UK visa

Updated 04/05/2017

Just received my first ever UK visa. Completely on your own, without paying a single penny of extra money. While the information is fresh in my mind, I share my experience on how to get a UK visa on your own for a tourist trip to England.

I will try to describe step by step the sequence of actions that you have to carry out in order to obtain a UK multivisa for a period of six months or more. The direction is not the most popular among Russians, I suspect, solely because of the fear of difficulties associated with registration or fear of refusal of a visa. I can’t think of other reasons not to see London, and Scotland, and, by the way, Ireland, where they are also allowed on an English visa.

I must say right away that I am not aware of the visa issues of those who plan to go to England to learn the language, work, or go to relatives. In my article, I write how I made a UK visa exclusively for my tourist trip.
I live and work in St. Petersburg, so I applied for a visa through the UK Visa Application Center in St. Petersburg (Bolshoy Sampsonievsky pr., 4), which ceased operations on April 8, 2014, however, a new visa center is now open - on Liteiny pr. , 26. I applied for my second visa to the UK there and I can assure you that the change of the address of the visa center did not affect the essence of the visa application process.

The address of the UK visa center in Moscow: 2nd Syromyatnichesky lane, 1; Business center "Delta Plaza".

First of all, we go to the site UK Border Agency- http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/russian-federation/?langname=Russian to find out how much a regular six-month English tourist visa costs. In the menu of the site everything is written in Russian.

In the drop-down "window" I choose the purpose of the visit - "Visit". That's right, since I'm just planning a tourist trip.

Several categories of visitors. So who am I? - I, in English terminology, belong to the category of General visitors. This time I get a visa for a Short-term (up to 6 months, single or multiple entry) and it cost 136 US dollars (I just looked - prices have risen since April 2014: already 141 US dollars). How I would like to have a two-year visa at once, and for shopping in London a couple of times a year, and walking in the golden autumn through the parks of Scotland ... perhaps even combining it with tasting single malts and other national drinks ... Eh ...! But knowledgeable people strongly recommend not to be impudent for the first time and request a visa for six months. That's what I do.

Regarding the timing - on the site the British warn that the maximum period for consideration of documents for a visa can be 3 months. Wow! True, statistics are immediately given: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/general-info/processing-times/, from which it follows that 100% of visas are currently issued in St. Petersburg within a period not exceeding 2 months, and more than 90% - within a month.

My experience: the documents were submitted to the visa center on March 18, April 2, after 2 weeks, I received a message in the mail that the visa was ready.

And already on April 4, the DHL courier brought an envelope with my documents to me at work. (I was reinsured: because on the doors of the visa center, when I submitted the documents, there was an announcement that their visa center was closing on April 8, and everyone who did not have time to receive their documents by that time was asked to contact the embassy in Moscow, - I decided not take risks and arranged an additional courier delivery service for 750 rubles). Convenient and pretty fast. Although one of my acquaintances was issued an English visa for exactly a month, how lucky ...

On the same site I find out that I need to be fingerprinted and come to the visa center for this. (Even if this is not your first English visa, they have already been taken from you, - anyway, - only a personal visit to take fingerprints, a questionnaire and all related documents).

Now we look at what documents you need to take with you to the visa center. Here is the list:

Printed and signed application form completed online;
Confirmation of the date and time of the visit to the visa center;
Your passport. It is not required by law that your passport be valid for 6 months from the date of application for a visa. But the passport must be valid at the time of application and at the time of arrival in the UK;
one recent color photograph 45 mm x 35 mm pasted on a questionnaire that meets the requirements (these requirements must be known in the photo studio);
supporting documents in support of your visa application, with a photocopy of each document (including their English translation);
old passports with marks of your foreign trips. (I will provide them with a photocopy from the old passport, where I have a US visa, several Schengen multi-visas and a lot of stamps);
copies of all documents that you submit to the visa center.

Your passport must have at least one blank visa page on both sides.
Please note that only documents submitted with the visa application will be accepted. You will not be able to submit any documents after completing your visa application at the Visa Application Centre. The Visa Application Center does not accept applications and supporting documents sent by mail, courier or e-mail.

