How much a UK visa costs in 2026
The Standard Visitor visa (tourism, family visits and business trips) has cost £135 for a stay of up to 6 months since 8 April 2026. Long-term visas cost more, but each visit on them is still limited to 6 months.
| Visa | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 6 months | £135 |
| 2 years | £506 |
| 5 years | £903 |
| 10 years | £1,128 |
| Priority service, where available | +£500 |
| Visa-centre service fee, at some centres | +£76.50 |
| Vizir, Documents plan | €79 |
| Vizir, Full service plan | €139 |
The fee is paid online on gov.uk, the UK government's site. Russian-issued bank cards are not accepted there. The older amounts of £127 and £475 found in past articles no longer apply.
An electronic visa instead of a sticker
In 2026 the UK stopped putting visas in passports. An approved visa is electronic (an eVisa): it is linked to your passport number and shown in your UKVI account (UK Visas and Immigration). You create the account and check the status before you travel.
You keep your passport while the application is being decided. Some applicants are also issued a paper form that accompanies the eVisa (FAV); the decision email says if you need to collect it from the visa centre.
Which documents you need
Only a valid passport is mandatory. Everything else is evidence of three things: the trip will end on time, you can pay for it, and you are not trying to live in the UK through repeated visits.
- Work and income: an employer letter on headed paper with your position, salary and length of service; for business owners, registration papers and accounts; for students, a letter from the university.
- Money: bank statements that make clear where the funds come from. If someone else pays for the trip — their income and your relationship.
- Travel history: copies of old passports with visas and stamps.
- Children under 18: birth certificate and a copy of a parent's passport; if the child travels without a parent — the parent's consent letter describing the trip.
- Status where you apply: if you are not a citizen of that country — proof that you are there legally.
- Translations: every document not in English comes with a full translation showing the date, the translator's name, signature and contact details, and the translator's confirmation that it is accurate.
What not to send: hotel bookings, tickets, travel insurance, credit-card statements, car papers and personal photos — as stated in the UK government's guide to supporting documents.
Where and when to apply
You fill in and pay for the form online on gov.uk, then book a visit to a visa application centre run by VFS Global to give fingerprints and a photo. The UK lists centres in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Türkiye, Serbia and the UAE, among others. You can apply in a country where you are lawfully present; the form is the same. Add proof of your legal status in that country — a residence permit, a visa or an entry stamp.
You can apply no earlier than 3 months before the trip. A decision usually comes 3 weeks after the fingerprints; applicants in Russia reported 3–6 weeks in 2026.