UK visit visa for parents from India, documents and fees

Few things fill a UK visa centre in India faster than parents planning a trip to see a new grandchild. Indian citizens need a visa to visit the UK, and for parents that is almost always the Standard Visitor visa. It is not complicated, but refusals do happen, usually because the application doesn't show clearly why the parents will go home.

This guide covers who applies, which documents help, the real cost for a couple, wait times, and how a long-term visa can save repeat applications.

Key points

• Parents apply for a Standard Visitor visa. It allows stays of up to six months per visit.
• The fee is £135 per person for six months, or £506, £903 or £1,128 for a 2, 5 or 10-year visa.
• There is no immigration health surcharge for visitors, so buy travel health insurance.
• Decisions usually take about three weeks after the visa centre appointment. Apply up to three months before travel.
• The key test is showing the visit is temporary and that the trip is paid for.
• Last checked 27 Oct 2026. Not legal advice.

Which visa parents need

Indians can't use the UK's new electronic travel authorisation, which is only for visa-free nationalities. So your parents need a visa before they fly. The Standard Visitor visa covers tourism and visiting family, which includes helping around the house or seeing a grandchild being born. It does not allow work, and they can't live in the UK through frequent long visits.

There is no special "parent visa" for visits. A separate route exists for adult dependent relatives who need long-term care, but it is very hard to get and is not meant for holidays.

The test your parents must pass

GOV.UK lists what the visa officer must be satisfied of. In plain terms, your parents must show that:

• they will leave the UK at the end of the visit;
• they can pay for the trip, or someone else (you) will;
• they can pay for the return flight;
• they won't make the UK their main home through repeated long stays.

Most refusals come down to the first point. Officers look at ties to India: property, a pension, other family, a home they are returning to, and their past travel.

Documents that make a strong application

Every application is made online, then supported with documents at a visa centre in India. These are the papers that usually matter, in two piles.

From your parents:

1. Valid passports, plus old passports showing past travel (to the UK, US, Schengen or elsewhere).
2. Six months of bank statements, pension statements or proof of other income.
3. Proof of ties in India: property papers, a letter showing retirement or ongoing work, details of other children or relatives at home.
4. A rough itinerary and return dates.

From you, the child in the UK:

1. An invitation letter: who you are, your relationship, dates of the visit, where they'll stay, and that you'll cover costs if you are.
2. Your passport and UK visa status (or British passport). If you hold an eVisa, a share code or a screenshot of your status.
3. Recent payslips and bank statements if you're paying.
4. Proof of address, such as a tenancy agreement or council tax bill.
5. If the visit is for a birth, a letter or scan showing the due date.

Documents not in English need certified translations. Send copies that support what the form says, not everything you own; a clear, consistent file beats a thick one.

What it costs

At about ₹127 to the pound (reference rate, 23 Oct 2026):

Each parent pays separately, so a six-month visa for a couple is £270, about ₹34,000, before visa centre charges and any optional services. If your parents plan to visit every year, a long-term visa can work out cheaper than repeat applications. The officer may still grant a shorter visa than requested, and the fee isn't refunded if that happens.

Health cover: visitors don't pay the immigration health surcharge, and they will usually be charged for NHS hospital treatment. A travel insurance policy with medical cover is essential, especially for parents over 60.

How long it takes

UK Visas and Immigration aims to decide visit visas in three weeks from the visa centre appointment, according to GOV.UK's processing times page. Your parents can apply up to three months before travel. If dates are tight, GOV.UK lists a priority service for £500 extra, which usually gives a decision in five working days, and super priority for £1,000, usually by the end of the next working day. Check with the visa centre whether these are on offer at your parents' location.

Don't book non-refundable flights before the visa comes through. Peak months for Indian applicants, April to July and the weeks before Diwali and Christmas, can be busier at visa centres, so book the appointment as soon as the online form is done.

Extending a stay

If your parents' stay is shorter than six months, they can apply from inside the UK to extend up to six months in total, but the fee is £1,172 each. They can't stay beyond six months as visitors, except in limited cases such as medical treatment. Plan the trip length at the start; it's far cheaper.

A worked example

Rakesh and Usha, both retired in Nagpur, want to stay with their daughter in Manchester for four months around the birth of her first child. They apply in May for a September trip, each for a two-year visa (£506 each, £1,012 in total, about ₹1.29 lakh). Their file includes pension statements, their flat's sale deed, their son's address in Nagpur, an earlier Singapore holiday, their daughter's invitation letter with her payslips and eVisa share code, and a hospital letter with the due date. The story is clear: a family visit with a fixed return to a home in India.

Common reasons for refusal

• Bank statements with a sudden large deposit and no explanation.
• An invitation letter that says "as long as needed" instead of fixed dates.
• Plans that suggest childcare for months at a stretch, every year.
• Contradictions between the form and the documents, such as different trip dates.

If refused, read the letter carefully. There is no appeal for visit visas, but your parents can apply again with the gap fixed.

Get the story right on paper and the visa is usually the easy part of the trip. Agree the dates, gather the ties to home, and apply early.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change; check GOV.UK before applying. Last checked 27 Oct 2026. Next review: April 2027 fee changes.