Transit change in London. Transfer in London: do I need a UK transit visa? UK Visa Application Centers in Russia

We will tell you if you need a visa to transit through London, when you can do without it and how to get it. The question of whether you need a visa to the UK to transit is becoming more and more relevant. Although London's airport is not comparable in size to Dubai's, it remains one of the largest in the world and welcomes thousands of tourists, including those in transit. Britain is known for its strict visa regime, and this also applies to passengers on connecting flights.

Britain - Island state and you can get here either by air or by sea. From which way a foreigner arrives and how long he will wait for a new flight directly depends on whether he will need transit visa in London. General conditions under which transit clearance is not required:

docking will take no more than 24 hours;
in the hands of the passenger tickets for transport and a visa to a third country;
Entry and exit are made by one mode of transport.

Transfer at the airport

The need to obtain a visa when transferring at the airport directly depends on how soon your plane arrives and at which airport you plan to land. Ideally, your flights depart and arrive at one of the airports: Heathrow and Gatwick in London. In this case, you can, without leaving the airport transit area, make a transfer in London within 24 hours without the need for a transit visa.

Attention! If the connection time is longer than the stipulated time, or if the departure on a new flight is from another airport, then the transit zone will have to be left, which means that permission will inevitably be required.

Entering the port

The British authorities do not want to leave any loopholes for illegal migrants to enter the country. With the onset of the migration crisis in 2015, foreigners arriving in seaports the islands are not entitled to leave the ship and take a walk. Now you have to watch the city lights from the board, this is a strict rule, otherwise you will still have to request an English visa.

Who can do without a visa?

WITH latest changes the circle of persons who can do without transit during a transplant has been expanded:

on the way to the USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia in the presence of valid visas of these countries, as well as back from them;
on the way from the USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia, with an expired visa of these countries, provided that the foreigner last entered these states no more than six months ago.
a foreigner who has a residence permit in Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada from 28.07.2002, any Schengen country, or the USA from 21.04. 1998;
a foreigner holding a national visa D of any Schengen country or Switzerland;
when traveling to or from Ireland with a valid Irish visa.

Other foreigners who are not able to comply with strict conditions are required to apply for a visa.

What is a transit visa?

This is a stamp on the applicant's passport that allows them to stay in the UK for 48 hours to transfer to an air or sea flight to a third country, in addition, you can catch a glimpse of the beauty of London. Usually, an entry permit is valid for six months, but after activation, only a couple of days remain. This is a very short-term visa and to obtain it you will have to go through the same procedure as for issuing, for example, a tourist permit.

Transit visa documents

In fact, a transit visa to the UK and the procedure for obtaining it is usually identical to a short-term one, you will have to submit the same impressive package of documents and visit the consulate. You must have with you:

application form - an application for a transit visa;
a passport valid for another six months with two blank pages;
copies or originals of all old passports, especially if they have used visas;
photo 35 by 45 mm. Schengen format;
health insurance policy for the entire stay in the country;
certificate from the place of work on the position held, the amount of income and length of service;
pensioners - pension certificate;
students - student card;
tickets for a flight to London and a flight from England;
booking a hotel or hotel for the duration of your stay in London.

Attention! Not superfluous will be a letter from the sponsor for those. who cannot prove that they finance the trip themselves

All documents must be submitted in English, if they were originally written in Russian, then you will have to contact a translator and a notary to certify the translation.
British Consulate officials reserve the right to require additional documents confirming the purpose of the trip, the applicant's actual ties with Russia and the intention to return.

Cost and terms of registration

The price of self-issuance of such a permit is about $80, if the visa has to be transferred to a new passport, then it will double to $160.

So, we answered the question of whether a transit visa is needed when transplanting in London, but we must remember that the British authorities are very sensitive to migration issues. Even if the conditions for visa-free entry are met, problems may arise for foreigners who have previously been deported from somewhere, have a previous criminal record or have been denied an English visa.

The official message on the website of the British Consular Service informs that the visa service considers applications on such issues within up to 2 months. In practice, it usually takes 3 weeks.

