Can Visitors Work In The UK Without A Visa?

Our immigration experts explain which business activities are permitted under the UK visitor rules and how employers can avoid illegal working risks.

Post-Brexit, there has been an increasing number of enquiries from employers seeking advice on bringing non-UK workers to the UK without sponsorship for short periods. For European workers who previously had the right to work in the UK without needing immigration permission, following the UK’s exit from the EU, it has made these arrangements of free movement more complex.

Prior to Brexit, European workers could generally move freely between EU branches and premises in the UK. However, since 1 January 2021, most EU, EEA and Swiss nationals who did not already have UK immigration status are no longer able to rely on their nationality to work in the UK and must have the appropriate immigration permission.

In some cases, visitors can carry out limited business activities in the UK without a work visa, however the activity must be specifically permitted under the visitor rules. These Inpiduals are permitted to do some limited ‘work’ on a visitor visa (which for Non-Visa Nationals are granted on entry to the UK without the need to apply).

What type of work can visitors do in the UK?

Under the Home Office Visit Guidance and Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, visitors must not work in the UK unless the activity is explicitly permitted under the visitor rules.

Taking employment in the UK or working in a self-employed capacity are not allowed under a visitor visa.

However, visitors can carry out some activities for up to six months, including:

Permitted paid engagements

Some inpiduals may undertake limited paid engagements. These include pre-arranged events where they are invited to the UK as experts in their profession. Invitees include speakers, lecturers, professional artists, entertainers and musicians.

These visitors will usually need a written invitation from a UK-based client, or organisation and the engagement must relate to their expertise and their main job overseas. Timewise, the engagement must be completed within the first month of their arrival in the UK.

General business activities

Visitors may generally:

• attend meetings, conferences, seminars and interviews

• give one-off or short series of talks and speeches, as long as they are not for profit

• sign contracts and negotiate deals

• providing there is no direct selling, they can attend trade fair for promotional work

• carry out site visits and inspections

• research information about their overseas employment

• attend briefings on the requirements of UK-based customers, provided any work for that customer is carried out outside the UK

• carry out remote work relating to their overseas employment, provided this is not the primary purpose of their visit.

Intra-corporate activities

Employees of an overseas company may come to the UK to:

• consult and advise

• troubleshoot

• provide training to other workers

• knowledge share.

This work must generally be carried out as part of a specific internal project with UK employees of the same corporate group. Direct work with clients is only permitted in limited circumstances.

Manufacturing and supplying goods to the UK

Foreign suppliers may send workers to carry out after-sales or after-lease service work under an agreement to supply or lease equipment to the UK. Inpiduals can come to the UK to install, service and maintain such equipment, in line with the after-sales or after-lease agreement.

Read our guides to different visa types

• Ancestry visa
• British national (overseas) visa
• Child student visa
• Fiancé visa
• Global talent visa
• Health and care worker visa
• High potential inpidual visa
• Innovator founder visa
• Scale up visa
• Schengen visa
• Senior or specialist worker visa
• Skilled worker visa
• Spouse visa
• Student visa
• Transit visa
• Visitor visa
• Youth mobility scheme visas

How can employers minimise the risk of illegal working?

Care must be taken when assessing exactly what activities will be required of any visitor to your organisation from overseas.

Before travel, employers should consider:

• the visitor’s nationality and whether they need a visit visa or electronic travel authorisation

• the main purpose of the visit

• the activities the visitor will carry out in the UK

• whether the visitor will be paid by a UK source

• whether the visitor will carry out any client-facing activity

• whether the activity could amount to filling a role in the UK

• the length and frequency of visits

• whether evidence of overseas employment and the purpose of the visit should be carried at the border.

If you wish to apply for permanent residence read our guide on the Life in the UK Test.

Can I work in another country as a visitor?

If you are travelling to another country for business purposes, always make sure you check its immigration rules well in advance of your departure. Each country has its own rules, and permission to carry out an activity in the UK does not mean it will be permitted to the country you are travelling to.