If you are a Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) National, you will be required to obtain a visa if you intend to travel through the United Kingdom (UK) as a transit passenger.
If you plan to stay in the UK for more than 48 hours you need to obtain a Visit Visa. If you are entering the UK in transit to another country and you will be in the UK for 48 hours or less, you need a Visitor in Transit Visa.
There are a number of exceptions. You will not require a transit visa if you, or the person you are travelling with to the UK holds any of the following:
- An Australian, Canadian, New Zealand or US visa and an airline ticket for travel via the UK to or from the country from which you have a visa;
- An airline ticket for travel via the UK from Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA to another country or territory, as long as you do not transit the UK more than six months after you last entered Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA;
- A Canadian or US Permanent Resident Card;
- A common format Category D Visa or Residence Permit issued by an EEA State; or
- A diplomatic, service or official passport issued by the People's Republic of China, India, or Vietnam.
A Visitor in Transit Visa is normally valid for six months. This visa may be used to transit the UK during this period as long as your visa and passport for the country or territory you intend to travel to remain valid.
On the basis of the Transit without Visa concession (TWOV), you may be able to transit the UK without a Visitor in Transit Visa, at the discretion of the Immigration Officer.
TWOV Concession
To qualify, it is necessary that you arrive on a cruise ship and depart on the same ship within 24 hours, or arrive by air and depart within 24 hours.
You must hold a ticket on either a flight or ship that departs within 24 hours of your arrival in the UK, have the documentation that will allow you to enter the country or territory you are travelling to, and have the documentation for any other country or territory that you pass through.
