Parents of children at school
How to apply
This page explains how to apply for a visa before you come to the UK as a parent of a child at school.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to make your application online or by printing out and completing application form VAF1A. You can find out which method(s) you can use under 'More information' below.
You can download application form VAF1A and guidance notes from the right side of this page.
As part of your application, you will need to enrol your fingerprints and facial image (known as 'biometric information') at a visa application centre.
Select your country in our country finder to find out:
- how to apply in your country (including how to apply online);
- the location of our visa application centres;
- how long we generally take to process visa applications; and
- how your documents will be returned to you.
If your application is successful, you can find information about what will happen at the border (including customs requirements) in the Customs and travel information section.
More information
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Should you apply online or complete an application form on paper?
If you are applying for a visa from the following countries, you should apply using our online application system, Visa4UK:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burma
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- East Timor
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Faroes
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macau
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Nauru
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestinian Authority
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- Samoa and Western Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Vincent and Grenadine
- St Lucia
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikstan
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turks and Caicos
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- UAE
- USA
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
If you are applying for a visa from the following countries, you should apply by printing out an application form and completing it by hand:
- Cuba
- Malawi
- North Korea
- Turkmenistan
- Zimbabwe
If you are applying for a visa from the following countries, you can choose whether to apply using our online application system or by printing off the application form and completing it by hand:
- Bangladesh
- Maldives
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Sri Lanka
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Parent of a child at school - visa application fee
Short-term visit (up to 12 months) £278
Application forms
Visa for parents of children at school
- VAF1A application form - general visitor PDF 182KB opens in a new window
- VAF1A-1K guidance notes PDF 186KB opens in a new window
Translated visitor visa guidance notes
- Arabic VAF1A-1K guidance notes PDF 259KB opens in a new window
- Chinese VAF1A-1K guidance notes PDF 1.3MB opens in a new window
- Hindi VAF1A-1K guidance notes PDF 1.6MB opens in a new window
- Russian VAF1A-1K guidance notes PDF 307KB opens in a new window
- Thai VAF1A-1K guidance notes PDF 240KB opens in a new window
- Turkish VAF1A-1K guidance notes PDF 233KB opens in a new window
MORE NEWS AND UPDATES
- Removal of appeals for family visitors
- Changes to the Immigration Rules - July 2013
- Change to family visitor appeals
- Immigration fees change on 6 April 2013
Related documents
- Supporting documents guidance - visitors and direct airside transitPDF 228KB opens in a new window