United Kingdom · Transit
Do you need a transit visa for the UK?
In brief
It depends on your passport and on whether you pass through UK border control. Citizens of 70 countries, India, Pakistan and China among them, need a Direct Airside Transit Visa (£41.50) even to change planes airside, unless they hold an exemption document such as a valid US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand visa.15 Everyone else can change planes airside without a visa.4 To go through border control, visa nationals need a Visitor in Transit visa (£74.50) and ETA nationals an ETA (£20).710
Checked 1 Nov 2026Source: The Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014 and GOV.UKReport a change
Independent reference, not a government website. We don't issue visas or sell visa services.
ContentsIn brief
Who needs a transit visa, by nationality
| Your passport | Changing planes airside | Going through border control | Official list |
|---|---|---|---|
| On the DATV list 70 | Direct Airside Transit Visa£41.50, unless exempt (see Exemptions) | Visitor in Transit visa£74.50, leave within 48 hours | Schedule 1, 2014 Order |
| Other visa nationals 45 | No visaonward flight from the same airport before 23:59 the same day | Visitor in Transit visa£74.50, leave within 48 hours | Appendix Visitor: Visa national list |
| ETA nationals 82 | Nothing | ETA£20, valid 2 years | GOV.UK ETA list |
| Irish citizens | Nothing | Nothing | — |
On the Direct Airside Transit Visa list 70 nationalities
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Bangladesh
Belarus
Botswana
Burundi
Cameroon
China
Colombia
Congo
Côte d'Ivoire
Dominica
DR Congo
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Honduras
India
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kenya
Kosovo
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Malawi
Moldova
Mongolia
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Pakistan
Palestine
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Lucia
Senegal
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Syria
Tanzania
Timor-Leste
Trinidad and Tobago
Türkiye
Uganda
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Yemen
Zimbabwe
Also anyone with a “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” travel document, a non-biometric Venezuelan passport or a document that does not establish nationality. The Order prints some older names (Burma, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ivory Coast, Swaziland, Turkey); we use current names.1
Visa nationals not on the DATV list 45: no visa airside, a visa to go through border control
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Burkina Faso
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Cuba
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Equatorial Guinea
Fiji
Gabon
Haiti
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Madagascar
Mali
Mauritania
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Niger
North Korea
Philippines
São Tomé and Príncipe
Suriname
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Togo
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Zambia
ETA nationals (82): an ETA only to go through border control
Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City. Taiwan passport holders qualify only with the identity card number in the passport.3
Changing planes airside
Airside means you stay in the international transfer area and never pass UK border control. The Home Office guide for carriers sets three conditions: you arrive and leave by air, you have a confirmed onward flight to a destination outside the UK before 23:59 the same day from the same airport, and you carry the documents for your destination.4
- You always pass border control if you leave the main airport building, collect your bags to check them in again, or your onward flight leaves the next day and there is nowhere to stay airside, such as a transit hotel.11
- The carriers' guide names Heathrow, and Manchester when both airlines can use its Flight Transfer Centre. GOV.UK publishes no list of airports, so check with your airline.4
- You cannot transit airside to Ireland or anywhere else in the Common Travel Area.4
- ETA nationals need no ETA for airside transit.12
A non-DATV national may TWOV airside without a UK visa if they satisfy the three conditions set out above at 2.5.
Home Office, Charging procedures: a guide for carriers · checked
Going through border control: the rule changed on 26 March 2026
The Immigration Rules used to let some visa nationals pass through border control without a visa on a connecting journey (“transit without visa”). That scheme was deleted with effect from 26 March 2026.13
The following paragraphs shall take effect on 26 March 2026: INTRO1 to INTRO3 ... APP TWOV1 ... APP TWOV1. Delete Appendix Visitor: Transit Without Visa Scheme.
Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, HC 1691 · checked
Some GOV.UK pages still describe the old route: Appendix V: Visitor, the “Check if you need a UK visa” tool and the Home Office guide for carriers (updated 26 October 2026).14154
Before you book a connection through border control without a visa, confirm with GOV.UK's visa checker and with your airline.
