The United Kingdom has updated its Immigration Rules under Appendix Visitor, reaffirming the list of countries whose nationals must obtain a visa before travelling to the UK for visits or stays of less than six months.
The updated guidance, published by the UK Home Office on July 1, states that nationals of more than 100 countries and territories are required to obtain entry clearance before travelling to the UK unless they qualify for specific exemptions under the Immigration Rules.
According to the guidance, “stateless persons and people travelling on documents other than a national passport or, where applicable, a national identity card must also obtain entry clearance before travelling, unless the document has been issued by the UK.”
The Home Office also noted that limited exceptions apply to nationals of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, identified with an asterisk in the Immigration Rules, with the relevant exemptions outlined elsewhere in the appendix.
Countries whose nationals require a UK visa
The countries and territories listed in the updated Immigration Rules are:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Other travellers who must obtain a UK visa
The Immigration Rules also require the following categories of travellers to obtain entry clearance before travelling to the UK:
- Stateless persons.
- Individuals travelling on documents other than a national passport or, where permitted under the rules, a national identity card, irrespective of whether the document is issued by or indicates the nationality of a country not listed above, unless the travel document has been issued by the United Kingdom.
The updated rules apply to visitors travelling to the UK for tourism, business, family visits, short-term study and other permitted activities lasting less than six months, unless a specific exemption applies under the Immigration Rules.
