To travel to the UK, all Russians need to issue an appropriate entry document. A visa to the UK is done independently in 2019 through visa centers, only now Teleperformance has begun to manage them. These changes have been in place since 2014.
Self-applying for an English visa is possible at various offices of the visa center, which are in the following cities: Moscow, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don.
For those who decide to apply for a visa without refusals, quickly and inexpensively, we recommend the Online Visa Application Center.
The UK is one of the countries where it is most difficult for Russians to obtain a visa.
Schengen holders need to know that entry into the UK on this document is not possible, despite the fact that the state is a member of the European Union. In order to be able to get to the UK, you will need a national British visa, which in turn does not allow you to travel to other European countries.
If in the plan of the trip visiting other European states, you will need to obtain two visas. The first is the Schengen of the desired country, the second is a visa to Britain.
Obtaining any visa to England for Russians is a rather difficult process, but necessary, since without this document it is impossible to enter the state. There are various student programs, exchange programs, language schools for children and adults in the UK, not to mention thousands of tourists seeking to see the sights of London, Manchester, Liverpool and many other cities. Whatever the purpose of a Russian citizen going to the UK, no matter what age he may be, obtaining a visa to England is a mandatory procedure for everyone.
There are various rumors about the complexity and strictness of British visa laws in relation to Russian applicants. Many of our citizens are wondering how to get a visa to England and how great are the chances of a positive decision. Is it worth it to entrust this process to a third-party organization and overpay, but increase the possibility of success?
Many rumors are exaggerated and getting a visa to the UK on your own is not so difficult, and sometimes even easier, than through a third-party company.
For different purposes of travel, different types of British visas are given, which in turn have various terms actions and periods of permitted stay in the Kingdom, as well as a slightly different set of necessary papers for filing.
A tourist visa to England is one of the most common types of visas requested by citizens of the Russian Federation. It gives enough time to travel around the country and see interesting sights. On a tourist visa to the UK, you can stay in the state for up to six months or up to a year. There are a number of restrictions that this document imposes on its owner, in no case should they be violated, otherwise they may be deported from the country.
On a tourist visa, it is forbidden to work, register a marriage, study, receive any income, and so on. You can just travel or visit with friends / relatives / friends.
By and large, in terms of its parameters, this type of document is the same as a tourist visa to the UK, it entitles you to the same period of stay. It makes sense to issue it if there is no desire to spend money on a place of residence / hotel in England and the host country is ready to accommodate a Russian citizen who came to visit, and also act as a guarantor of his return back. Some additional paperwork is required to obtain this type of visa..
Recently, more precisely since 2014, a new rule has been introduced for Russians on transit through UK airports. Now, in order to be able to transplant, a visa to England is mandatory for Russians if it is planned to issue visas for international airport zones. The document also costs a certain amount of money.
Visa-free transit is possible only when there are no plans to leave international zones or there is a valid Schengen, American, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand visa.
Such an English visa is required for those Russians who have received a job opportunity in the UK and are going to work there. It is done with the assistance of an employer who has already hired a Russian employee and assumes a sufficiently high qualification and good education at the applicant. The work permit may be valid for a year or more.
There are many good educational institutions in the UK, so some of our fellow citizens prefer to send their children to study there. That's just for them, and you need a visa to Britain, which will give the right to be English student for more than one year.
There are two types of student visa: regular and Tier 4. The first is intended for students of language schools and courses, the second is necessary for students for long-term learning.
This document type is requested by those Russian citizens whose spouses, parents, children, grandparents and other close relatives are British citizens, or legal grounds live in the Kingdom. It gives the right to stay in the UK for quite a long time.
This document will be required if a marriage is planned with a British citizen or a citizen of another country legally residing in Britain. Such a visa is valid for six months, during which it is necessary to marry. After that, you will need to apply for a visa for the wife / husband.
