Applying for a visa for the UK
Are you planning to visit the UK? Dutch citizens don't currently need a visa to enter the UK for stays of up to 6 months, for tourism or some basic business activities. Please click here to read which activities are permitted for EU citizens without needing a visa. For many nationalities outside of the EU a visa is always necessary. Applying for a visa for the UK is fairly complicated. When applying for a visa for the UK it is mandatory to submit biometric data (fingerprints and a retina scan). Due to the complications involved in applying for a visa for the UK, Visa Service Desk offer UK visas as a premium only service.
When you use our Premium Service, you will have your own dedicated contact person and advisor to help you with your visa application. You will receive a bespoke service based on your specific situation ensuring that you have all of the necessary documents. These documents will be prepared by our specialists and the whole application will be thoroughly checked. We will collect your passport from the Embassy for you, once the visa has been issued. Are you interested in the benefits of our Premium Service?
Below you can find the most important benefits:
- Your own dedicated contact person and advisor
- A direct phone line to your dedicated specialist
- Personal advice based on your specific situation
- Form Completion Service
- A comprehensive check of your documents
- Photo Printing Service
- We prepare your Employer’s Statement
- Planning your appointment to give biometric data
- Collection of your passport from the Embassy
- You will be sent a digital copy of your visa
Courier delivery to Schiphol or another address within The Netherlands*
*this excludes Dutch Flanders and the Frisian/Wadden Islands.
Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW)
You can no longer apply for an electronic visa waiver (EVW) to enter the UK.
If you already have an EVW, you can use it until 22 February 2024.
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) if you are a national of any of the following countries:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belize
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including British national overseas)
- Israel
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Macao Special Administrative Region
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Oman
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Qatar
- Samoa
- Saudi Arabia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Taiwan (if you have a passport issued by Taiwan that includes in it the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan)
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Uruguay
Who can apply from 5 March 2025:
Nationalities from the following locations (including associated territories) can apply for an ETA from 5 March 2025.
They can travel to the UK with an ETA from 2 April 2025.
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Vatican City
Who does not need an ETA: If you are a national of another country, you currently do not require an ETA. More nationalities will be eligible to apply later. We will update this page in advance to provide you with sufficient time to plan your travel.
Additionally, you do not need an ETA if you have:
- a valid visa
- permission to live, work, or study in the UK
- a British or Irish passport
If you reside in Ireland and are traveling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, or the Isle of Man, you do not need an ETA.
What you can do with an ETA: An ETA allows you to:
- Visit the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business, or short-term study
- Stay in the UK for up to 3 months under the Creative Worker visa concession
- Travel to the UK for a permitted paid engagement
- Transit through the UK, including situations where you do not pass through UK border control.
The type of visa that you must obtain is defined by the United Kingdom Immigration law and related to your purpose of travel. Visa Service Desk cannot advise you on which visa you should have, the UK immigration has a Check if you need a UK visa tool on their website to help you find the correct visa for your travel needs.
Once you know which visa you need, Visa Service Desk can guide you through the entire process of applying for it.