UK Visitor Visa for Nigerian Citizens
What a Nigerian citizen applying for a UK Standard Visitor visa has to show under paragraph V 4.2, what it costs, where the tuberculosis rules bite, and how long a decision takes.
- Section
- Visitor Visa
- Reading time
- 10 min
- Last checked
- 12 March 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 Visitor visa: £135 for a stay of up to 6 months.
- Published decision time from outside the UK: 3 weeks; priority is £500 for about 5 working days.
- The rule is paragraph V 4.2 of Appendix V, and it is the same for every nationality.
- There is no minimum bank balance, and no required number of months of statements.
- Nigeria is on the tuberculosis testing list, but the test only applies to stays of 6 months or more.
Nigerian citizens need a visa to visit the UK. A Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for a stay of up to 6 months, and the published decision time from outside the UK is 3 weeks. The Home Office does not publish a refusal rate by nationality, so this guide sets out the five things paragraph V 4.2 of Appendix V requires, and what applicants use to evidence them.
What the Rules Require
Nigerian citizens are on the visa national list, so a Standard Visitor visa is needed before travelling. The test is paragraph V 4.2 of Appendix V, and it is identical for every nationality: the decision maker must be satisfied that the applicant is a genuine visitor.
You will find refusal rates for Nigeria quoted on other sites. The Home Office does not publish refusal rates by nationality, so those figures are estimates presented as facts, and Rowan does not carry them. Nor does any figure tell you anything about your own application, which is decided on its own evidence. See our guide to refusal reasons.
The Five Limbs of Paragraph V 4.2
A refusal letter names which of these the decision maker was not satisfied about. The wording is the rule's own:
- V 4.2(a): will leave the UK at the end of their visit.
- V 4.2(b): will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home.
- V 4.2(c): is genuinely seeking entry for a purpose permitted under the visitor route.
- V 4.2(d): will not undertake any of the prohibited activities in V 4.4 to V 4.6 — working, taking payment from a UK source.
- V 4.2(e): has sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs of the visit without working or accessing public funds, including the return or onward journey.
If you have been refused, see our visa refused guide. A visit visa refusal carries no right of appeal, and administrative review is available only where the decision letter says so. Only an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, or a solicitor, can advise on an individual case — our guide to adviser costs covers what that costs.
Financial Evidence for Nigerian Applicants
V 4.2(e) sets no figure and no minimum balance, and GOV.UK publishes no document checklist for visitors. Applicants from Nigeria commonly include:
- 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 rather than only what is there today
- Employment letter: On company letterhead, confirming your role, salary, and approved leave
- Tax returns: Tax clearance certificates and evidence of tax compliance
- Property or business ownership: title deeds, or registration documents from the Corporate Affairs Commission
A deposit that appears shortly before the application, with nothing to explain it, shows the balance but not whose it is. Money moved in temporarily and moved out again is a false representation, and Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules sets a 10-year re-entry ban where deception is used in an application. Note also that V 4.2(e) requires funds to be held in a financial institution permitted under FIN 2.1 of Appendix Finance. See our financial evidence guide and financial documents guide.
Tuberculosis Testing
Nigeria is on the GOV.UK list of countries where a tuberculosis test is required. The trigger is coming to the UK for 6 months or more having lived in a listed country for 6 months or more, so an ordinary visit of up to 6 months does not need one. An 11-month Short-Term Study visa does. Where it applies, you must be tested at a Home Office approved clinic, and the certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the chest x-ray. See GOV.UK on tuberculosis tests for visa applicants and our TB test guide.
Processing Times from Nigeria
- Standard: a service standard of 3 weeks, counted from the biometrics appointment rather than from payment
- Priority: £500 on top of the visa fee, for a decision usually within 5 working days, where the service is offered
You give biometrics at a visa application centre in Nigeria. GOV.UK publishes one service standard for visit visas applied for outside the UK rather than a figure per country. See our processing time guide.
Practical Points
- Be specific and detailed in your application form
- Provide a clear itinerary with dates and accommodation
- Show return flights or travel plans
- Include an invitation letter if visiting family or friends
- If you have been refused before, the refusal letter names the limb of V 4.2 that was not met — see our guide to applying yourself or using an adviser
Next Steps
Apply on GOV.UK and book a biometrics appointment at a visa application centre in Nigeria.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
How much does a UK Visitor visa cost from Nigeria?
A Standard Visitor visa for a stay of up to 6 months costs £135. Long-term visitor visas, which allow repeat visits of up to 6 months each, cost £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years and £1,128 for 10 years. The Home Office does not publish a refusal rate by nationality, so this guide sets out what the rules require rather than any chance of success.
Do Nigerian visitors need a TB test?
Nigeria is on the GOV.UK tuberculosis testing list. The test is needed if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more, so an ordinary visit of up to 6 months does not trigger it. Where it applies, you must be tested at a Home Office approved clinic, and the certificate lasts 6 months from the date of the x-ray.
What does a UK Visitor visa refusal letter say?
It names the limb of paragraph V 4.2 of Appendix V that the decision maker was not satisfied about: (a) that you will leave at the end of the visit, (b) that you will not live in the UK through frequent or successive visits, (c) that you are genuinely seeking entry for a permitted purpose, (d) that you will not do a prohibited activity such as working, or (e) that you have sufficient funds for the whole visit including the journey home.
How long does a UK Visitor Visa take from Nigeria?
The published service standard for a visit visa applied for outside the UK is 3 weeks, counted from the biometrics appointment. The priority service, where it is offered, costs £500 and GOV.UK says the decision usually comes within 5 working days.
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.