Europe
Indian passport holders need a Standard Visitor visa before travelling to the UK for tourism, family visits or short business trips. The application is made online on GOV.UK and biometrics are given at a visa application centre in India. Caseworkers look mainly at your finances, your job or studies, and whether you will leave at the end of the visit.
Where to apply: Apply online on GOV.UK, then book a visa application centre appointment in India to give fingerprints and a photo and hand in your passport and documents. UK Visas and Immigration decides the application.
A valid passport or travel document that covers the whole stay; it is handed in at the appointment.
Completed on GOV.UK with travel dates, where you will stay, estimated trip cost, home address and income.
Fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre.
Bank statements or proof of earnings showing you can pay for the trip and support any dependants.
A letter on headed paper from your employer or education provider confirming your status.
Details of travel over the last 10 years where asked; copies of old passports help.
If someone else pays or hosts you: what they will provide, how, and your relationship to them.
Invitation or organiser letters where the trip has a specific purpose.
A full, verifiable translation for any document not in English or Welsh.
Proof of relationship to the parent or guardian, plus a signed consent letter if travelling without them.
Only where the stay is longer than 6 months, for example some medical or academic visits.
Travel medical insurance: Not required for the visa; visitors are generally expected to pay for any medical treatment, so private cover is sensible.
A booked ticket is not asked for. The official supporting-documents guide actually places flight bookings (other than for transit) among papers that caseworkers do not need, and warns that no document guarantees a visa, so keep that in mind before paying for travel. The online form still asks for your planned travel dates, so some applicants keep a held itinerary for their own planning and consistency.
Get it for ₹708The online form asks where you will stay, but the supporting-documents guide lists hotel bookings among evidence that is not needed. If a host or sponsor is providing accommodation, evidence of that support and of your relationship to them is what the guide asks for.
Get it for ₹590Questions
No. The UK does not list a flight booking as a required document, and its supporting-documents guide says flight bookings are not needed unless you are transiting. The form only asks for your planned dates of travel. A held itinerary can help you plan those dates, but it will not strengthen a weak application.
You must say in the online form where you intend to stay, but a paid hotel booking is not a required document. The official guide lists hotel bookings among evidence caseworkers do not need. If someone is hosting you, show their support instead.
It is safest to buy the ticket only after the visa is issued. Decisions usually take about 3 weeks, and you can apply up to 3 months ahead, so there is time to book afterwards.
Up to 6 months on each visit. Long-term visas valid for 2, 5 or 10 years exist, but each stay is still limited to 6 months.
GOV.UK Standard Visitor pages and supporting-documents guide, read November 2026. Last checked 2026-11. We are not a government body and this page is general information, not visa advice. Consulates change their lists without notice, so always confirm on the official page before you apply.
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