Basic rules for visa-free transit through the UK:

transit is carried out within the same airport without access to the city;

transit is carried out on the same day (until 23:59).

♦ Types of transit through the UK

Transit in the transit zone of the airport (Airside Transit):

Passengers in transit who change in the transit area of the same airport do not need to go through border control to enter the UK.

When flying to the countries of the Common Immigration Area with the UK ( Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man) transit is not possible in the TRANSIT AREA - passengers will need to go through border control.

To travel through the UK in direct transit, a passenger must meet the requirements below:

arriving and departing by plane;
be in possession of airline tickets for departure from the United Kingdom in the same a day from the same airport (tickets must be confirmed);

Example when a transit visa need not:

Flight Moscow — London (Heathrow), London (Heathrow) — New York. Departure from London on the same day (until 23:59) as arrival.

Transit with access to the public area (Landside Transit):

Transit with access to the common area means passing through border control to enter the UK:

in case of airport change;
to pick up luggage;
if transit in the transit zone of the airport is not possible.

Passengers for visa-free transit through the UK with access to the public area must meet the following criteria:

travel strictly by plane;
have air tickets for the next flight with a departure time no later than 23:59 the next day after arrival in the UK;
have Required documents to enter the country of destination (for example, a visa).

Passengers are not prohibited from visa-free transit when they have one of the following documents in their hands:

a valid visa to enter Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the US and a valid air ticket through the UK as part of a trip to that country;
a valid visa to enter Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States; at the same time, this country (to which the passenger has a visa to enter) must be part of the passenger's trip; the passenger must be traveling FROM this country, and no more than 6 months have passed since the date of the last entry into this country;

Example: If a passenger went to study in Canada a year ago and has not left Canada for a year, then when returning home through the UK, he will not be able to use visa-free transit

a valid residence permit issued by a country belonging to the European Economic Area or Switzerland;
a valid D visa issued by a country belonging to the European Economic Area or Switzerland;
a valid Irish biometric visa (for citizens of the Russian Federation currently issued visas without biometrics) stamped BC or BC BIVS, provided that the country of destination is Ireland;
a valid residence permit issued by Australia/Canada after June 28, 2002/New Zealand;
a valid residence permit issued by the United States after April 21, 1998; or a valid temporary I-551 immigrant visa (stamps will not be counted by border control); or an expired I-551 residence permit (card), along with an I-797 renewal letter; or US Immigration Form 155A/155B (attached to the sealed brown envelope).

Important: electronic visas and residence permits for transit with access to the public area are NOT accepted.

Please note: the transit route must be justified and logical. For example, there are no direct flights from your country of residence to your destination country, or flights through the UK are significantly cheaper or take less time. That is, a flight from Moscow to Amsterdam via London is unlikely to look convincing.

The decision on whether to allow a passenger a visa-free transit with the right to exit the transit area is made by the Immigration Officer at the UK border. The officer must be satisfied that the passenger is indeed passing through the United Kingdom for the purpose of transit. In other words, the possibility of transit depends on the decision of a particular person and there is no guarantee that visa-free transit will not be denied.

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A transit visa to the UK is needed if, following to any other state, you are forced to make a change in the territory of the Kingdom. This used to be a recommendation. Now - from December 1, 2014 - it is necessary.

The rules have changed

The fact is that before the immigration service made concessions for transit travelers if they presented tickets indicating the need for transit and if their stay in Britain was no more than a day.

With 24 hours to spare, a tourist without an English visa could visit London by way. True, the decision on visa-free transit was made on the spot directly by immigration officers, and it was not always positive.

To reduce the number of illegal immigrants flooding the Kingdom, the British Immigration Service introduced new rules in October last year, according to which the vast majority of travelers from Russia and Ukraine need a transit visa to England. In December 2014, the innovations went into effect.

UK Visas: Video

The essence of the changes

Now, in order to check in or receive luggage, go to another terminal, get an overnight stay at a hotel or move to another airport, you need a transit visa to the UK.