Any type of the above entry documents can be issued in a special order, that is, urgently. This option is available to all applicants who are requesting a six-month or one-year visa. The advantages of an urgent visa to the UK is that for a fee in excess of the cost of a visa to England, established by law, the application is processed without a queue, that is, faster. For efficiency, an additional amount of pounds sterling must be added to the amount of the consular fee.
Urgent processing is possible only at the Visa Application Center in Moscow. In other branches, applications are processed in a standard manner.
The list of documents for a visa to the UK is quite extensive. You will have to provide a lot of information about yourself in order to convince decision makers of your honest intentions.
The relevant documents for a UK visa in 2019, their number and requirements for them will depend on the specific type of entry permit. There is a list that is mandatory for everyone, which is the main one, as well as separate additional papers that you need to provide depending on the purpose of your trip.
The list above is suitable for a tourist trip.
All certificates and letters that the applicant provides to the visa center must be provided with a translation into English language and signed by the translator's personal signature. Self-translation is also allowed. If third-party persons/organizations were involved in the translation, then it is necessary to indicate the name of the translator and his contact details.
If documents for a visa to the UK are submitted not in Moscow, then 2 photocopies of each document must be made.
Sometimes the applicant may be called to the Embassy or Consulate for a special interview.
Filling out an application for a visa to Britain on your own is a rather time-consuming and slow process. It consists of many paragraphs, some paragraphs contain several questions. A lot depends on how accurately and accurately the questionnaire is filled out. If the decision-makers find any inconsistencies in the questionnaire and in the package of documents, then you can get a refusal with almost 100% probability.
The questionnaire was written in English and consists of several sections:
In each section of the questionnaire there are many questions in English that you need to answer “correctly” in order to increase your chances. If there is any doubt that it will not be possible to cope with the independent translation of the questionnaire, then it is better to seek help from a person who knows the language well.
Photos must meet certain criteria, otherwise they will not be accepted and will have to be redone.
The current UK visa photo requirements are as follows:
It should be noted that in order to be able to travel with a child, he will also need to apply for a visa in advance. This will require:
Any visa to England independently in 2019 is done only through authorized Teleperformance visa centers. British Embassies and Consulates do not directly accept applications.
The algorithm explaining how to get a UK visa on your own is described below:
As you can see, to apply for a visa to England on your own, you will need some knowledge of the English language in order to deal with all the questions of the questionnaire and correctly fill out all the necessary forms. Some people prefer to use the services of intermediary agencies, as they do not feel they have sufficient strength and knowledge, but if the applicant speaks English and takes a little time to understand the procedures, then applying for a UK visa on their own will no longer seem so difficult process.
There are a lot of different types of entry documents to the UK, but they are all subtypes of a tourist, visitor, student, work, family or transit visa. All of them have different expiration dates and prices.
The corresponding visa cost and visa fee for the UK in 2019, as well as the validity period, are shown in the table. How much a visa costs depends on its type, as well as on the validity period.
There are single entry and multiple entry visas, which means that you can enter the UK many times. The cost of the consular fee for a visa to England in 2019 does not depend on whether it is a single document or a “multi”.
The visa center charges a fee for its services, as a package of documents is sent through it to UK Visas & Immigration. In addition to the cost of a visa to England, the applicant must also pay the amount of the visa center service fee. The Teleperformance website itself indicates that some visa application centers charge a fee for services, but does not clearly indicate the amount of the fee. The cost of a visa to the UK can only be paid by bank transfer in rubles.
The amount of the consular fee for consideration of the application in case of refusal is not refundable. The price is not tied to the ruble exchange rate.
The average period for consideration of applications is ten to fifteen days, but these terms are highly dependent on the place of submission and the workload of the visa application center during a particular period of time. Some have to wait up to sixty days for their applications to be processed. If a visa is requested for a year or more, then the terms may be longer than average.
It is recommended to apply as early as possible so that in a situation of possible delays, the trip does not fail. Now statistics are available on the terms of consideration from different cities, it can be taken into account.
