Business Visitor Visa
A business visit may include permitted activities such as meetings, conferences and negotiating contracts. The proposed activities must fall within the visitor rules. The route does not provide general permission to take employment in the UK or establish a business through work that the visitor rules do not permit.
Waltham Law Chambers assists with straightforward Standard Visitor applications for permitted business activities
Who This Visa Is For
You may qualify for this visa category if you are:
Employees of an overseas company attending meetings, conferences, trade fairs or contract negotiations in the UK
Staff carrying out site visits, inspections or due diligence ahead of a UK contract or investment
Intra-corporate visitors delivering internal training, briefings, or short client-facing activities linked to an overseas role
Overseas experts undertaking a specific Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE), such as a lecture or professional examination
Do You Need a Visa or an ETA?
Visa nationals (most African, Asian and some Latin American countries) must apply for a Standard Visitor Visa in advance — you cannot travel first and apply later
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Non-visa nationals generally need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travel — a lighter-touch digital permission, but the same "no work" conditions and permitted activities apply
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Even where an ETA is sufficient, a full Standard Visitor Visa may still be worth applying for voluntarily if your history includes a previous refusal or other complicating factors, since it allows you to explain your circumstances in advance rather than at the border
What's Permitted
Business visitors can generally:
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Attend meetings, conferences, seminars and trade fairs
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Negotiate and sign contracts
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Carry out site visits, inspections and due diligence
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Deliver internal training to UK employees of an overseas group company
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Carry out certain intra-corporate and client-facing activities linked to an overseas role
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Undertake limited remote work for an overseas employer, provided this is incidental to the main purpose of the visit — not the reason for it
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Undertake a specific Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) as an expert in your profession — for example delivering a lecture or sitting a professional examination — provided it's pre-arranged, formally invited, and completed within 30 days of arrival
How We Help — Our Process
Free Initial Consultation
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Route Confirmation
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Documentation
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Application Submission
Ongoing Advice
Key Facts
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Length of stay: up to 6 months per visit
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Visa validity options: 6 months, or long-term multi-entry visas valid for 2, 5 or 10 years (each individual visit still capped at 6 months)
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English language requirement: none
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Processing time: published standard is around 3 weeks for visa applications; ETAs are typically decided within a few days
Fees vary by visa length and have changed more than once in the past year, so we always confirm the current fee against the Home Office schedule at the time of your application rather than quoting a fixed figure here.