UK Standard Visitor Visa from India (2026): Fee, Timeline and Documents

The UK is one of the most requested trips for Indian families, and one of the most refused when the file is weak. The Standard Visitor Visa is manageable if you understand what the caseworker is looking for.

What the Standard Visitor Visa covers

The Standard Visitor Visa is the single visa for tourism, visiting family or friends, most business meetings, and short courses. It normally lets you stay up to 6 months per visit. There is no separate tourist visa and business visa; it is one visa, and you state your purpose accurately in the application. It is a non-settlement visa: it does not lead to living or working in the UK, and you cannot take employment or public funds on it.

The fee in 2026

Fee as of 20 October 2026 · Source: Home Office fees table, 8 April 2026

The standard 6-month visit visa costs £135 since 8 April 2026 (it was £127 before). That is about ₹17,400 at HMRC's October 2026 rate of ₹129.06 per £1. If you travel to the UK often, a long-term visit visa costs £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years and £1,128 for 10 years. Each still allows up to 6 months per visit, and you do not re-apply for every trip. Visitors do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. Carry travel medical insurance, because you would pay for any NHS treatment yourself.

How long it takes

The published guideline is a decision within about 3 weeks (15 working days) of giving your biometrics at the visa centre, and in practice many straightforward Indian applications come back inside that window. Priority costs £500 extra for a decision in about 5 working days, and super priority £1,000 extra for the next working day. They only speed up the queue, not any additional checks, so they're not a fix for a weak file. Our UK priority vs standard guide covers when the extra fee is worth paying. Apply at least 3 to 4 weeks before you travel; you can submit up to 3 months ahead of your trip.

The documents that decide it

A UK refusal almost always comes down to two things: money and intent to return. Build the file around those:

1. Passport valid for the whole of your stay, with a blank page.
2. Bank statements for the last 6 months showing a steady, believable balance. A sudden large deposit just before applying is the biggest red flag; caseworkers read it as borrowed funds.
3. Proof of income: salary slips, an employment letter with your role, salary and approved leave dates; or for the self-employed, business registration, ITR and business bank statements.
4. Proof of ties to India: job, business, property or family that show you will return. Most refusals turn on this.
5. Trip plan: round-trip flight reservation and hotel bookings (or an invitation letter and the host's status and address if you are staying with family), matching your dates.
6. A short cover letter stating why you are going, how long, who is paying, and that you will return, tied to the evidence above.

Notice what's not decisive: being a first-time traveller, being young, or travelling solo. None of those refuse you. An inconsistent or thin financial story does.

The two mistakes that cause most refusals

First, funds that do not match the trip: a modest salary with an expensive multi-city itinerary, or a freshly funded account. Everything should add up. Second, a weak return case: no clear job, business or family anchor in India. Under UK rules the caseworker must be satisfied you are a visitor who will leave; give them concrete reasons to believe it.

Getting it right the first time

A UK refusal costs more than the fee: it becomes a previous refusal you must declare on every future application, including the US and Schengen. That's why the file matters more than the form. If the UK is on your 2026 list, start with our UK visa guide for Indians. It lists the current fee, the document checklist and the common refusal reasons, and we build and check the file with you before you submit.

Start your UK visa application

Fees and processing times are 2026 figures and can change; we confirm the current amounts against the official UK government source for your travel dates before you apply.