There is a special option on the website of the visa application center to track the readiness of a visa to the UK. You need to go to your Personal Area and through it, by the number of your questionnaire, you can see at what stage the application is being considered.
Failure situations are not that rare. This can become a problem, given that official London is pursuing a consistent strict immigration policy for Russian citizens. It should be said that the greatest chances of obtaining a British visa are people with a good income and who own some kind of property in Russia. The UK loves wealthy tourists and guests. You may be denied for the following reasons:
We can say that despite all the difficulties, a visa to Britain can be obtained quite successfully on its own, and the person who really wants to go to the UK can get it very simply. You need to pay attention to the following rules:
London today attracts tourists, students and businessmen - it is the world's largest financial and business center. Since most immigration flows go to London (with the exception of some students who purposefully go to Cambridge or Oxford), this is where the wording “visa to London” came from. She is not entirely faithful, because. There is no separate visa specifically for the English capital in 2019. There is a visa to the UK, which gives the right to move throughout England and, in particular, to visit the famous London. We will tell you how to get it yourself in this article.
Please note that you will not be able to get permission to enter the UK on a standard Schengen visa. England has not signed a visa facilitation agreement, so its own rules still apply in 2019. So how do you get a visa for this country?
Step 1. Fill out the questionnaire. This must be done online on the website of the UK immigration service (note: the site is in English). In principle, thanks to any online translator, the site interface will be understandable even to people who do not speak English well. Start filling out the questionnaire with the "Register an account" button, which means "Register an account" in Russian.
After you fill in all the points of the questionnaire, you will be asked to pay the consular fee using your bank card. All procedures are carried out online. It is difficult to say what the consular fee will be in your case, since it depends on what kind of visa you need. Perhaps the answer to this question will help you about the cost of a visa to the UK in 2019.
If you are not traveling alone, but with your spouse or child, you do not need to create separate accounts for each applicant. The system will prompt you to fill in the data for each person within one account.
Step 2. Collect a package of documents. Be careful and take into account the data that is relevant exactly as of 2019. We wrote about the requirements for paperwork and what information needs to be collected (the list of documents differs depending on which category of visa you are applying for), we wrote in.
All references must be translated into English. You can have the translation done by a professional translator in advance, but if you know the language, you can easily translate the information yourself.
In 2019, Russians can apply for a visa at the consular section of the British Embassy or at the visa center. In the first case, you will first need to register - without this it is impossible to get an appointment. Russians use this method very rarely, because. today there are specialized visa centers. This option is more convenient - there are branches of the center not only in the administrative and cultural capital, but also in Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk.
A visit to the visa center is also carried out by appointment. You will see the date and time of admission on the last page of the questionnaire that you filled out (you can choose the option that is convenient for you).
When submitting documents at the visa center, you will be fingerprinted and photographed. The procedure is very fast, it is carried out in the next window with the window for filing documents, so you should not worry that you will need to take time off from work for the whole day.
After your documents have been accepted, you will be given a paper where your identification number will be indicated. By this number you can track the status of your documents. You can do this in the same system where you filled out the questionnaire. Only in this case, when entering it, select the button not “Register an account”, but “Login” (in English this is called “Log in”).
Be prepared for the fact that a visa to the UK takes quite a long time, compared to obtaining a standard Schengen visa or a visa to southeastern countries. On average, you can expect to be able to get your passport with a stamp (or without it - this also happens) in only 15 days. The term of consideration can be a little more, less - very rarely. The maximum period for consideration of documents according to the rules established by the administrative regulations in 2019 is 60 days, but in practice this is rather an exceptional case than a common practice. For an additional fee, you can order an expedited processing of your application (in this case, you will receive your passport back in about 5 days), but this is not possible in all cases. For example, a visa for family reunification cannot be issued in this format - only in the standard mode.
