Family Visiting You in the UK: Visitor Visas and the ETA

This guide is for people who have recently moved to the United Kingdom and want parents, siblings or friends from abroad to come and stay. After reading it, you will know whether a visitor needs a Standard Visitor visa, an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) or neither, how each is applied for, what it costs and how long a visit can last.

• Visa, ETA or neither: nationality decides
• What a family visit allows
• What every visitor must be able to show
• Applying for an ETA
• Applying for a Standard Visitor visa
• Length of stay and where to get help
• FAQ

Visa, ETA or neither: nationality decides

Relatives coming to see you travel as Standard Visitors. The GOV.UK Standard Visitor page counts a holiday or a trip to see family or friends as tourism, and says visitors can usually stay for up to 6 months. What a visitor needs before boarding depends on their nationality. Some must apply for a Standard Visitor visa before they travel. Others must apply for an ETA, which allows a visit of up to 6 months without a visa. A third group can visit for up to 6 months with neither.

According to the government’s ETA guidance, most visitors need either an ETA or a visa. People from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada and certain other countries usually need an ETA. The reason for the trip matters as well as the passport. Neither page lists every country, so both send travellers to GOV.UK’s online check. Holders of a British or Irish passport, and people who already have permission to live, work or study in the UK, do not need an ETA. The rules can also differ for travellers arriving from Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.

What a family visit allows

Besides holidays and family visits, a Standard Visitor can pass through the UK in transit, attend certain business meetings, volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity or take a recreational course of up to 30 days. Visits for medical reasons are also covered.

The limits are just as clear. A visitor cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless it is a permitted paid engagement. They cannot claim public funds (benefits), and they cannot live in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits. They also cannot marry, register a civil partnership or give notice of either. That needs a separate Marriage Visitor visa.

What every visitor must be able to show

These requirements apply whether a visitor needs a visa, an ETA or nothing at all. Each person needs a passport or travel document that is valid for the whole stay. They must be able to show three things: that they will leave at the end of the visit, that they can support themselves and any dependants during the trip, and that they can pay for their return or onward journey. Funding from someone else is accepted for both the trip and the journey. They must also show that they will not make the UK their main home.

Border officers may ask about eligibility and planned activities on arrival, and this includes visitors who did not need a visa. GOV.UK adds that anyone who has been refused entry before, or who has a criminal record, may want to apply for a Standard Visitor visa even when their nationality does not require one. The official pages say nothing about documents a host should supply, such as an invitation letter or proof of accommodation.

Applying for an ETA

An ETA costs £20. It covers travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months, for tourism, visiting family and certain other reasons. Applications go through the official GOV.UK service. The guidance warns that other websites may charge more, and that some imitate government services.

Every traveller needs their own ETA, including babies and children, and one person can apply for others. A family of four therefore needs four ETAs. A traveller changing planes who passes through UK border control before continuing their journey, known as landside transit, also needs one. Airlines can confirm whether this applies.

An ETA does not guarantee entry. Visitors can check online whether they hold one and when it expires. The guidance does not say how long an ETA is valid or how quickly decisions are made. ETA questions can be asked by webchat. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) cannot help with ETA enquiries by phone.

Applying for a Standard Visitor visa

Visitors whose nationality requires a visa must apply online before travelling. A Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for up to 6 months, and the earliest anyone can apply is 3 months before travel. Relatives who visit regularly can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead. The official page does not give its price or length.

A Standard Visitor visa also allows transit through the UK to another country. Anyone whose only reason for coming is transit can apply for a Visitor in Transit visa instead, for £74.50. Extra requirements apply to visits for medical reasons, permitted paid engagements, Erasmus+ placements and certain academic work.

Length of stay and where to get help

All three routes share the same usual maximum of 6 months. GOV.UK says visitors might be able to apply to stay longer in certain circumstances, and gives medical treatment as its example. Repeated visits that add up to living in the UK are not allowed. The official pages do not set a fixed gap between trips.

For general questions, start with the GOV.UK pages and the ETA webchat. Anyone with a specific immigration question, such as a past refusal or a longer stay, can speak to an adviser regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

FAQ

Do parents visiting from abroad need a visa or an ETA?

It depends on their nationality and why they are coming. For visits of up to 6 months, some nationalities need a Standard Visitor visa, some need an ETA and some need neither. GOV.UK says people from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada and certain other countries usually need an ETA.

Does a baby need its own ETA?

Yes. The ETA guidance says each person travelling needs an ETA, including babies and children. One person can apply for others, and each ETA costs £20.

How much is a Standard Visitor visa and when can it be applied for?

A Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for up to 6 months. The application is made online before travel, and the earliest anyone can apply is 3 months before the travel date.

Can a visiting relative work or stay longer than 6 months?

Visitors cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, except for permitted paid engagements. Stays are usually limited to 6 months, but longer stays may be possible in certain circumstances, such as medical treatment. Questions about a specific case can go to an OISC-regulated adviser or an SRA-regulated solicitor.

Official sources: gov.uk · gov.uk

Last verified: 11 November 2026 against the official pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the official page always wins.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Immigration advice in the UK may only be given by advisers regulated by the OISC or by solicitors regulated by the SRA.