Verified against official sources — 30 Oct 2026

Long-Term UK Visitor Visas: 2, 5 and 10 Years — Fees, the 6-Month Rule and the Shorter-Visa Risk

NEW Published 30 October 2026

Illustration of three passports fanned out with ribbons of different lengths beside a calendar

£506, £903 or £1,128 buys validity, not longer stays: each visit is still capped at 6 months, and UKVI can grant you a shorter visa than you paid for, with no refund.

If you visit the UK regularly, GOV.UK lets you apply for a Standard Visitor visa that lasts 2, 5 or 10 years instead of reapplying each time. The trade-offs are written plainly in GOV.UK's own pages — a much higher fee, no refund if you are given less than you asked for, and a visa that can be cancelled if your travel pattern starts to look like living in the UK. This guide sets out the choice on the official terms.

Quick answer

A long-term Standard Visitor visa lasts 2 years (£506), 5 years (£903) or 10 years (£1,128). Whichever you hold, you can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit — the extra money buys freedom from reapplying, not longer stays. GOV.UK warns of three catches: you may be given a shorter visa than you requested if UKVI believe you cannot meet the eligibility requirements for the full duration; the fee is never refunded (not for a shorter grant, not on refusal); and your visa may be cancelled if your travel history shows you repeatedly living in the UK for extended periods. If you are under 18 when you apply, a long-term visa is only valid for up to 6 months after you turn 18.

SECTION 01The three options, priced

RULE — 2-year long-term Standard Visitor visa: £506 — 6 months per visit.
RULE — 5-year long-term Standard Visitor visa: £903 — 6 months per visit.
RULE — 10-year long-term Standard Visitor visa: £1,128 — 6 months per visit.
RULE — The standard 6-month visa remains £135 per application, for comparison — the long-term choice is about how often you travel and how strong your case is over the whole period, which is an individual judgement only you can make on your own travel pattern.

SECTION 02How long-term validity works

RULE — Apply the same way. You choose the long-term visa instead of the standard one when you apply online; the genuine visitor test and the application process are the same.
RULE — Multiple entries within validity (Appendix V, V 1.2), unless endorsed single or dual entry — each stay not exceeding the permitted length endorsed on the visa, usually 6 months.
RULE — The "not living in the UK" rule runs across the whole validity. Frequent or successive long stays can breach V 4.2(b) on any later entry and, per GOV.UK, can get the visa cancelled.
RULE — Under-18s: a long-term visa applied for while under 18 remains valid only up to 6 months after the holder turns 18.

SECTION 03The three catches, in GOV.UK's words

RULE — A shorter visa than requested. "You may be given a shorter visa than requested if UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) believe you cannot meet the eligibility requirements for the duration of the visa you applied for."
RULE — No refund. "You will not get a refund of the application fee if you get a shorter visa or if your application is refused." The fee is the price of the application, not of the duration.
RULE — Cancellation for living-pattern travel. "Your visa may be cancelled if your travel history shows you are repeatedly living in the UK for extended periods."

ADVICE — The honest framing. A long-term visa is a bet on your own future travel pattern and circumstances staying consistent with the genuine visitor test for years. GOV.UK's catches all point the same way: the longer the validity you ask for, the longer the period UKVI must be satisfied about. That is an editorial reading of the official terms, offered to frame the choice — the decision itself is yours.

Can I stay 2 years on a 2-year visa?

No. Every Standard Visitor visa — 6-month, 2, 5 or 10-year — allows a maximum stay of 6 months per visit. The long-term visas last longer as documents; they do not lengthen any stay.

I applied for 10 years and got 6 months. Do I get money back?

No. GOV.UK states the fee is not refunded if you are given a shorter visa than you requested, or if the application is refused.

Does holding a long-term visa guarantee entry each time?

No visa does: each entry is as a visitor, and GOV.UK warns the visa may be cancelled if your travel history shows repeated extended living in the UK. The genuine visitor conditions apply on every visit.

My child has a 5-year visa. Does it last until it expires?

Not fully: if they were under 18 when you applied, the long-term visa is only valid for up to 6 months after they turn 18.

Editorial note: This guide quotes GOV.UK's warnings verbatim where they matter, because the shorter-grant and no-refund terms are the parts of the long-term offer most often softened in retelling. Whether the arithmetic favours a long-term visa depends on your own travel frequency, which no guide can know.

Official references and verification status

All fees, validity rules and quoted warnings in this guide were checked against GOV.UK's Standard Visitor pages (long-term visas section and fee table) and Appendix V on 30 October 2026. Fees change; the fee in force when you apply is the one GOV.UK shows in the application.

If a detail here ever disagrees with GOV.UK, GOV.UK is right — and please tell us via the Contact page so we can correct the guide.

General information only. This guide is based on official sources publicly available and checked on the date shown on this page. Visa rules change, and consular and USCIS officers decide every case on its own facts — nothing here is a confirmation or a guarantee for your individual case, and this is not legal advice. Always confirm the current requirement on the official page linked in this guide before you act, and consider a qualified immigration attorney for your specific situation.