UK Business Visitor Visa

What Is a Business Visitor Visa?

The UK Виза за бизнес посетители, part of the Standard Visitor route, allows non-UK nationals to come to the UK for short stays to carry out permitted business activities. Applicants must meet the genuine visitor requirement, including intending to leave the UK at the end of the visit, having sufficient funds, and being compliant with the permitted activity list under Appendix V of the Immigration Rules.

What are Permitted Activities?

Besides the genuine visitor requirement, applicants can take the following permitted activites:

General Business Activities

• Attending meetings, conferences, seminars, or interviews
• Giving a one-off or short series of talks, provided they are not for profit or commercial gain
• Negotiating and signing deals or contracts
• Attending trade fairs (for promotional work only, not direct selling)
• Carrying out site visits and inspections
• Gathering information for employment overseas
• Being briefed on the requirements of a UK-based customer (if the work is done outside the UK)

• Undertaking activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from within the UK, providing this is not the primary purpose of their visit.

Intra-Corporate Activities (for employees of overseas companies):

An employee of an overseas based company may

• Advising, consulting, trouble-shooting or providing training
• Sharing skills and knowledge on a specific internal project with UK employees of the same corporate group

An employee of an overseas based company may also undertake these activities directly with clients, providing:

• the employee’s movement is in an intra-corporate setting and any client facing activity is incidental to their employment abroad; and
• these activities are required for the delivery of a project or service by the UK branch of the Visitor’s employer overseas, and are not part of a project or service that is being delivered directly to the UK client by the Visitor’s employer overseas.

An internal auditor may carry out regulatory or financial audits at a UK branch of the same group of companies as the Visitor’s employer overseas.

Manufacture & Supply of Goods to the UK:

An employee of an overseas company may install, dismantle, repair, service, or advise on equipment or software if your company is the manufacturer/supplier and the contract was agreed before sale

Overseas Roles Requiring Specific Activities in the UK

• Interpreters or translators accompanying business visitors
• Bodyguards accompanying overseas VIPs
• Personal assistants supporting overseas executives
• Drivers transporting goods or passengers from overseas (must be employed or contracted outside the UK)
• A journalist, correspondent, producer or cameraman gathering information for an overseas publication, programme or film
• An archaeologists taking part in a one-off archaeological excavation
• A professor from an overseas academic institution accompanying students to the UK as part of a study abroad programme, may provide a small amount of teaching to the students at the host organisation providing this does not amount to filling a permanent teaching role for that institution
• Market researchers and analysts may conduct market research or analysis for an enterprise located outside the UK
• A pilot or cabin crew member may work in the UK temporarily between 1 March and 31 October under the terms of a Civil Aviation Authority approved Wet Lease Agreement, providing they remain employed and renumerated overseas 

Legal Professionals:

An expert witness may visit the UK to give evidence in a UK court; other witnesses may attend a court hearing in the UK if summoned in person by a UK court.

An overseas lawyer may provide legal services including:

• giving advice;  
• appearing in arbitrations; acting as an arbitrator or mediator;
• acting as an expert witness; and appearing in court in jurisdictions which allow short term call or where qualified in that jurisdiction;
• attending conferences;
• teaching;
• providing advocacy for a court or tribunal hearing; and
• doing litigation; 
• provide transactional legal services, including drafting contra

Academics & Scientists:

• Taking part in formal exchange arrangements
• Carrying out research for personal purposes
•  Accompanying international students or researchers (for education reps)

Religion & Art:

An artist, entertainer, or musician may: 

• give performances as an individual or as part of a group; and
•  take part in competitions or auditions; and
• make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities; and
•  take part in one or more cultural events or festivals on the list of permit free festivals in Appendix Visitor: Permit Free Festival List.

Personal or technical staff or members of the production team of an artist, entertainer or musician may support above activities provided they are attending the same event as the artist, entertainer or musician, and are employed to work for them outside of the UK.

Film crew (actor, producer, director or technician) employed by an overseas company may visit the UK to take part in a location shoot for a film or programme or other media content that is produced and financed overseas.

Religious workers overseas may visit the UK to preach or do pastoral work.

Sports

A sports person may:

• take part in a sports tournament or sports event as an individual or part of a team; and
•  make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities; and
•  take part in trials provided they are not in front of a paying audience; and
•  take part in short periods of training provided they are not being paid by a UK sporting body; and
• join an amateur team or club to gain experience in a particular sport if they are an amateur in that sport.

Personal or technical staff of the sports person may support the above activities, if they are attending the same event as the sports person. Personal or technical staff of the sports person must be employed to work for the sports person outside the UK.

Sports officials may support a sports tournament or sports event, where they have been invited by either:

(a) a sports organisation, agent, or broadcaster based in the UK; or

(b) a sports person with permission as a Visitor undertaking the above activities, at the same sports tournament or sports event.

What are Permitted Paid Engagements?

Individuals may receive payment from a UK organisation for certain pre-arranged activities without requiring sponsorship, under the Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) Visitor Visa route. This differs from the general permitted business activities under the Standard Visitor Visa, which typically involve unpaid engagements or remuneration from an overseas employer.

To qualify, the applicant must be aged 18 or over and intend to undertake a specific, permitted paid engagement directly related to their professional expertise and occupation overseas. The activity must be arranged before travel, clearly declared at the time of application or entry, and supported by a formal invitation from a UK-based organisation.

The following are permitted paid engagements:

(a) an academic who is highly qualified within their field of expertise, coming to examine students and/or participate in or chair selection panels, and have been invited by a UK higher education institution, or a UK-based research or arts organisation as part of that institution or organisation’s quality assurance processes; and

(b) an expert coming to give lectures in their subject area, where they have been invited by a higher education institution, or a UK-based research or arts organisation, and this does not amount to filling a teaching position for the host organisation; and

(c) an overseas designated pilot examiner coming to assess UK-based pilots to ensure they meet the national aviation regulatory requirements of other countries, where they have been invited by an approved training organisation based in the UK that is regulated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority for that purpose; and

(d) a qualified lawyer coming to provide advocacy for a court or tribunal hearing, arbitration or other form of dispute resolution for legal proceedings within the UK, where they have been invited by a client; and

(e) a professional artist, entertainer, or musician coming to carry out an activity directly relating to their profession, where they have been invited by a creative (arts or entertainment) organisation, agent or broadcaster based in the UK; and

(f) a Professional Sportsperson coming to carry out an activity directly relating to their profession, where they have been invited by a sports organisation, agent, or broadcaster based in the UK; and

(g) a speaker coming to the UK to give a one-off or short series of talks and speeches, where they have been invited to a conference or other event.

How Long Can A Visitor Stay in the UK?

If a visitor plans to undertake permitted paid engagements, they must complete these engagements within 30 days of their arrival. 

It is important to note that the maximum stay under this visa is generally six months, and frequent or successive visits may lead to scrutiny. Any activity outside those permitted in Appendix V may result in refusal or future immigration complications

How Can We Help?

At Angelov Solicitors, we guide clients through the business visitor visa process to ensure all activities proposed are compliant with the Immigration Rules, reducing the risk of refusal or unintended immigration breaches.