When you see in the system that your documents are in the visa center, you must collect them within 30 days. You can get your passport back either on your own or by ordering a courier delivery service (it is paid). Having received a passport, do not be surprised if a visa is issued there not for 10 years, which you requested, but for a shorter period. Unfortunately, the consulate does not always issue exactly the option for which you are applying. By the way, the difference in the consular fee is also not refundable, so initial stage you need to soberly assess your chances of obtaining one or another type of visa. For example, Russians who apply for a visa to England for the first time are unlikely to immediately receive an entry permit for a period of 10 years.
If you still have questions about applying for a visa, you can visit the official website of the UK immigration service.
In 2019, more and more Russians prefer to handle the UK visa process on their own. And the reason here is not only the desire to save money. The fact is that rumors about the incredible difficulty of obtaining permission to enter this country are greatly exaggerated, and the promises of intermediaries to issue a visa with a 100% guarantee in practice turn out to be nothing more than ordinary fables. Remember, that:
At the same time, it depends on how correctly your package of documents is drawn up whether you will be able to walk the streets of London in the near future or whether you will have to try your luck again by correcting the shortcomings and applying for a visa again. Carefully follow all the instructions, and you will be able to get permission to enter Foggy Albion on your own.
2016-03-08 Vitaly
London is one of the most interesting cities in the world. The capital of Great Britain attracts tourists at any time of the year.
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And many go here and not only on vacation or to study the cultural heritage.
After all, London is rightfully considered one of the centers of the world economy, business, finance, education and, of course, culture.
But before the trip, the Russians need to resolve the issue with a visa. Otherwise, visiting the country simply will not work.
Before traveling to London, many Russians wonder if they need an appropriate visa for this. And the answer to it will be positive.
Russian citizens are not allowed to enter or stay in the UK capital or any other place without a visa.
Comment. The complex political relationship between Russia and England makes it somewhat more difficult for Russians to obtain a visa to enter this country. The application process may take a little longer.
With a properly completed application form and all necessary documents especially not worth worrying about. But it is better to start registration in advance.
You can only visit London with a UK visa. The presence of the Schengen right to visit this country does not give.
Similarly, if an English visa is affixed to the international passport, then to visit countries from the Schengen zone, you will have to issue a separate entry permit.
Comment. Some sources contain information that transit through the country by Russian citizens can take place without obtaining a visa.
Given the complicated political relations between countries, this information must be checked by asking relevant questions to the employees of the Consulate.
In most cases, you will need to complete. Otherwise, serious problems are possible.
The design process itself consists of several stages:
Even before the start of filling out the application form and collecting the necessary documents, you should decide what specific type is needed.
If there is a desire to emigrate to London or another locality UK, you should apply for a permanent resident visa. The process of its registration will go a little differently.
Usually they are necessary for Russians only for a temporary stay in England.
They are of the following types:
| Tourist | It allows you to repeatedly enter the UK for the purpose of sightseeing, visiting various cultural and sporting events, festivals, etc. The validity period of this can be from 6 months to 10 years. The cost to London for Russians in 2019 will depend on the duration. Long-term permits can only be obtained if you use at least 2 times semi-annual visas. A sample application form can be |
| Business (business) | Gives the right to conduct negotiations in the country, visit various business exhibitions and seminars. It will be necessary to submit an invitation from British partners to receive this type, along with the rest of the package of documents. A sample application form can be |
| Family | It is issued to those who have close relatives permanently residing in Britain. Allows you to stay in the UK for up to a year |
| Guestbook | Designed for short-term (up to 6 months) visiting relatives or friends for the purpose of tourism, recreation, family meetings. It allows participation in sports competitions and short-term training |
| Fiancé or fiancee visa | One of the types of visitor visas for those who want to build family relationships with a UK citizen or permanent resident |
| Student | It is issued to those who travel to the UK for a long-term study for a period of 1 year or more. Its validity can be up to 2 years. Unlike student visas for most other countries in the UK, it allows you to work a certain number of hours per week, and not just study. But confirmation of admission to an educational institution is required. A sample application form can be |
| transit | Issued to those who make a transplant in the UK |
Special attention should be paid to the application complete package necessary binding documents to apply for a visa.
