The UK is a popular travel destination for many US residents. It’s home to lots of fine tourist attractions, including iconic places like Buckingham Palace and The Tower of London. Indeed, London has long been the main destination for tourists going to the UK, but plenty of other places and regions have started to offer delights for travelers. Moreover, the UK has become a great family holiday destination as there are loads of things to do with your kids. So, it might be the next place you decide to visit!
If that’s the case, you obviously have a few concerns to think about. For now, let’s imagine you’re traveling in a world without any travel restrictions due to the virus. Let’s assume you’re planning your trip for when it’s safe to do so! Here, the big question is a simple one: do you need a visa to travel from the US to the UK?
No, if you’re staying for less than 6 months
In short, most people won’t need a travel visa when journeying across the ocean to stay in the UK. Usually, all you need is a valid passport – preferably with 6 months remaining on it – and some sort of proof that you’re traveling for tourism. This tends to include things like your return tickets for the flight home, hotel bookings, etc.
You won’t need to fill in a long visa application beforehand, or even bother with things like indefinite leave to remain documentation. You and your family are free to stay and enjoy all the UK tourism for up to half a year! Most families will only go on holiday for a couple of weeks – maybe even a month at most. So, you should all fall into this category, meaning you have nothing to worry about.
Yes, if you’re staying for over 6 months
However, if you are planning to stay for over 6 months, you will need a visa to enter the UK. There is a series of long-term visas that last 2 years minimum for people to apply for. This will let you stay in the UK for up to that period, and you may be able to extend it beyond that. Still, this seems overkill for most families visiting the UK on holiday. The chances that you will stay beyond 6 months are incredibly slim, but who knows, you may decide to move over there! Generally, 99% of you reading this won’t have to worry about getting a visa because your trip will be within the 6-month range.
On that note, it’s fair to say that you don’t have to go through loads of complex immigration or visa applications when journeying to the UK for a short vacation. Again, this is one of the reasons it’s become a popular destination for families in the US. It’s easy to get to, and there are few things to stress over while planning your trip. Now, you can focus on pinpointing which areas of the UK to visit, and which tourist sites to see!
We are happy to present this collaborative post to offer valuable information to our readers.