The UK Home Office has updated its transit regulations and visa requirements for 2025, which will impact visitors from a number of nations. The modifications make it clearer who needs a visa in order to enter or transit the UK, and they include additional rules for people traveling by air and land.
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What Countries Need a Visa to Enter the UK?
Here is the list of countries that need a visa to enter the UK:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- China (People’s Republic of)
- Colombia
- Congo
- Congo, Democratic Republic
- Cyprus (northern part)
- Dominica
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini (Swaziland)
- Ethiopia
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Honduras
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Kosovo
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Malawi
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Palestinian Territories
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor–Leste
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Venezuela
- Vanuatu
- Vietna
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Travelers from these countries must secure a UK visa before entry or transit.
These days, a UK visa can be issued in hard form or digitally as an eVisa. Passengers possessing digital eVisas will see the message “Valid Permission to Travel Found” when they use the UK’s travel verification system.
What Countries Are Exempted from UK Visas?
- UK permanent residents If a visa national is permanently resident in the UK, they do not need a visa, as long as they return to the UK within two years of their last departure.
- Passengers with the right of abode in the UK If a visa national has a ‘certificate of entitlement to the right of abode’ label in their valid passport, they do not need a visa.
- Holders of non-national and refugee travel documents If the passenger holds a refugee travel document issued by the UK, they do not need a visa. However, if the passenger holds any other non-national or refugee travel document, they need a visa to enter the UK.
What countries are Eligible for the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)
According to the UK Home Office, some tourists can bypass a visa by using the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system. On the official UK government website, ETA-eligible nations are mentioned separately: www.gov.uk/electronictravelauthorisation.
In addition to implementing additional digital procedures like ETA and eVisas, the UK is strengthening its visa regulations. Before departing, travelers should verify their visa status and make sure they have the necessary paperwork, particularly in the case of transit.
Announcement: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67cec4addf9470296491606c/UK+Visa+requirements+11+March+2025.pdf.
