UK Visa Application Forms

If you plan to visit the UK, either as a tourist or for other purposes such as business, education, or work, you will have to apply for a visa. Your UK visa application form is one of the most important parts of your entire visa application. A complete and correct application form is necessary for your application to be considered admissible, whereas any false or incorrect statement can result in your visa being rejected.

Use this step-by-step guide to help you with your UK visa application.

Completing the UK Visa Application Form

The UK visa application form consists of personal details, passport information, contact details, your family details, previous applications, travel history, and others.

How Do I Fill In My Personal Details on the UK Visa Application Form?

This is the first part of any application form. You should carefully and correctly write down your personal details as stated in your passport.

• Your name should be the same as it is on your passport. But you should not include your family name here. Only write down your name.
• Family name. Write down the family name the same as it is on your passport.
• Other names. You can include any other name that you are known by, or have been identified with in the past. This includes maiden name, name at birth, etc.
• Specify your legal sex, as stated on your passport, at the time of your application.
• Type of travel document. Specify the type of your passport. Options will look like this: Ordinary passport, diplomatic passport, service passport, official passport, special passport, other travel document.
• What is your marital status? You should write down your current marital status. Marriage is the legally recognized union of 2 persons. Unless you are single, you must provide any other relevant documentation, such as a civil partnership certificate, divorce, or death certificate.
  • You must select this if you have not entered into a legally recognized marriage or civil partnership.
  • You must hold proof of a legally recognised marriage.
  • Civil partnership. You must hold a certificate of your civil partnership. Your civil partnership should be registered, therefore, legally recognised.
  • Unmarried partner. If you are living with your partner but you two are not legally married.
  • Divorced/dissolved partnership. You are currently divorced, or your partnership has been dissolved, and you possess the documentation to prove this.
  • Widowed/surviving civil partner. Your partner, whether male or female, has passed away.
  • You and your partner no longer live together but have not yet divorced.

  How Do I Fill In My Passport Information on the UK Visa Application Form?

  Enter all information as they are stated on your passport.

  • Current passport or travel number. Write down your current passport or travel number. Your passport number is found in the top right-hand corner of the passport. Remember that the two numbers, the one in your passport and travel document, are different and unique to each document.
  • Place of Issue. Write down both the country and the city that issued your passport.
  • Issuing Authority. Write down the National Authority that issued your document/travel document. (E.g., HM Passport Office is the sole issuer of UK passports in the UK).
  • Date of Issue. Write down the date your passport was issued. Format must be DD/MM/YYYY.
  • Date of Expiry. Write down the date your passport will expire. Format must be DD/MM/YYYY.
  • Is this your first passport? You must answer Yes/No.
  • Details of previous passports and where these are now. You should provide details of any previous passport or travel document that you’ve had. If possible, you should include information about where your passport/travel document is now or in case it was lost, stolen or expired or returned and is no longer with you.

  How Do I Fill In My Contact Details on the UK Visa Application Form?

  Enter your contact information carefully, as they will be used to contact you at the time your application is being processed for further information or clarification.

  • Your full address and postal code. You must include the full address of where you currently live, as well as the house number and the postal or zip code/country.
  • How long have you lived at this address. Include details about your history of living at this address.
  • Home (landline) telephone number. If you have a home telephone number, write it down. If you don’t own one, please write ‘None’. Do not write your mobile telephone number here.
  • Your mobile telephone number. Write down your mobile telephone number and include the country code as well. You must include a phone number which you use because you may be contacted to discuss your application.
  • Email address. Write down your email address. If you don’t have one, write ‘None’.
  • Contact details if different from those given in question 3. Write down an alternative address to which you can be contacted.

  How Do I Fill in My Family Details on the UK Visa Application Form?