So, everything is clear, we proceed to filling out the questionnaire.

Important! All documents submitted in support of your UK visa application must be translated into English!

Fortunately, the translation does not need to be certified in any way - we just translate it ourselves with a dictionary (or, in extreme cases, Google translator or good friends to help you) and print it out on a printer for submission to the visa center.

Filling out an application for a British visa

The UK visa application form is completed online at http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/. It is important that the questionnaire can be filled out and submitted for consideration no earlier than 90 days before the start date of the proposed trip.

By clicking the Register an Account button, you will be taken to the registration page, enter:

surname;
date of birth;
citizenship;
the language in which you would prefer to be consulted on this website for your visa matters. (The “Russian” option is also among those available for selection, which is certainly nice. But I, out of harm’s way, will still choose English - now the UK is reducing staff in visa centers around the world in order to optimize its costs, and who knows whether it will be normal Russian, or translation from English using Google translator ...).
Next, enter the e-mail (the same address twice);
at least one contact phone number;
mailing address;
country of residence;
come up with a password and enter it 2 times in the appropriate fields;
at the bottom we put a “tick” that we agree with all the conditions;
press the Register button.

After that, a link will be sent to the e-mail address specified during registration, which you need to click on to activate your account.

Or, if you have already registered on this site, click on the Log in button - after confirming your email and password, we go to the next page, where you need to, firstly, select in the top menu whether you are requesting a visa for yourself or for someone else - just select “Apply for yourself” (if for yourself) or “Apply for someone else” (for example, for someone from relatives or friends who decided to go with you). I choose “Apply for yourself” and click “Continue” at the bottom. If you are applying for a visa for someone else, the process is exactly the same.

Preliminary page. By itself, it is not part of the visa application, but it is very important to fill it out without error, because. later, the information from this page will not be editable, and if there are errors, you will have to create a new account and fill everything out again. However, everything is simple here: first name, last name, e-mail, phone number for contact, passport number, date of birth, gender, date of start of the planned trip to the UK, location, citizenship.

Here, below, choose:

Reason for Visit = Visit;
Visa Type = General Visitor;
Visa Sub Type = Short-term (up to 6 months, single or multiple entry) / (General) Single, double and multiple, valid up to 6 months.

As I wrote above, I will receive a six-month visa. And you - as you wish, but for the first time, ask for a semi-annual, like me.

If you are a simple tourist, do not intend to work or study in England, and do not go there to visit close relatives permanently residing in the UK, we answer all questions: NO.

Click on the "Create Application" button.

That's it, your application has been created on the site, and later, by entering your e-mail address and password on the site, you can return to it at any time and edit it to your heart's content, but if you want to continue filling it out right now, select here “Stay signed-in” and continue.

Now, in fact, the filling of the application itself begins. All fields are filled in only in Latin. If you have selected the input language - RUS on the keyboard, you will not be able to enter at least one letter on this site!

First page of the application:

Surname | Name | Date of birth | Place of birth (as in the passport!) | Gender | Citizenship | Have you ever had the citizenship of any other country? | Number z / passport - write without spaces | Place of issue = SAINT-PETERSBURG | Issued by = FMS78039 | Date of issue | End date | Location country = Russia | Are you a citizen of the country in which you are applying for a UK visa? – Yes. | Your first passport? = No! followed by a question about all the passports issued to me over the past 10 years, I enter the data of the old passport. | Traveling with someone? I answer “Yes” - although I know that in this case I will have to enter the data of the entire company. | Date of scheduled arrival in UK = 06/06/2014 | How long will you stay in the UK = 9 days (round-trip tickets have already been purchased, exactly 9 days, counting the day of arrival and the day of departure. | Address and contact details of the place where you are going to stay in the UK = write the address, phone number and e-mail of the hotel or apartments where we plan to stay, click “Next section”.