To go through border control, visa nationals apply for a Visitor in Transit visa and must leave the UK within 48 hours. For a longer stay, or frequent transits over six months, they need a Standard Visitor visa instead16; a journey on to Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man usually needs a Standard Visitor visa too.7 ETA nationals need an ETA.17
Exemptions
No Direct Airside Transit Visa if you hold
- a valid visa for Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States, or one that expired less than six months after you last entered that country with it;5
- an Australian or New Zealand permanent resident visa, a Canadian permanent resident card issued on or after 28 June 2002, or a US green card (I-551) issued on or after 21 April 1998;5
- a residence permit or Category D visa of an EEA state or Switzerland, or a biometric visa issued by Ireland;5
- certain other documents named in the Order, such as some diplomatic or official passports, Convention travel documents and UN or ICRC laissez-passers.5
E-visas and e-residence permits count only if your airline can verify them.18 Syrian nationals with US B1 or B2 visas are not exempt.5 The duty does not apply to people with the right of abode, EEA nationals, holders of Hong Kong or Macao SAR passports, or Taiwan nationals.19
No transit visa at all if you have
- an ETA, an EU Settlement Scheme family permit, a Home Office travel document (for example as a refugee or stateless person), a Standard Visitor visa or a Marriage Visitor visa.16
(a)a valid visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States of America;
The Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014, article 4 · checked
Fee and how to apply
| Direct Airside Transit Visa | £41.50, may vary slightly by country6£39 until 7 April 20268 |
|---|---|
| Visitor in Transit visa | £74.50, may vary slightly by country7£70 until 7 April 20268 |
| How to apply | Online, then an appointment at a visa application centre for fingerprints and a photo9You may need to show that you can enter your destination and that your onward journey is booked |
| Decision | Usually within 3 weeks9Faster services may be offered in some countries |
Recent changes
- Transit visa fees rose: airside from £39 to £41.50, landside from £70 to £74.50. Home Office fee table · checked
- Landside “transit without visa” deleted from the Immigration Rules. HC 1691 · checked
- Nicaragua and Saint Lucia added to the Direct Airside Transit Visa list. S.I. 2026/208 · checked
FAQ
Do Indians need a transit visa at Heathrow?
Yes, unless they hold an exemption document. India is on the Direct Airside Transit Visa list, so Indian citizens need one (£41.50) even without leaving the airport. A valid visa for the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, or a residence permit of an EEA state or Switzerland, among others, removes the need.
Do I need a transit visa for a 2-hour layover in London?
Only if your passport is on the Direct Airside Transit Visa list and you have no exemption document, or if you have to go through border control: for example to change airports, collect bags or stay overnight outside the airport.
Do I need a UK transit visa if I have a connecting flight?
If you stay airside, only citizens of the 70 countries on the DATV list need one. If you go through border control, visa nationals need a Visitor in Transit visa and ETA nationals need an ETA.
Can I leave the airport during a layover in the UK?
Yes, with a Visitor in Transit visa if you are a visa national (leave within 48 hours), or with an ETA if you are an ETA national. Landside transit without a visa was removed on 26 March 2026; confirm with GOV.UK's checker and your airline.
Sources
Official sources only. Each was checked on the date shown.
- UK legislation: The Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014 (legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives): official list and recent changes
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): official list
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): official list
- UK Home Office (Charging procedures: a guide for carriers, GOV.UK): official list, airside transit and border control
- UK legislation: The Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014 (legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives): official list and exemptions
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): fees and applying
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): fees and applying and border control
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): fees and applying
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): fees and applying
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): fees and applying
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): airside transit
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): airside transit
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): border control
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): border control
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): border control
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): border control and exemptions
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): border control
- UK Home Office (GOV.UK): exemptions
- UK legislation: The Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014 (legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives): exemptions
More: United Kingdom entry rules by nationality · transit pages · all visa guides.
About this page
By the Visa Almanac editorial team. Every rule, fee and date on this page comes from the official sources listed above, each read on the day shown; where they are silent, we say so. Editorial policy · Change log
- Updated
- 1 Nov 2026
- Last checked
- Official sources
- 19