The United Kingdom has confirmed that citizens of Nigeria and 114 other countries and territories must obtain a visa before travelling to the UK for stays of less than six months. This UK visa requirement appears in the updated Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor, released by the Home Office on 1 July 2026. Under the new guidance, nationals from the listed countries must secure entry clearance before travel, unless they qualify for specific exemptions set out in the immigration rules.
The Home Office also confirmed that stateless persons and travellers using documents other than a national passport, or a national identity card where permitted, must obtain entry clearance before travelling, unless the UK itself issued the document. Officials noted that limited exemptions apply specifically to nationals of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan.
Below is the full list of countries whose nationals require a UK visa:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- People’s Republic of China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Republic of the Congo
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- North Korea
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Philippines
- Russia
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- St Lucia
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Taiwan*
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Beyond nationals of these countries, the UK visa requirement also extends to stateless persons and to individuals travelling on documents other than a national passport or national identity card, unless the UK issued that document. Anyone planning a short trip to Britain should check their eligibility well ahead of time to avoid travel disruption.
Will this expanded visa list affect your travel plans to the UK?
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