UK visa requirement: Residence or citizenship?
On gov.uk's Standard Visitor visa page it is indicated
Check if you need this visa if you’re visiting from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland"
“Visiting from” makes you understand that the country you regularly live in is relevant, thus you can avoid applying for a visa if you are visiting from Italy (as country of regular residency).
As a matter of fact, if you proceed to make the check, the question to answer is "What passport or travel document do you have?", not really consistent with the indication previously given.
So, what is relevant: the country you live in with regular documents (and where you leave from to visit UK) or the country of origin which issued the passport?
To be practical, a Moldovan who is an Italian resident with regular resident card and Italian ID card (but with the note "not valid for expatriation") can avoid applying for a visa if he wants to spend a week-end in London (thus visiting from inside EEA)?
Best Answer
I agree that the site is slightly out of whack in the way you have pointed out. The text...
Check if you need this visa if you’re visiting from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
...should say...
Check if you need this visa if your passport or travel document is from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
The travel document in this context does not mean residence permit, but the document a person presents to gain entry to a country. About 99% of the time it is a passport, but sometimes for example it is a special card issued by the United Nations and sometimes a refugee identification card. That's why they have to say 'travel document' instead of just 'passport'.
For your specific case, it's about a Moldovan who has regularised in Italy. The UK doesn't care about that. Moldovan nationals need to have an entry clearance before they arrive, and the entry clearance needs to go into their passport. They should apply online by following the links you gave.
That, presumably, answers your main question. For the part of your question about the UKVI site being inconsistent, you will find a link at the bottom of most pages entitled "Is there anything wrong with this page?". You can use it to describe the problem you found. You will get back a boiler-plate email explaining that they cannot help you get a visa and you should see a lawyer. Admittedly, it has nothing to do with problems on their site, but unfortunately that's the way the web site works at UKVI.
Pictures about "UK visa requirement: Residence or citizenship?"
Do UK citizens have a visa or residence permit?
A UK residence card or BRC is different from a 'biometric residence permit' (BRP). You might have a BRP if you have a visa for more than 6 months, indefinite leave to remain or certain Home Office travel documents. BRPs say 'residence permit' on them.What is the difference between citizenship and residency UK?
Permanent residence refers to your residence status and does not affect your citizenship. If you apply for UK permanent residence as the citizen a non-UK country, then you retain that country's citizenship. You do not become a UK citizen through permanent residence.What are UK residency requirements?
To qualify for permanent residence, you must have been active in the UK during the 5-year residence period either as a worker, job-seeker (registered with the job centre), student, self-employed person (with comprehensive sickness insurance) or a self-sufficient person (must have comprehensive sickness insurance).Do I need a residence permit to live in the UK?
If you are not an EU/EFTA citizen, and you want to be in the UK for longer than six months, you will need to become a permanent resident. For this, you will need to obtain a Biometric Residence Permit.UK IMMIGRATION 2021 UK PERMANENT RESIDENCE AND CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS
More answers regarding uK visa requirement: Residence or citizenship?
Answer 2
The sentence is a little unclear but the first criterion is indeed your citizenship, and many Italian residents do need a visa/entry clearance to visit the UK. Outside of some special cases (members of the family of an EU citizen mainly), you can use the regular widget.
In this case, Moldovan citizens do need a visa even if they are Italian residents.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, Ethan Wilkinson, Kristupas Kemeža, Kristupas Kemeža