It’s easy to over-complicate this process, but I don’t want you to get overwhelmed. I’ve broken everything down into just 5 steps and included some of my experiences along the way so you know exactly what you’re in for. It’s quite straightforward, you just need to ensure you’re dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s along the way.
You will need a current passport – no surprises there.
What isn’t so clear on the gov.uk website is how long it should be valid for.
Work-wise it shouldn’t be a problem if your passport expires while you’re in the UK. It is simply a matter of filling out a renewal form online and heading to your nearest embassy to collect it.
But what you really don’t want to miss out on is travel!
To enter a lot of European countries your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months after your planned departure date.
If you’re cutting it fine with the expiry date, it may be worth your while to apply for a new passport before you leave. If this is the case, in Australia allow at least 3 weeks for your new one to arrive.
You’ll find it at https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/.
This is where you’ll complete the online application form. You will need to register to create yourself a log in, then once you have the account you can start your application, saving and exiting as many times as you like to get all the info together.
It’s all very self explanatory, but things you will need to know include:
Once complete, the system will generate a PDF document summarising all of your application information which you then need to print, sign, and attach your mugshot/passport photo to.
You will have to pay your immigration health surcharge (the £300 for the NHS I mentioned here) and your application fee before you can move on to the next steps.
At first it can hurt a bit seeing all that money leave your bank account, until you remember what you’re paying for – Europe baby!
I attended my appointment in Sydney, but the processes are slightly different in each Australian capital city depending on who runs the application centre.
VFS Global is the third party company contracted to process UK visa applications in Australia. They have offices in each capital city except for Adelaide and Hobart – if applying from South Australia or Tassie you will still complete the online application form, but attend an appointment at the local Department of Home Affairs Office instead.
At this appointment you will submit your application and provide your “biometric information” – a fancy name for your finger prints and a photo.
You will need to bring:
Don’t stress too much about this step. They aren’t going to grill you about why you want to enter the UK or ask any tricky questions. All they want to do is collect all your information and send it with your passport to the visa processing centre (in the Philippines of all places!)
It literally takes less than 30 minutes.
You will be given the option to pay to receive text message updates and to have your passport couriered back to your postal address (otherwise you can return to the visa processing centre to pick it up when it’s ready).
You will receive a few emails stating where your application is up to in the process, but they won’t tell you the outcome of the application (I think they just like to make it a surprise…)
I waited about 2 weeks to have my passport delivered back, and opened it to find a nice shiny temporary visa inside – never been so happy to see such a terrible photo of myself!
Your temporary visa will show the dates you’re able to enter the UK – the start date you nominated on your application form, and the end date 30 days later.
Make sure you book your flights accordingly to enter the country and go through border control/customs between these dates.
The border control officer will need to stamp this page of your passport so you are able to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), which is your real residence permit for the 2 years you’re in the UK. You will pick this up from the post office closest to the address you provided on your application form. All of this is explained in the letter you receive along with your passport, so don’t stress.
Just to be clear, you can enter the UK before this date as a tourist. However, you will need to leave and re-enter through customs between the recorded dates to have your temporary visa stamped by border control, and therefore be able to pick up your BRP – make sense?
Don’t make the mistake I did by arriving a day early and being held up by the officer for questioning (not the best start to my solo European adventure…)
And that’s it! Not scary at all. Just make sure you get the supporting documents right and you shouldn’t have a problem.
Once you’ve got that temporary visa in your passport, there’s nothing stopping you. Book those flights – you’re on your way to the UK!