  Fill in your family’s details as shown below:

  • Father’s given name(s). Write down your father’s name (not surname).
  • Father’s family name. Write down your father’s surname, by which your family is known.
  • Father’s date of birth. Write down your father’s date of birth. Format must be DD/MM/YYYY (e.g., 22.04.1998).
  • Father’s place and country of birth. Write down the place and the country your father was born. Not the current place/country of birth.
  • Father’s nationality/nationalities. Include your father’s nationality or nationalities if they have more than one. You should mention all, no matter if they do not own those passports/travel documents any longer.
  • Mother’s given name (s). Write down your mother’s name (not surname).
  • Mother’s family name. Write down your mother’s surname, by which her family is known.
  • Mother’s date of birth. Write down your mother’s date of birth. Format must be DD/MM/YYYY.
  • Mother’s place and country of birth. Write down the place and the country your mother was born. Not the current place/country of birth.
  • Mother’s nationality/nationalities. Include your mother’s nationality or nationalities if they have more than one. You must mention all, regardless if they do not own those passports/travel documents any longer.
  • Full name of spouse/partner. Write down your spouse/partner’s full name as they are stated on their passport.
  • Spouse/partner’s nationality/nationalities. Write down your spouse/partner’s nationality or nationalities if they have more than one. You must mention all, regardless if they do not own those passports/travel documents any longer.
  • Spouse/partner’s date of birth. Write down your spouse/partner’s date of birth. Format must be DD/MM/YYYY.
  • Does your spouse/partner currently live with you at the address given in the question above? You must simply write down Yes/No. If they do not live with you, in the address given above, you must write the address where they are currently living now.
  • Will your spouse/partner be travelling with you? Answer Yes/No. If yes, they might also need a visa and therefore need to submit a separate application form.
  • Do you have any children? Write down Yes or No.
  • Please provide full details for each of your dependent children. Include all of your children’s full names, date and place of birth, as well as their passport numbers if they own a passport.
  • Do all of your children currently live with you at the address given in the question above? Check Yes or No. If they do not live with you, give details of where they are currently living.
  • Please list any of your children who will be travelling with you to the UK. Write down the names of all children who will be travelling with you. Remember, they might need a visa. If so, they must complete an application form of their own.
  • Will any other children be travelling with you? Check Yes or No. This question refers to all children under 18, who are not your own, that will be travelling with you. If they need a visa, they must complete an application form of their own.
  • If ‘Yes’, please provide full details about the child/children. You must provide all information about the children who will be travelling with you. This includes: their full name, date of birth as recorded in their passport, passport number, address, place of birth (where they were born, not where they currently live), their nationality and your relationship to the child and their parents as well.

  Additionally, if children under 18 are travelling on their own, they need a written notification from their parents that they consent to the child’s visit.

  Finances and Employment on the UK Visa Application Form

  This must be completed by all applicants. However, in the case of children who are still dependent, parents’ details should be written down instead. This section includes questions about finances and employment.

  • What are your current personal circumstances? You must check the box which applies to you. Options look like this:
    • Employed full-time
    • Employed part-time
    • Self-employed
    • Unemployed
    • Student (specify the course/s and institution you attend)
    • Retired
    • Supported by spouse/partner/other family member. Include all details, as well as their relationship to you.
    • Armed forces (including national service)
    • Government (central or local)
    • Judiciary
    • Media
    • Public or civil administration
    • Security (including police and private security companies).

    Previous Applications and Travel History on the UK Visa Application Form

    Before being granted your visa, there are some questions to which you should provide the answers regarding your travel history. Responses should all be truthful, as your travel history is an important determiner of whether you will be issued the visa or not.

