The UK Home Office has announced that UK visa fees across multiple categories – including visitor, work, student, and Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) applications – will increase from Wednesday, 9 April, 2025.
The price increase will vary by visa type, with student and visitor visas seeing the biggest jump.
Expect to pay more
For students, the fee for a student visa for both main applicants and dependents, will increase by 7% from the £490 (R12 175) to £524 (R13 020).
Visitors to the UK can also expect to pay more with visitor visa fees set to rise by 10%.
The cost for a six-month visa will increase from £115 (R2 860) to £127 (R3 155).
Longer term visit visas of two, five, and 10 years will also hit travellers harder in the pocket, with fees reaching £475 (R11 800), £848 (R21 070), and £1 059 (R26 320), respectively.
The 10-year visa offers the best value – and the least application stress – particularly for frequent travellers.
The South African price has not been helped by the weakening of the rand in recent days following US President Donald Trump’s trade tariff announcement.
The rand very nearly broke through the £1/R25 mark earlier this week, and is currently sitting at £1/R24.85 at the time of publishing.
Below, a look at how much visas for the UK will cost from Wednesday, 9 April onwards:
| Visa | Old cost | New cost | Increase |
| Student Visa (Main & Dependent) | £490 | £524 | £34 |
| Child Student Visa | £490 | £524 | £34 |
| Short-term Study (6-11 months) | £200 | £214 | £14 |
| Visitor Visa (6 months) | £115 | £127 | £12 |
| Visitor Visa (2 years) | £400 | £475 | £75 |
| Visitor Visa (5 years) | £771 | £848 | £77 |
| Visitor Visa (10 years) | £963 | £1 059 | £96 |
| Direct Airside Transit Visa | £35 | £39 | £4 |
| Landside Transit Visa | £64 | £70 | £6 |
| Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) | £10 | £16 | £6 |
| Skilled Worker Visa (≤ 3 years) | £719 | £769 | £50 |
| Skilled Worker Visa (> 3 years) | £1 420 | £1 519 | £99 |
Have you ever needed to obtain a UK visa?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
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