Visa Information

There is only one single set of visitor rules for the UK, detailed below, which applies to all visitors. If you are a non-visa national e.g. EU/EEA citizen, then you do not need a visit visa but must follow the same rules.

You can conduct a wide range of business activity for up to six months in a single visit. The permitted business activity is as follows:

GENERAL BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

A visitor may: 

1. attend meetings, conferences, seminars, interviews
2. give a one-off or short series of talks and speeches provided these are not organised as commercial events and will not make a profit for the organiser
3. negotiate and sign deals and contracts
4. attend trade fairs, for promotional work only, provided the visitor is not directly selling; or
5. carry out site visits and inspections
6. gather information for their employment overseas
7. be briefed on the requirements of a UK-based customer, provided any work for the customer is done outside of the UK

INTRA-CORPORATE ACTIVITIES

An employee of an overseas based company may:

1. advise and consult
2. trouble-shoot
3. provide training
4. share skills and knowledge

on a specific internal project with UK employees of the same corporate group, provided no work is carried out directly with clients.

An internal auditor may carry out regulatory or financial audits at a UK branch of the same group of companies as the visitor’s employer overseas.

CLIENTS OF UK EXPORTS COMPANIES

A client of a UK export company may be seconded to the UK company in order to oversee the requirements for goods and services that are being provided under contract by the UK company or its subsidiary company, provided the two companies are not part of the same group.

As a visitor they can only conduct activities within the scope of the visitor rules linked above, and must show that:

• they will leave the UK at the end of their visit
• they are able to support themselves and any dependants during the trip (or have funding from someone else for this purpose)
• they are able to pay for their return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else to pay for the journey)
• they will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home

The UK Government Visit Caseworker Guidance provides insight into the process and requirements. It is worth noting that the supplier/installation clause states:

“Visitors are likely to stay for less than one month to carry out this activity because they will be in employment overseas. If they request longer, you should look carefully at what they will be doing in the UK and be sure they are not filling a role in the UK company. Activities lasting more than 90 days are not an automatic ground for refusal but may lead to questions about their intention to be in the UK for a short visit and how they will be able to continue their overseas role.”