Entry clearance guidance

These pages contain copies of instructions used by visa staff on the handling of entry clearance and visa applications made outside the UK.

The documents have been published here in accordance with the principles of openness in the White Paper of Freedom of Information, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and previous Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

These are live documents and are constantly being reviewed and amended. They are for information only, and no guarantee can be given as to their accuracy. In particular, please note that the documents are guidance instructions and cannot be relied upon to determine the outcome of an individual application, which will be considered on its own facts, and the supporting documents provided.

Using the entry clearance guidance web pages

The easiest way to navigate through the guidance is to use the 'You are here:' navigation path at the top of each page.

Most pages start with a full list of paragraph titles highlighting the content available within the page. Within the guidance content you will also find internal links to other pages within this website or links to external websites, which open in a new browser window.

Links to further information, including relevant documents, are provided on the right side of most pages.