Entry GuidanceWhat to know before travelling to United Kingdom
Use the section that matches your travel purpose and passport context.
01Tourist & Leisure
Visitor requirements
For a short tourist visit, apply for a Standard Visitor visa before travel. Show your intended dates, accommodation and how you will fund the visit and return journey. Evidence should demonstrate that you are a genuine visitor who will leave at the end of the stay. Follow the document requests in your application; additional evidence depends on your circumstances.
Passport & documentsYour passport or travel document must remain valid throughout the UK visit. Follow the application instructions for identity evidence and certified translations of documents that are not in English or Welsh.
02Business Travel
Business requirements
The Standard Visitor route permits activities such as attending meetings and conferences, subject to the official permitted-activity rules. Provide evidence of the visit and any invitation or sponsor. This is not general permission to take employment in the UK. Check the rules for the precise activity before applying.
Passport Context
Kenyan passport holders
Kenya appears on the official visitor visa-national list. Kenyan ordinary passport holders making a short tourist visit or undertaking permitted visitor business activities should obtain a Standard Visitor visa before travelling, unless an official exception applies.
Kenyan residents using other passportsThis review covers Kenyan ordinary passports. Kenyan residents travelling on another nationality must use the official GOV.UK visa checker for that passport and purpose; the route can differ.
04Application Route
How and where to apply
Apply online through the GOV.UK Standard Visitor application page, then follow its instructions for identity verification, biometrics and document submission at the designated application centre. Applications may be made from three months before the intended journey.
Embassy / missionUse the official application service for the current visa application centre and appointment instructions.
Processing guidanceGOV.UK states that a decision is usually made within three weeks after the online application, identity verification and documents have been completed. This is guidance, not a guaranteed deadline; additional checks can take longer.
