What documents do you need to travel to the UK?

The travel documents required for traveling to the UK depend on your nationality, you reason for entering, and which country you’re coming from. Generally speaking, you need a passport or national identity card (if you’re a citizen of an EU country) and a UK visa (unless you’re from a visa-exempt country).

The UK is currently an EU member but isn’t a member of the Schengen Area. This means there’s a hard border between the UK and other EU countries except for Ireland.

There’s a range of different UK visas for different purposes. The UK EVW is the quickest to apply for as the application’s completed online. At the moment, only citizens of the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman can apply but more countries will probably be added to the list.

Do I need a passport to go to the UK?

You need a valid passport to visit the UK. However, there’s a couple of exceptions:

1) When traveling within the ‘Common Travel Area’.

The UK is in the Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. You don’t need a passport to travel to other parts of the zone but you need to show a form of ID.

2) If you have a valid national identity card from an EU country.

EU citizens can enter the UK by either presenting their national identity card or their passport. There’s a separate queue marked ‘EEA/EU‘ for EU citizens. This may change in the future after the UK leaves the EU but this is unlikely to happen before 2022.

How long should your passport be valid for when traveling to the UK?

Your passport needs to be valid for the length of your stay.

Can I travel to the UK with an ID card?

Yes, as long as it’s valid and has been issued by an EU country.

Traveling to the UK with children

You may be asked to prove the relationship between yourself and any accompanying children by presenting documentation such as a birth certificate.

What do I need to enter the UK?

Travel documents to travel to the UK: You need a passport to enter the UK (unless you fall into one of the categories outlined above) and possibly a visa. There are many nationalities who can enter for periods of up to 6 months without a visa (or up to 3 months if entering from Ireland).

Visa exempt countries

Types of UK visas

If you’re not from one of the visa-exempt countries listed above you need to obtain a visa to enter the UK. Here are some of the most common types of visas:

Visitor visas

You can apply for a visitor visa which allows you to visit for a range of purposes including tourism, business, and short-term private medical treatment.

Work visas

The UK has a points-based system which controls the flow of workers entering the country. There are different tiers of visa depending on the type of work.

Student visas

There are various categories of student visas for different purposes and for different age groups. Short-term and long-term options are possible.

UK EVW

The UK EVW is an electronic United Kingdom tourist visa which is currently available to citizens of the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman. The UK Electronic Visa Waiver application form only takes a few minutes to complete. Applicants need to meet the UK visa waiver requirements.

If you’re traveling to the UK for the first time and you’re not sure which visa you need, read this guide on UK visa types for more information.

Documents required for EU/EEA Citizens to enter the UK

Since the next Brexit deadline to reach a deal between Britain and the European Union is October 31st, 2019 the UK is still part of the EU. That means that citizens of the EU and Economic European Area (EEA) will only need their passport or national ID in order to enter the UK. Both electronic chip passports and traditional passports are accepted.

EU countries other than the UK are:

EEA countries that are not in the EU include:

Switzerland is not part of the EU nor the EEA. However, it is part of the single market — this means that Swiss citizens have the same rights to travel to and work in the UK as EEA nationals.

Documents required for non-EU citizens to enter the UK

Non-EU citizens are likely to need a travel permit as well as their passport in order to enter the UK. This may be a visa or visa waiver, depending on the traveler’s nationality and travel circumstances. The UK issues a variety of visa types including visitor visas, points-regulated work visas, student visas, and more.

Some visas require travelers to visit a UK diplomatic mission in order to apply, others can be requested online. Either way, the traveler will need to bring a printed copy of their visa with them as they approach the UK border.

Citizens of the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman can apply for an electronic visa waiver for the UK online. The application only takes minutes and once approved, will grant the applicant an electronic travel authorization that can be simply printed out and shown to the British authorities upon arrival. In order to obtain a UK electronic travel authorization, applicants will need to provide:

Beside EU citizens, a number of nationalities are also visa-exempt thanks to diplomatic agreements. Travelers from the following countries can travel visa-free and stay on British territory for up to 6 months (or 3 months if entering from Ireland):

As mentioned before, unless they are from a visa-exempt country, all foreign nationals entering the UK will need a visa. This means that even if you’re spending a very limited amount of time on UK soil (for example, transiting to another country) it’s important that you check whether you’ll need a visa to do so before traveling.

Entering the UK with children: what you need to bring

Once they arrive at the border, international travelers may be asked to provide evidence of their relationship with any children traveling with them. This is especially the case if the children and accompanying adult don’t share the same surname.

Documents considered as proof of relationship when traveling with children to the UK include: