Seven-day validity for a UK Visa? Application was for a 6-month short stay visa
Last November 2017, I applied for a visitor's visa for the UK. I indicated in my online application that I will travel in March 2018. I even paid for Priority Processing because I needed my passport for a trip to the Philippines in Dec 2017-Feb 2018.
My visa arrived and unfortunately, I did not scrutinize or examine it until today Feb 19, 2018, while making final travel plans. The Visa is valid for 02/02/2018-02/08/2018. Can I still, use this visa or am I at risk of being denied entry at the airport in Heathrow. My travel plans are finalized including hotel bookings.
Best Answer
The Visa is valid for 02/02/2018-02/08/2018. Can I still, use this visa or am I at risk of being denied entry at the airport in Heathrow.
The visa you have received is valid from the 2nd of February 2018, to the 2nd of August 2018. 6 months validity using the British date format (dd/mm/yyyy), not the US date format (mm/dd/yyyy).
The UK does not issue its Standard Visitor Visa with durations less than 6 months validity currently - it does not matter what you applied for, you will receive a 6 month visa but be expected to stick to the itinerary you applied with. Significant deviations from that itinerary may affect future visa applications.
So long as you travel between those two dates (2nd February to 2nd August), you will be fine.
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How long can I stay in the UK with a 6 month visa?
You can stay in the UK for up to six months. You can also apply to extend your UK Visitor Visa, as long as the total time you spend in the UK is not more than 6 months. It is also possible to apply for long-term visit visas if you travel to the UK regularly. These visas are valid for 2, 5 or 10 years.What is the validity period of UK visa?
You can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa if you visit the UK regularly. This visa lasts 2, 5 or 10 years. You can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit. If you're under 18 years old when you apply, your long-term Standard Visitor visa will only be valid for up to 6 months after you turn 18.How long is short-term UK visa?
A UK short-term visa is an entry authorization for visa nationals visiting the UK on a temporary basis. There is a range of reasons for visits up to 6 months or 12 months depending on the visa type, upon which you may get a visa in this category.How long before my UK visa expires can I apply for a new one?
You're allowed to submit a visa application up to two weeks after the expiry date of your previous visa. However, this is only on the basis that you can provide evidence that you missed the original end date for an unavoidable reason.UK Visitor Visa | Visit the UK for up to 6 months | GSN Immigration | Part 1
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Answer 2
To add a little explanation regarding the date format. The USA, and two island nations that recently became independent from it, are the only countries in the world to use MM/DD/YYYY dates. The UK, like most of the rest of the world, uses a DD/MM/YYYY format, so the dates referred to in your visa are 2nd February and 2nd August 2018, not 2nd February and 8th February 2018.
It is good to be aware of these differences in format when travelling so as to avoid this kind of confusion. You can find a complete map on Wikipedia of the systems used in other countries, but the system used in the UK is by far the most common. It is also the most confusing for Americans because there is no visible distinction for dates with days in the 1-12 range.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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