In many ways, it will depend on him whether a positive or negative decision will be made on the issue of the possibility of issuing a permit.
Consider what documents a Russian needs to apply for a British visa:
| international passport | It must have at least two blank pages and be valid for at least another six months after the intended date of departure from the UK |
| 2 photos | They must comply with established standard requirements. |
| Questionnaire | It should be filled out on the website and then printed. The application form must contain the personal signature of the applicant. |
| Old foreign passports | They should be provided if British or Schengen visas have already been granted. This can help increase the chances of getting a new one to the UK |
| Official | It is highly desirable that the certificate contain a phrase indicating that the applicant will be granted paid leave for the period of the trip. Students and schoolchildren, instead of a certificate from the place of work, must submit a certificate from educational institution |
| Documents confirming financial solvency | You can confirm the availability of funds necessary for the trip with a bank statement, a certificate of ownership of real estate, an extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (for business owners) |
| Receipt | On payment of the consular fee |
| Certificates of marriage, birth of children (under 18 years old) | And other documents regarding the marital status of the applicant |
| Confirmed hotel reservation | Round-trip air tickets (can be replaced with a reservation) |
| Medical insurance | Certificate of absence of tuberculosis. This document must be submitted by everyone who requests a visa for a period of six months or more. You can get it only in authorized clinics. |
All documents in Russian must be accompanied by an attached translation into English.
It is not necessary to notarize the translation; moreover, the applicant has the right to do it himself. Validity of certificates and various extracts is only 30 days.
When obtaining visas of certain types, additional documents may be requested:
The British visa application form is currently filled out only on the official website - https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/uk-visit-visa in electronic form.
Only after its confirmation it will be necessary to print the application and certify it with a personal signature.
Questions for different types may differ slightly and there are quite a lot of them, for example, for a business visa, their number exceeds 100 pieces. But in most cases they are easy.
Two photographs are required for registration. They must have a size of 35x45 mm, be in color and printed on matte photo paper.
Most of the frame should be occupied by the applicant's face, be clear, taken from the front. It is unacceptable to wear Sunglasses when photographing or hats.
In the latter case, an exception may be made for those who wear a head covering for religious reasons.
After filling out and printing the electronic application, it will be necessary to pay the established consular fee using a bank card or transfer to an account.
Only after that you need to make an appointment with an authorized service center.
There you will need to undergo fingerprinting, hand over documents and talk with employees.
Directly, the consular department at the British Embassy deals with registration only in emergency situations.
UK visas are currently handled by the authorized body Teleperformance.
She was specially created service centres In many major cities RF (Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg).
It is they who accept documents, do fingerprinting and a photo for a visa. A visit to one of them by the applicant is mandatory (even if it is a child under 5 years old).
The cost will depend on the duration of its validity and the type of permit itself. If you need to apply urgently, you will additionally have to pay a service fee of 100 pounds.
Detailed information on the cost of visas to the UK is given in the following table:
Important! You will also have to pay a service fee, its amount must be specified at the visa center.
The standard processing time for a visa is about 2 weeks. But recent times sometimes cases of its increase began to be observed.
Before various holidays can do up to 2 months. It is better to plan a trip in advance and submit all documents in advance.
Only those who have already visited the UK in the last 5 years and want to get a short-stay visa will be able to use the urgent processing.
Video: the process of obtaining permission to enter England
The British government has introduced the strictest visa system for foreigners. Moreover, even if you need a transit visa to London, it is not much easier to get one than a tourist or work visa.
If you are flying in transit through London, where a transfer to another plane is carried out, then a natural question arises: “Do I need a visa when transiting through the capital of Great Britain?”. The transit rules of this state have changed, since December 2014 the visa-free regime has become tougher. Under the new rules, a transit visa to London must be issued if:
It should be understood that there are two Irelands: Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and an independent state of the Republic of Ireland with its capital in Dublin. To visit Northern Ireland for Russians and citizens of other states, Schengen is not valid in this case.
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