How long a visit can last
As a visitor you can usually stay for up to 6 months at a time. Depending on your nationality you need a visa, an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), or neither — but everyone has to meet the visitor requirements.
- The limit is per visit: up to 6 months each time, not a fixed allowance per year and not a rolling window.
- There is a catch instead: you must show you will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make it your main home. Long stays with short breaks in between are exactly what that rule is there to stop.
- Most visitors from Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia now need an ETA. It costs £20 and covers visits of up to 6 months. British and Irish passport holders, and anyone with permission to live, work or study in the UK, do not need one.
- Visitors cannot work for a UK company or as self-employed in the UK. Working remotely for your employer or business abroad is allowed, provided it is not the main purpose of the visit.
Staying longer than 6 months
To stay longer, or to live in the UK, you need a visa for that purpose, applied for before you travel. The two routes people ask about most are both tied to work, and they differ above all in one respect: whether you need an employer.
Skilled Worker visa
For a job with an employer approved by the Home Office. You need a confirmed job offer, a certificate of sponsorship and a job on the eligible occupations list, and you must speak English. It lasts up to 5 years before you need to extend it, and after 5 years you may be able to apply to settle permanently (indefinite leave to remain).
Salary: whichever is higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job.
Global Talent visa
For leaders or potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. It needs no job offer and no sponsor: instead you need an endorsement or an eligible prestigious prize. You can live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time, and may be able to settle after 3 or 5 years depending on your field.
Cost: £766 (£561 for the endorsement plus £205 for the visa), plus the healthcare surcharge, usually £1,035 a year per person.
The mistake worth avoiding
Treating the 6 months as a budget you can spend again straight away. The rules refuse visitors who live in the UK through frequent or successive visits. And the days matter for tax too: under the Statutory Residence Test, enough days in the UK can make you tax resident even if every single visit was lawful.
Common questions
Do days in the UK count towards my Schengen 90 days?
No. The UK is outside the Schengen Area. A week in London uses none of your Schengen allowance, and Schengen days have no effect on your UK stay.
Can I leave for a few days and come back for another 6 months?
Leaving does not reset anything automatically. Each entry is judged on its own, and a pattern of long stays with short breaks is a reason to refuse entry.
Can I work remotely while I am visiting?
Yes, for your employer or business abroad, as long as it is not the main purpose of your visit. You cannot take work for a UK company.
Check it at the source
Immigration rules change, and fees and salary thresholds change most often of all. These are the official pages this guide is based on.
Related guides
Count your UK days
Open the UK visitor calculatorThis guide is a planning aid, not legal advice. The final decision on entry and length of stay rests with the Border Force officer. Confirm the rules with the official sources above before you travel.