    • Have you travelled to the UK in the last 10 years? Check Yes or No. If you have travelled to the UK for any purpose, whether for holidays, education, business trips etc., you must provide all details for trips in the last 10 years. You should provide the date, destination, purpose and duration.
    • Have you travelled outside your country of residence, excluding the UK, in the last 10 years? Check Yes or No. If you have been anywhere else, besides the UK, in the last 10 years, provide details of the date, destination(s), purpose, and duration.
    • Have you ever been refused a visa for any country, including the UK? Check Yes or No. If yes, write down details of all refused visa applications. If available, also include the reference number you were given when you were refused the said visa.
    • Have you been granted any UK visas in the last 10 years? Check Yes or No. Write down details of any UK visas that you were granted in the last 10 years, even if you did not use the visa (s).
    • Have you been refused entry on arrival to the UK in the last 10 years? Check Yes or No. Write down the details about when you were refused entry on arrival to the UK, which means you were refused to enter the country by the UK Immigration Officer. If available, also include the reference number of the port or airport where you were refused entry, which can be found on your refusal note.
    • Have you ever been deported, removed or otherwise required to leave any country, including the UK, in the last 10 years? Check Yes or No. Give details of the country you were removed from and the reason why. If you were asked to leave the UK, specify your Home Office reference number and how you left the country. Did you volunteer to return and pay for your own flight, or did the Home Office arrange the return flight for you? The Home Office reference number is prefixed with the first letter of your family name, e.g., if your last name was Williams, the reference number would look like this W123456.
    • Have you made an application to the Home Office to remain in the UK in the last 10 years? Check Yes or No. You are required to write down the date and purpose. If you were refused, specify the reason for the refusal. Include your Home Office reference number as well.
    • Do you have a UK National Insurance number? Check Yes or No. If yes, provide details of why you were issued a national insurance number. You can apply for a National Insurance number if you live in the UK, have the right to work in the UK, are working, looking for work or have an offer to start work.
    • Have you been convicted of any criminal offence (including driving offences) in the UK or any other country at any time? Check Yes or No. You must provide details of the place and date, as well as what you were convicted of and the sentence. You may as well include the official document, which details the crime you were convicted of.

    The following questions require a Yes or No response. If the answer is ‘Yes’ to any of the questions, you are required to provide details in the ‘Additional Information’ section, which you can find at the very end of the application form.

    • Have you been arrested and charged with any offence and are awaiting, or currently on, trial?
    • Have you had any UK court judgment against you for non-payment of a debt or received a civil penalty under the UK Immigration Acts?
    • Have you ever, by any means or medium, expressed views that justify or glorify terrorist violence or that may encourage others to terrorist acts or other serious criminal acts?
    • Have you engaged in any other activities that might indicate that you may not be considered a person of good character?

    Travelers Under the Age of 18 Visiting the UK

    Travelers who are under the age of 18 must also complete a separate application form if they plan to visit the UK. Applicants may complete the application form on their own, or their parent/guardian may do it on their behalf.

    • Please provide full details about your parent(s)/guardian(s) in your home country. You must provide the name, address, telephone number, email address and the relationship to them (father, mother or guardian).
    • Will you be travelling to the UK alone? Check Yes or No. If yes, you must provide full details of the adults who will accompany you, including their passport numbers and your exact relationship to them. Up to two adults may be listed. This information will be recorded on the child’s visa. In the future, if the child travels with different adults than the ones recorded on the visa, they will need a new visa. If the adults do not need a UK visa or already have one, give details of why they don’t need a visa, e.g., they have a British passport. Provide other details as well, such as their reference number and date of application.
    • Is the address you will be staying at a private address? Check Yes/No. A private address is considered a property which is owned by an individual, different from a hotel or hostel.
    • Please provide full details about the person you will be staying with. Specify the person you will be staying with, what is your relationship with them (father, mother, sibling, friend) and their name, address, and nationality.
    • If the person named above is not a British Citizen or a European Economic Area Citizen, please give details about what permission they have to be in the UK. You may want to include a copy of their bio-data page from their passport (the page with their photograph) and their visa if they have one. This will assist you with your application.
    • How long will you stay with this person? Specify the period you will be staying with the person who will accompany you on your trip.

    Depending on which type of visa you plan to apply for, there are different application forms which apply exactly to the reason for your visit.

    • If you are visiting for business, you must write down what you will be doing and how you are going to be paid.
    • If you are visiting for tourism, you must write down what you intend to do/visit.
    • If you are visiting for medical purposes, you must write down the treatment you will receive, how long it will take, and how much it will cost you.
    • If you are visiting to get married, provide details of your plans and your fiance’s name and her passport details, etc.