Exceptions are made for passengers who meet each of these requirements:

In addition, the passenger must meet at least one of the following conditions:

Country of destination Canada, USA, New Zealand, or Australia, and you have a visa from that country;
If you arrived from one of the above countries, and you stayed in it for no more than six months and you have a visa from this country;
If you have a residence permit in one of the above countries, in Switzerland or in any of the states that are part of the European Economic Area;
If you have a national valid visa for a period of more than 3 months (category D) issued by any of the states of the European Economic Area or Switzerland;
If you are flying from Ireland and your last entry into Ireland was less than three months old, or you are flying to Ireland and have a valid biometric visa.

UK visa types: Video

Is a visa concession possible now?

Do I need a visa when transiting through London if the time between flights is less than 24 hours? You can answer the question if you know at which airport you will be transferring.

The rules state that the conditions for air visa-free transit (that is, a transfer in which the passenger does not leave the transit zone) have not changed.

If you stay within the airport transit area and show immigration officers the purchased tickets, visa, or hotel reservations in another country, you may be subject to a visa concession.

Transit terminals are only available at Gatwick and Heathrow airports. That is, if you are in one of them, departing in less than a day and you have permission to enter the country where you are flying, then you can count on a visa concession. If you are departing later than 11:59 p.m., you will need to process transit to wait inside the transit terminal.

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Do I need a visa if the transfer in London will take place at an airport that does not have a transit terminal? If you land at an airport that does not have a transit area, such as Stansted or Luton, you will definitely need to take care of transit in advance.

Start preparing documents in advance

Whether you need a visa to transit through London is up to you. If you do not meet the new UK immigration criteria, you have two options.

You can choose the route in such a way that the transfer is carried out at the airport, where there are transit zone, and the time between flights was no more than 24 hours to exercise the right of visa concession. Although immigration officers have the right to refuse you.

Following the second, safer way, apply for a transit visa to England. It will allow you to stay in England for up to 48 hours. It is issued for six months. The list of documents is almost the same as when receiving a guest visa, but instead of an invitation, you will need to attach tickets and permission to enter the country of destination.

Taking into account the terms of consideration of visa cases, as well as the time required to collect all the certificates, start filling out the documents in advance to avoid annoying misunderstandings during the trip.

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Russians need a visa to visit London. And You can't enter the country with a Schengen visa, since the UK did not sign an agreement on a simplified passport and visa regime at the borders of the EU countries. Similarly with a British visa document, it is not possible to enter other European countries. A visa to London is issued in British service centers, which are located in a number of cities in Russia.

Types of visa documents

Depending on the purpose of travel to the country, one or another type of visa document is issued. Let's consider the main ones.

Visitor Visa

This visa is required if the purpose of travel is tourism, a visit to relatives or a business trip. And in each case, supporting documents will be required.

For example, a tourist visa requires documents confirming the availability of a booked hotel room or renting an apartment.

If a foreigner travels as a guest to friends or relatives, then an invitation letter from their side is required, which indicates the time, purpose of the trip and the proposed address of residence. Moreover, documents confirming the status of the inviting party are required: copies of a residence permit or passport.

In the case of a business visit, a foreigner is required to provide an invitation letter from a British company indicating the duration of the trip and information about who sponsors it.

Transit visa

When transiting through England, a visa is required. However possible transit through London without a visa. To do this, the foreigner must:

travel exclusively by plane;
depart from the Kingdom within 24 hours after arrival at the airport;
have a ticket for a flight to a third country;
stopping in Britain should have a logical explanation. For example, a flight through London will seem more than strange if a foreigner travels from St. Petersburg to Paris.

These are the so-called general conditions. But in order to not be required, the traveler must also meet one of the following requirements:

the country of arrival is the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Or a foreign citizen flies from these countries through Britain to a third country;
the traveler has a residence permit in the above countries or in;
the person has a visa type "D",;
a foreigner is flying to (or from) and he has a national visa of this state.

More detailed information about all types of English visas and their registration can be obtained.