Second page:

What follows is your travel history:

Have you been issued a UK or UK Overseas Territories visa in the last 10 years? – In my case, NO.
Have you visited the UK in the last 10 years? - Again, in my case - NO.
Have you ever applied to stay in the UK? – NO.
Have you ever been refused entry to the UK in the last 10 years? – NO.
Have you ever been denied a visa to any country in the last 10 years, including the UK? – NO.
Have you ever been deported from any country in the last 10 years, including the UK? – NO.
Have you ever made a voluntary decision to leave the UK? - It is not very clear what is meant here, but I answer honestly - NO.
Are you or have you ever been extradited from the UK? – NO.
Have you traveled anywhere outside of your country other than the UK in the last 10 years? – YES! (Here you will need to enter the data of your trips for the last 10 years - date, country, purpose of the visit (we write - Tourism), we check the stamps in the passport so as not to confuse anything ...
Do you have a UK National Insurance Number? – NO.
Further, if you are not a criminal, were not involved, were not involved, ... we answer all questions with NO.
In the lower box to the question "If we need an interview with you, in what language would you prefer to give it?" enter the answer: Russian.

Third page

Information about your family members: about your spouse and parents. It's simple, understand.

Do you have minor children? (under 18 years old) – NO.
Do children not related to you travel with you? – NO.

Fourth page

Have you ever worked for an organization (government or non-government) from the following:
- Armed forces;
- Government (Federal or local), judicial authorities;
- public administration or civil administration;
- security agencies (including the police and private security agencies). Out of harm's way, I press - NO.
What is your current job status? Answer options (dictionary or Google translator to help), I indicate Employed full time (I work full time).
Monthly income from all sources of income, after taxes. – Just in case, I write in British pounds sterling. Write the truth, as you will have to confirm this figure in the accompanying documents.
The name of the company / organization-employer, the title of the position, a brief description of the nature of the work performed, the address of the employer.
When did you start this work? (On the drop-down calendar, select the year and the exact date).
Is there a side job? – NO.
Do you have savings, real estate or other valuables, shares, etc. - Yes! Click Yes, after that we fill in the additionally appeared table with the source of additional income and the amount of monthly income (in British pounds sterling, i.e. in GBP) (but this will need to be confirmed by supporting documents: real estate documents, certificates of bank deposits, shares etc.!)
How much do you spend monthly on living expenses? It is better to write some real number. For example, I will write 800-900 euro.
How much money do you give to your household, relatives = 0.
How much will your trip to England cost you personally, in GBP? (Here we estimate the cost of round-trip air tickets, the cost of the hotel, the transfer from the airport to the hotel and back and write the amount in British pounds), and how much money you plan to spend, so to speak, on the spot). – 2200 GBP.
The total amount of money you have for this trip? – 2200 GBP.
The cost of plane, ferry or train tickets? – 244 GBP.
Cost of living? – 556 GBP.
What is the amount of other travel expenses? – 1400 GBP.
Does anyone other than yourself take part in paying for your trip? – NO.

Fifth page. About relatives and friends in the UK.

Please specify what are you planning to do in the UK? — Of course, walking through the streets and museums of London! Maybe we'll take a ride to the suburbs ... and shopping! …and pubs!…and jazz clubs! And one more thing... I am writing: TO VISIT ALL THE MAIN SIGHTSEEINGS IN LONDON AND PROBABLY IN ITS SUBURBS. This information will be quite enough for the visa center.
Do you have friends or family members in the UK? – NO.

Sixth page

Have you ever been treated (received medical services) in the UK? – NO.

Seventh page

Is there any other information you would like to provide for consideration as part of your application? – NO.

At any time, you can stop filling out the visa, as I do now, by clicking on the SAVE button at the bottom of the window.

After I filled out and checked the questionnaire, I click the Confirm Application button. Then I go to the payment page and pay with a MasterCard or Visa card - since April 2014 this amount has been $141 consular fee for a 6 month UK visa(I paid another $136 in March).
After that, I choose the day of the trip to the UK visa center: March 18 and time - 8:00 (date and time can be changed later) and print out a paper confirming the date and time of the visit (presented at the entrance to the visa center).
On the way to the store, I go to the bank and ask me to make an extract from all accounts - deposit and current. Moreover, I ask for all the information at once, both in Russian and in English. The purpose of providing these documents is to prove that you are actively spending money, both in Russia and abroad. I take a statement on the movement of funds on my card accounts for the last 3 months and 6 months - then, at home, I will figure out which of these certificates the average monthly amount of my expenses looks more impressive.
Then I make English copies of certificates of ownership of the apartment, land and car, simply translating the original certificates into English and typing this translation in the Word editor.
After that, I take a photo for a UK visa, and also make copies of ALL documents that I am going to submit to the visa application center (copies are required!) And a certificate of employment. A certificate from the employer - here is the “fish” of such a certificate in English:

That's all.

