UK Confirms Visa Requirement For Over 100 Countries Visiting Under 6 Months

The United Kingdom has updated its Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor, reaffirming the list of countries and categories of travellers required to obtain a visa before travelling to the UK for visits or any stay of less than six months.

The updated guidance, released by the UK Home Office on July 1 and obtained by our reporters on Saturday, stated that nationals and citizens of more than 100 countries and territories must obtain entry clearance before travelling to the UK unless they qualify for specific exemptions under the Immigration Rules.

The guidance also states that “stateless persons and people travelling on documents other than a national passport or, where applicable, a national identity card must also obtain entry clearance before travelling, unless the document has been issued by the UK.”

According to the Home Office, limited exceptions apply to nationals of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, as indicated by an asterisk in the Immigration Rules, with the applicable exemptions outlined in subsequent provisions of the appendix.

Among the countries whose nationals are required to obtain a UK visa are:

The updated rules also clarify that, in addition to nationals of the listed countries, the following categories of travellers must obtain entry clearance before travelling to the UK:

• Stateless persons.
• Individuals travelling on any document other than a national passport or, where permitted under the rules, a national identity card, regardless of whether the document was issued by or indicates the nationality of a country not listed in the appendix, except where the document has been issued by the United Kingdom.

The revised Immigration Rules reaffirm the UK’s existing visa requirements for short-term visitors and set out the categories of travellers who must secure entry clearance before embarking on their journey to the country.