Obtaining a visa

To get started on the site //www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/account/register you need to create your own account, fill out, print and sign the application form. All information is entered in English. After entering all the data, a personal number will be sent to the email address specified when creating the account. In the future, you will need it to register at the visa center. Then you should prepare a package of documents:

Passport with a validity period of more than six months and at least two blank sheets;
One photo that meets all the requirements described below. The photo is pasted into the questionnaire;
, where the position held and the amount of the monthly salary are indicated;
Financial documentation of the availability of funds sufficient to complete the trip.

Photo Requirements

One photo is attached to the application form, which must meet the following conditions:

photo size is 3.5x4.5 cm;
the photograph was taken no later than six months before the application was submitted;
photographs of the applicant wearing sunglasses, a hat or other accessories are not accepted if their use is not related to religious beliefs;
the image is performed on a light background and occupies at least 70% of the entire image.

Financial documents

You can confirm financial solvency if you provide the following documentation:

Bank statement for the last six months;
Certificate 2-NDFL or other document confirming the receipt of wages;
Tax returns stamped by the IFTS.

Supporting documentation does not include certificates of ownership of real estate. However, their presence can significantly increase the chances of obtaining a visa. It is worth adding that when paying for a trip by a third party, financial documentation on the solvency of the sponsor is provided.

Submission of documents to the visa center

Prepared documents are submitted to one of the visa centers. Embassies and consulates located in the Russian Federation do not deal with visa issues. You can sign up for the submission of documents on the website tpcontact.co.uk but first you need to create your own account. When registering, an e-mail, a previously issued personal number, passport data, last name and first name are indicated. After the account is created, the place and date of application submission is selected. Here, the visa fee is paid online, and, if necessary, ordered Additional services, for example, courier delivery or urgent visa processing. After entering all the data, a letter will be generated, which must be printed and attached to the package of documents.

At the specified time, you should visit the visa center (it is better to arrive 15 minutes earlier). You will have to go through the procedures of scanning fingerprints and taking a digital photo. If the applicant refuses to undergo these activities, then the issuance of a British visa will automatically be denied. In the presence of cuts or scratches, as well as swelling on the fingers or face, it is necessary to wait for their healing: if the skin is damaged, biometric data is not taken. The procedure itself takes no longer than 20 minutes.

It usually takes up to 15 days to process a visa to London. But it is advisable to take care of applying in advance. It takes no more than 3-5 days to issue an urgent visa. In a shorter time, applications from persons who have visas to, or countries of the Schengen agreement are considered. When issuing a visa for a period of more than two years, the documents are studied within one month.

Visa to certain regions of the country

There is no separate visa for entering certain parts of the country (Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales), as well as cities of the Kingdom, for example, London. In all cases, a UK national visa is issued.

Traveling with children

If you plan to travel with a minor child, you must provide a birth certificate (make a copy) and have the written consent of the other parent. If a child travels to the UK unaccompanied, the consent of both parents is required. In the absence of a second parent, it is necessary to provide certificates confirming this fact.

All supporting documents must be translated into English language. Moreover, both the applicant himself and the specialist of the Translation Agency or another person who speaks the language can translate the documentation. Notarization is not required.

Issuing a visa: independently or through agencies?

If the question arises about a trip to Britain, then there are two options for solving it: contact the agency to complete the necessary documentation or get a visa to London on your own. Given that The UK is a country with a fairly strict migration policy., then the advantages of seeking help from agencies are obvious. The specialists of such organizations know all the subtleties, pitfalls and nuances of obtaining a visa, in addition, the process of obtaining an entry document is reduced to the maximum short terms. But for their services, such organizations, of course, will charge an additional fee.

On average, depending on the type of visa, the cost of processing documents at the agency will vary in the range of 3000-9000 rubles. To this amount should be added the cost of the consular fee, which will vary depending on the type of visa. For example, the cost of a visa to London for up to 6 months will be $132. If a visit is planned that will last two years, the consular fee increases to $459. It is, of course, cheaper to apply for a visa on your own, but the probability