Does a British tourist visa require an invitation letter?

If you are traveling to the UK to stay with relatives or friends, you will need an invitation letter.

Materials required for applying for a British travel visa

Application materials

(1): Current valid passport (if you have an old passport, provide the original together with it).

(2): Marital status documents. Married persons must provide a copy of their marriage certificate.

(2): A printed, filled out application form signed by the applicant.

(3): One passport-sized color photo (45mm high, 35mm wide).

(4): Pay the corresponding visa application fee in cash. If you have paid online, bring the confirmation letter issued by Worldpay as proof of payment.

Supporting documents

Provide the following 4 key documents to support the application. The documents include:

(1) An itinerary outlining the travel period Hotel to stay at. If you are arranging your itinerary through a travel agency, print the itinerary on the agency's letterhead. If no intermediary is used, the hotel where you are staying must be provided and the hotel booking confirmation must be attached.

Note: If you are staying at the home of a friend or relative during your stay in the UK, you need to submit an invitation letter from the friend or relative. The letter should include the friend or relative's address and the date of stay there. At the same time, you must also submit documents that can prove the British immigration status of the friend or relative (if you are a British citizen, you can submit a copy of the personal information page of your passport, if you are a short-term resident, you can provide a copy of your British visa or biometric information card).

(2) Household register and translation. If it is a collective household registration, provide copies of the collective household registration homepage and personal page or the original household registration certificate.

(3) Proof of employment status (English version required):

a. If employed, an original letter of certification issued by the employer on company letterhead is required, which should include the applicant Position, salary, length of service, company contact details and company registration number.

b. If you are a self-employed person, you need to provide a copy of the business registration document.

c. If you are a student, you need to provide an original letter of certification on school letterhead from the school you attend, proving your enrollment status and detailed information about your request for leave.

d. If you are not working, you need to provide documents from the travel sponsor or a letter explaining the source of travel funds.

(4) Proof of financial resources.

Bank statements that can show income and deposit information in the past 4 months or other independently verifiable documents that can prove financial status (such as passbooks, deposit certificates, self-employed individuals can provide business statements) . Applicants do not need to submit a deposit receipt.

Special Tips

1. You must make an appointment in advance to submit an application to the British Visa Application Center. If you submit your application directly to the Visa Application Center without making an appointment in advance, the application center will not accept it.

2. The visa application center needs to collect fingerprints. If you have an injury on your hand, please wait until the injury heals before making an appointment. Please make sure your hands do not have tattoos (or similar) when visiting the visa centre.

3. Accompanying personnel cannot accompany the applicant into the visa center. Applicants under 18 years old, senior citizens over 65 years old, or applicants with physical disabilities can be accompanied by an accompanying person.

4. Honesty is very important. Making false statements or submitting forged documents will result in mandatory visa rejection for the next 10 years.

5. The visa center does not allow any electronic devices including mobile phones and all bags (only plastic bags containing application-related documents are allowed). Therefore, it is recommended that in addition to keys, wallets and visa application packets, Don't bring anything with you.

6. You can apply for a visa within 3 months before the planned departure date. It is recommended not to confirm travel arrangements before receiving the visa result.