Sportsperson Visit
Compete, train or make promotional appearances in the UK as a Standard Visitor, for up to 6 months, without taking UK employment.
- Screening A few questions about your work, your family and your plans.
- Documents A checklist built around your route and who is coming with you.
- Expert review A qualified adviser reads every document before anything is filed.
- Application Every answer is checked against the published rules for your route.
- Submission Filed, with everything that went with it kept in one place.
- Arrival We stay with you through the crossing and the first steps after.
Application fee
£135
GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa
Maximum stay per visit
6 months
GOV.UK, Standard Visitor rules
Visa validity
2, 5 or 10 years
Long-term visitor visa option
Decision time
Usually 3 weeks
Standard service, from outside the UK
Paid work allowed
Limited
Permitted paid engagement, first 30 days
Can a sportsperson visit the UK as a Standard Visitor?
Yes. A sportsperson can come to the UK as a Standard Visitor for up to 6 months to take part in a tournament or event, make personal appearances, take part in trials, join an amateur team to gain experience, or train for short periods. Playing or coaching as an employee of a UK-based professional or semi-professional team, or in a professional domestic league, counts as employment and is not permitted on this visa.
Who this route is for
The published rules apply to a genuine visitor who will leave the UK at the end of their visit and who can support themselves without working or accessing public funds. An ‘amateur’ — someone who takes part in a sport solely for personal enjoyment and is not seeking to derive a living from it — can join an amateur team or club to gain experience, provided the team or club is also an amateur one. A professional sportsperson, by contrast, cannot join an amateur team or club as a visitor, and instead comes under the permitted paid engagement provision if invited by a UK-based sports organisation, agent or broadcaster to carry out an activity relating to their profession. Other than narrow exceptions such as prize money or reasonable travel and subsistence expenses, a sportsperson must not receive payment from a UK source.
Requirements
- Genuine visitorYou must show you'll leave the UK at the end of your visit and are not seeking to live in the UK through frequent or successive visits.
- Financial requirementYou must be able to support yourself without working or accessing public funds, including the cost of your return or onward journey.
- Amateur status, to join an amateur team or clubAn 'amateur' is someone who takes part in a sport solely for personal enjoyment and is not seeking to derive a living from it. To join an amateur team or club to gain experience in a sport, both you and the team or club must be amateur.
- Professional sportsperson invited for a paid engagementA professional sportsperson invited to carry out an activity relating to their profession can instead come under the permitted paid engagement provision. They must be 18 or over, have a formal invitation from a UK-based sports organisation, agent or broadcaster arranged before travelling, and the engagement must relate to their expertise and occupation overseas.
- PaymentOther than narrow exceptions such as prize money, reasonable travel and subsistence expenses, or a permitted paid engagement, a sportsperson visiting the UK must not receive payment from a UK source.
Documents typically needed
- Passport or travel documentShowing your identity and nationality.
- Evidence of your sporting activity in the UKDates and times of the tournament, event or trial you are attending.
- Evidence of recent performances, awards or media coverageTo support your amateur or professional status.
- Invitation letter, for a permitted paid engagementFrom a UK-based sports organisation, agent or broadcaster, showing why you're carrying out the engagement and how long it's for.
- Financial evidenceShowing you can support yourself during your visit and pay for your return or onward journey.
How to apply
Check what you can do as a visitor
Confirm whether your sporting activity (a tournament, trial, promotional appearance, training, or a paid engagement) is allowed under the Standard Visitor route.
Check if you need a visa
Depending on your nationality, you may need a Standard Visitor visa, an electronic travel authorisation, or neither, to visit the UK.
Gather your evidence
Collect evidence of your sporting activity and, for a permitted paid engagement, your invitation and evidence of your professional status.
Apply online, if you need a visa
Submit the online application before you travel. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.
Prove your identity and wait for a decision
Prove your identity and provide your documents at a visa application centre, then wait for the decision, usually given within 3 weeks.
Fees & costs
- Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months)
- £135
Fees are set by the Home Office and can change. If you visit the UK regularly you can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa (2, 5 or 10 years) instead, though each stay is still capped at 6 months. Source: GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa.
Processing times
- Standard service
- Usually within 3 weeks
Standard service time published by the Home Office, counted from when you've applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents.
What you can and can't do
Permitted
- Take part in a sports tournament or sports event, as an individual or as part of a team
- Make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities
- Take part in trials, provided they are not in front of a paying audience
- Take part in short periods of training, provided you are not paid by a UK sporting body
- Join an amateur team or club to gain experience in a sport, if you are an amateur in that sport
- As a Professional Sportsperson invited for a permitted paid engagement, carry out an activity relating to your profession, completed within the first month of your visit
Not permitted
- Play or coach as an employee of a UK-based professional or semi-professional sports team or club
- Take part in a professional domestic championship or league, which counts as employment even if unpaid
- Join an amateur team or club if you are a professional sportsperson, or if the team or club is not an amateur one
- Receive payment from a UK source, other than the narrow exceptions the route allows
If the application is refused
A refusal decision explains the reasons under the published rules. Most visit visa refusals do not carry a right of appeal; a right of appeal may be available only on human rights grounds, and the refusal notice explains whether this applies and any time limits.
Common questions
What's the difference between an amateur and a professional sportsperson on this visa?
Can a sportsperson be paid to compete in the UK?
Can a sportsperson play for a UK club as a Standard Visitor?
How long can a sportsperson stay in the UK as a Standard Visitor?
Can support staff travel with a sportsperson?
How much does a Standard Visitor visa cost?
What happens if a Standard Visitor visa application is refused?
Talk it through with one of our solicitors.
Book a consultation and one of our immigration solicitors will go through your situation, the documents involved, and what happens next.
Recreational Visit
Take a short course purely for leisure while you visit the UK, such as pottery or riding, for up to 30 days of your stay.
Read the guide →Permitted Paid Engagement Visit
For experts invited to do pre-arranged paid work in the UK, such as a lecture or a performance. You must finish it in your first 30 days.
Read the guide →Tourist Visit
Travel to the UK as a Standard Visitor for a holiday, sightseeing, or to see family and friends, for up to 6 months at a time.
Read the guide →