Business Visitor
If you wish to visit the UK as a business visitor and are a not a visa national you do not need entry clearance before travelling to the UK.
Click here to see whether you are a visa national and would thus require entry clearance. You will find it helpful to carry documents with you that will satisfy the immigration officer that you are a genuine business visitor to the UK. Please feel free to contact Breytenbachs if you are unsure whether your business falls within this category, we will be happy to help!
How do I qualify as a business visitor to the UK?
- You intend to visit the UK for a maximum of six months.
- You plan to leave the UK at the end of your visit.
- You have enough money to support and accommodate yourself without working or recourse to public funds.
- You normally work in your home country and have no plans to transfer your base to the UK.
- You do not plan to work or produce goods or supply services in the UK.
Some Rules and Restrictions on Business Visitors to the UK:
- You may transact business that is directly linked to your employment or business in your home country.
- You are not allowed to do work for which you would require a work permit, sell goods or supply services to the public or produce goods or supply services in the UK.
- You should continue to receive your salary abroad but you may receive reasonable expenses from the UK to cover your travel and living expenses.
- You are allowed to enter as a visitor if you are an entertainer or sportsperson coming to the UK for a trial or audition or for a personal appearance which does not involve a performance.
You are also inter alia allowed to:
- Attend meetings with UK businesses or negotiate and enter into contracts with them;
- Go to seminars, trade fairs, conferences etc or participate as a guest speaker, as long as it is a single or occasional event and not a commercial venture you are part of;
- Undertake fact finding missions and examine goods;
- Receive training in UK work practices and techniques, as long as it is limited to classroom instruction and observation only.