Documents required to accompany your application to the UK Visa Application Centre:

financial documents about your well-being, translated into English: statement of accounts on the movement of funds (purchases, receipts), bank statement on the balance of deposit accounts. It’s good if your account was not opened yesterday, but has some kind of history. For example, I submitted 2 certificates on the movement of funds on accounts opened in 2005 (ruble and euro). This is the most important thing for obtaining a UK visa - the financial viability of the applicant.
documents for an apartment, house, land, car, helicopter, yacht ... translated into English. For example, you have a Certificate of Ownership for an apartment, and below is a “fish” translated into English. You follow the model, writing not from the bulldozer, but exactly what is written in your Russian-language document.

For example:

Let me emphasize once again: the main thing that allows the British migration authorities to issue you a visa with a clear conscience is your strong, stable financial situation. Therefore, take more time to confirm this by providing convincing papers to the people from the UK consulate.

Day of submission of documents for an English visa

I received a coupon, I didn’t have to wait, I immediately handed over my documents:

international passport (+ old international passport with all visas and stamps from previous trips);
printed and signed application form;
photo 3.5x4.5;
documents in support of the questionnaire: certificate from work, bank statements, bank statements, copies of certificates of ownership of the apartment, land and car;
for greater persuasiveness, she also provided copies of air tickets and a hotel booking voucher, since I already had them (but this is not necessary);
photocopies of all documents provided by me.

I received a check confirming that I did not need to pay anything else (I paid online after filling out the questionnaire), which also contains a REF number for further tracking the passage of documents online, an electronic queue ticket for fingerprinting and photographing, and also, (so how the old visa center in St. Petersburg was closing on April 8, a warning about which hung on all vertical surfaces in the visa center), decided not to take risks and arranged for the courier delivery of my documents to the office - DHL, 750 rubles for a set of documents (for some reason, only cash was accepted at the visa center, I hope that the new visa center will also accept cards for payment).

All. In total, I spent exactly 30 minutes at the visa center.

An English visa is now made on average 14-30 days. You can periodically check the website of the visa application center to see what stage the process is at…

I got it done in 15 days, it took another 2 days for DHL to bring my documents to my office.

15 days after submission of documents

On April 2, I received this letter:

Your application has been completed. Updates are available via www.ukvac-ru.com (Russia only). We aim to return passports to Moscow VAC in 2 working days. For Regional VACs or Minsk allow additional time.
This is an automated email - do not reply

Have you considered the benefits of applying for a long term visit visa (12mths, 2yr, 5yr, 10yr)? Are you aware of our convenient submission without passport service? Please check our website for prices and details.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/

So, getting a UK visa on your own is quite simple. Proven in my own experience of obtaining a six-month multi-visa in the UK.

Little time is spent, no physical effort.

By the way, anticipating possible questions regarding sanctions from the West and all sorts of tightening of the visa regime: please note that I submitted my documents for a visa to the UK visa center on March 18, 2014, so I can say with confidence that in this case, ordinary citizens have visa restrictions from the UK did not touch.

Information update from 04/05/2017:

I received the second UK visa in my life in March 2017. The visa center is new (in St. Petersburg it is now located at 26 Liteiny Prospekt), and the terms and procedure for submitting and receiving are exactly the same as for the first time. The cost of a visa in dollars, by the way, has fallen (now a tourist visa for six months costs about $106), as the British pound fell in price. The only difference compared to the last time is that I was issued a visa for six months not from the date of the intended trip, like last time, but from the date the visa was issued. It’s a little insulting, but in my case it’s not so important: in the next six months, I plan only one trip to the UK.