and the same for the cost of the journey home. Where a friend or family member in the UK is paying, the usual evidence is:

• A letter from them explaining the relationship and setting out exactly what they will pay for
• Their bank statements
• The sponsor's employment or income evidence
• Evidence of accommodation (if the sponsor is hosting you)

See our invitation letter guide for what such a letter normally contains. For more on financial documents generally, see our financial documents guide.

Common Mistakes

• A deposit with nothing behind it. A sum that appears shortly before the application shows the balance but not whose it is. Evidence of the source is what joins the two.
• Funds that do not cover the trip described. V 4.2(e) is measured against your own plans, so a balance is assessed alongside the flights, accommodation and activities you have set out — including getting home again.
• Unofficial documents. App screenshots, unheaded printouts, and uncertified translations are weak evidence.
• Inconsistencies. Your declared income on the application form should match your bank statements and employment letter.

For more on refusal reasons, see our visitor visa refusal reasons guide and visa refused guide.

Next Steps

Related guides:

• Visitor Visa Requirements
• Visitor Visa Documents
• Financial Documents Guide
• Invitation Letter Guide
• Refusal Reasons Guide

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

Questions and answers