Indian passport holders need a visa before travelling to the United Kingdom for a holiday or family visit. There is no visa on arrival, and the route for most short trips is the Standard Visitor visa, applied for online through GOV.UK with a biometrics appointment at a Visa Application Centre in India. From 8 April 2026 the standard six-month fee is £135, up from £127, and successful applicants now usually receive a digital eVisa in a UKVI account instead of a physical sticker. The usual decision time outside the UK is three weeks after you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents.
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What the Standard Visitor Visa Covers — and What It Does Not
The Standard Visitor visa covers tourism, visiting family or friends, business meetings and conferences, short courses, and private medical treatment under its permitted-activities rules. It does not allow paid work, claiming public funds, or living in the UK through repeated long visits. You must show that you will leave at the end of your visit and can support yourself and pay for your return journey, from your own funds or a genuine sponsor. Each traveller, including each child, needs an individual application and fee, and each applicant must independently qualify.
The £135 Fee and the Long-Term Visitor Options
From 8 April 2026, the Standard Visitor visa for up to six months costs £135. Longer multiple-entry options cost more but still allow only up to six months per visit: two years £506, five years £903, and ten years £1,128. The fee is paid online in pounds, so the rupee amount charged can vary, and centre extras are optional and separate. The fee is not refunded on refusal. A longer visa is not automatically better: officers still assess whether the longer validity is justified, and it does not increase the six-month maximum stay per visit.
Documents and Money: There Is No Fixed Bank Balance
The UK does not publish a fixed minimum bank balance for a visitor visa, and any agent quoting one fixed figure for every applicant is inventing it. What matters is that your funds are enough for your specific trip — flights, accommodation, daily spending and return — and genuinely yours or genuinely provided by a sponsor, with a paper trail. Prepare a passport valid for the whole stay with at least one blank page, previous passports, bank statements for the last six months, salary slips and tax returns or business proof, an employment letter with approved leave, and a cover letter with a day-by-day itinerary. For family visits, add an invitation letter and the host’s status proof. For a child travelling without one or both parents, include signed consent and care-arrangement details. Non-English documents must be translated.
UK Standard Visitor Visa at a Glance
| Item | Rule for Indian Passport Holders |
|---|---|
| Visa required | Yes — Standard Visitor visa before travel; no visa on arrival |
| Application route | Online at GOV.UK, then a biometrics appointment at a Visa Application Centre in India |
| Standard fee, up to 6 months | £135 from 8 April 2026 (was £127) |
| 2-year long-term visa fee | £506, still up to 6 months per visit |
| 5-year long-term visa fee | £903, still up to 6 months per visit |
| 10-year long-term visa fee | £1,128, still up to 6 months per visit |
| Fee refund on refusal | No — the visa fee is non-refundable |
| Usual decision time, outside the UK | Usually within 3 weeks after applying online, proving identity and providing documents |
| Priority service | £500 extra, usually a decision within 5 working days, where available |
| Super priority service | £1,000 extra, usually a decision by the end of the next working day, where available |
| Maximum stay per visit | Up to 6 months, even on a long-term visa |
| Work rights | No paid work; business meetings and conferences only under visitor rules |
| After approval | Digital eVisa in a free UKVI account in most cases — check that your passport details in the account exactly match your travel document |
| At the appointment | You usually get your passport or travel document back on the same day as the appointment |
Step-by-Step: Apply for the UK Standard Visitor Visa From India
- Complete the online application at GOV.UK, choosing the validity you genuinely need, and note your GWF reference number.
- Pay the fee online — £135 for the standard six-month visa — and check whether priority or super priority service is offered for your application before paying extra, since availability varies.
- Attend your biometrics appointment at a Visa Application Centre with your passport and required documents, and provide fingerprints and a photograph.
- Submit supporting documents: passport and travel history, bank statements, income proof, employment or business proof, travel plan and, for family visits, the invitation and host’s status proof.
- Respond quickly to any further-document request or interview invitation, because verification can extend the usual three-week timeline.
- When the eVisa is granted, check your free UKVI account and confirm its passport details exactly match your travel document, since a carrier may refuse boarding on a mismatch. Apply eight to ten weeks ahead in busy periods, and never book non-refundable travel that depends on a visa arriving on a particular day.
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Common Mistakes Indian Travellers Should Avoid
First, do not budget the old £115 or £127 fee: from 8 April 2026 the standard fee is £135, with long-term fees of £506, £903 and £1,128. Second, do not believe a fixed bank-balance promise — the UK sets no fixed minimum. Third, do not hide a previous refusal or give inconsistent dates across family applications. Fourth, do not pay for priority service without checking availability for your application. Fifth, do not travel on an eVisa without checking your UKVI account for a passport mismatch. Sixth, do not plan paid work on a visitor visa. For a comparable visitor visa, see https://sunlightholidays.in/australia-visa-indians-visitor-600-new-fee-application-guide/ and for safe-application habits, see https://sunlightholidays.in/visa-guarantee-scam-alert-fake-agent-warning-signs/ — and for another recent digital-visa change, compare with https://sunlightholidays.in/digital-schengen-visa-overhaul-indians-guide/
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Do Indians need a visa for the UK?
Yes. Indian passport holders need a Standard Visitor visa granted before travel. There is no visa on arrival for Indian passport holders.
Q2: How much is the UK visitor visa fee for Indians in 2026?
£135 for the standard visa of up to six months from 8 April 2026. Long-term multiple-entry options cost £506 for two years, £903 for five years and £1,128 for ten years, with a maximum stay of six months per visit on all of them.
Q3: How long does a UK visitor visa take from India?
GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within three weeks after you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents. Priority service, where available, costs £500 extra and usually gives a decision within five working days, and super priority costs £1,000 extra and usually gives a decision by the end of the next working day.
Q4: Is the UK visa now a sticker or an eVisa?
In most cases it is now a digital eVisa held in a free UKVI account, replacing physical immigration documents. A visa vignette or sticker already issued stays valid until it expires, but new grants should be checked in the UKVI account before travel.
Q5: What bank balance do I need for a UK visitor visa?
There is no official fixed minimum. You must show enough money for your specific trip and return journey, with a clear paper trail, and the funds must be genuinely available to you or genuinely provided by your sponsor.
Sources: GOV.UK — Standard Visitor visa guidance and fees table (standard visa £135 from 8 April 2026, up from £127; 2-year £506, 5-year £903, 10-year £1,128; maximum stay 6 months per visit; usual decision within 3 weeks outside the UK after applying online, proving identity and providing documents; priority £500 for a decision usually within 5 working days and super priority £1,000 for a decision usually by the end of the next working day, where available); GOV.UK — eVisa and UKVI account guidance (eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents in most cases, UKVI account is free, passport details in the account must exactly match the travel document); GOV.UK — Visa Application Centre guidance (passport or travel document usually returned on the same day as the appointment).
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