In order to apply for a visa, settlement, or British citizenship from within the United Kingdom, most individuals will be required to attend a UKVCAS centre to finalise the application process.
Making an application for a UK visa and citizenship can be overwhelming. While UKVCAS services are intended to make the application process more straightforward for individuals, there are stringent rules and requirements you have to follow, or you risk your application being delayed or even refused.
This makes it important to ensure that you follow the correct steps to apply for your visa, settlement, or citizenship application, since your ability to remain or move to the United Kingdom will depend on the acceptance of your application by the Home Office.
In this guide for applicants, we answer some frequently asked questions about UKVCAS and how to use UKVCAS services to finalise a visa, settlement, or citizenship application.
What is UKVCAS?
UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) is the service system used to process visa and citizenship applications filed within the United Kingdom. This includes applications such as all visa category switching, Further Leave to Remain visa extension applications, Indefinite Leave to Remain applications for settlement, and British citizenship applications.
UKVCAS centres are only used for Home Office applications made within the UK. Applications from outside the UK are processed by overseas application centres.
UKVCAS is a service managed by Sopra Steria, a third-party technology company that is contracted by the Home Office to outsource visa and citizenship application processing.
Do I need to make an appointment with UKVCAS?
You will need to book an in-person appointment at a UKVCAS centre for most visa and citizenship applications lodged in the UK.
You can book appointments up to 28 days in advance once you have submitted the online application for your visa, settlement, or citizenship application process.
Through the online booking platform available on the UKVCAS website, you can choose a UKVCAS centre by entering your postcode.
If needed, you can pay for same-day appointments at some service points.
What happens at the UKVCAS appointment?
At your UKVCAS appointment, you will need to arrive at your chosen UKVCAS centre between 10-15 minutes in advance of your allotted appointment.
You should only bring individuals listed on your application confirmation to your appointment, such as family members applying for a visa. If you need a carer to accompany you, you should make a request under the ‘Additional Requests’ section of the appointment booking form.
You cannot otherwise bring other family members or friends apart from those applying with you.
Upon arrival, your appointment details will be checked by a UKVCAS employee before you sit down to have your documents confirmed and biometrics enrolled.
If you uploaded your supporting documents online via the UKVCAS upload portal, a UKVCAS employee will check your uploaded documents for completeness, English language, and legibility.
If you paid for document scanning, a UKVCAS employee will scan and upload each of your documents. Depending on your application type, you may have your fingerprints recorded, a photograph taken, your signature enrolled, and your full passport scanned. Your physical passport may be sent to the Home Office, in some cases.
Once these steps are complete, your full application will be digitally sent to UK Visas and Immigration.
Where are the UKVCAS centres?
There are UKVCAS centres located throughout the United Kingdom:
- Aberdeen
Spaces, 1, Marischal Square, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, AB10 1BL - Bath
Northgate House, Upper Borough Walls, Bath, Somerset, BA1 1RG - Belfast
Regus, Forsyth House, 3rd Floor, Office 327, Cromac Square, Belfast, BT2 8LA - Birmingham
1 Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BD - Bristol Kingswood
Kingswood Civic Centre, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 9TR - Cambridge
Cambridge Central Library, 7 Lion Yard, Grand Arcade, Cambridge, CB2 3QD - Cardiff Library
Cardiff Central Library, The Hayes, Cardiff, CF10 1FL - Chelmsford Library
Chelmsford County Hall, Market Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH - Croydon (Bedford Point)
Bedford Point, 35 Dingwall Road, Croydon, CR9 2EF - Edinburgh
Regus, 1st Floor, 9-10 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2AF - Exeter
Regus, The Senate, 3rd Floor, Southernhay, Exeter, EX1 1UG - Glasgow
Suite 102/103, The Pentagon Service Point, Washington Street, Glasgow, G3 8AZ - Gloucester
Gloucester Main Library, Brunswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1HT - Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead Library, The Forum, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1DN - Hull
Hull Central Library, Albion Street, Hull, HU1 3TF - Ipswich
Ipswich County Library, Northgate Street, Ipswich, IP1 3DE - Leeds
2 Wellington Place, Leeds LS1 4AP - Liverpool
Regus Derby Square, Floor 4 MR1, Merchants Court, 2-12 Lord Street, Liverpool, L2 1TS - London – East Ham Library
East Ham Customer Service Centre and Library, 1st floor, 328 Barking Road, E6 2RT - London – Edmonton Green
Edmonton Green Library, 36-44 South Mall, Edmonton Green, London, N9 0TN - London – Enfield
Enfield Town Library, 66 Church Street, Enfield, EN2 6AX - London – Greenwich
Greenwich Central Library, 12 Lambarde Square, London, SE10 9HB - London – Mark Lane
20 Mark Lane, London, EC3R 7AF - London – Stratford
Stratford Library, 3 The Grove, London, E15 1EL - Luton
960 Capability Green, Luton, LU1 3PE - Maidstone
Kestrel House, Knightrider Street, Kent, ME15 6LU - Manchester
St James Tower, Faulkner Street, Manchester, M1 4DZ - Newcastle
City Library, 33 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8AX - Nottingham
Regus, Sopra Steria, East West Building, 2 Tollhouse Hill, Nottingham, NG1 5FS - Peterborough
Stuart House, St John’s Entrance, St John’s Street, Peterborough, PE1 5DD - Reading
Reading Central Library, Abbey Square, Reading, RG1 3BQ - Sheffield
Regus Spaces Acero, 1 Concourse Way, Sheffield S1 2BJ - Southampton
Cumberland House, Grosvenor Square, Southampton, SO15 2BG - Swindon
Swindon Central Library, Regent Circus, Swindon, SN1 1QG - Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton Central Library, Snow Hill, Wolverhampton, WV1 3AX
A UKVCAS premium lounge is located at:
- City of London, EnglandSopra Steria, 20 Mark Lane, London EC3R 7AF
The premium lounge does not affect application processing.
How long do appointments take?
In general, UKVCAS appointments will be less than 2 hours in length depending upon the type of visa, settlement, or citizenship application you have submitted. They can range from 10 minutes to 2 hours in length. You should allow for plenty of time to assure that you can successfully undertake your UKVCAS appointment and finalise your visa, settlement, or citizenship application.
How much is a UKVCAS appointment?
UKVCAS offers a range of non-chargeable and chargeable appointments and services. You will be able to view the appointment and relevant service charges when you sign up and log in to your UKVCAS account.
Below is a list of some additional service prices per applicant:
Additional services |
Availability information |
Price per applicant |
| Document scanning | Service points |
£56 |
| Document scanning | Premium lounge, VIPs, mobile pops | Included in appointment cost |
| Document checking | Service points, premium lounge, VIPs, mobile pops | £50 |
| SMS application updates | Service points, premium lounge, VIPs, mobile pops | £2 per appointment |
| Telephone interpretation | Service points, premium lounge | £70 |
| Meet & greet plus | Limited service points only | £289 |
| Document translation | Quotation on request |
UKVCAS services can be booked online via your UKVCAS account before your pre-booked appointment.
In addition to the cost of your application appointment, it will also cost £19.20 per applicant to enrol your biometrics at a UKVCAS appointment.
What do I need to take to the appointment?
At a minimum, you will need to bring a printed copy of your appointment confirmation email including the QR code and your travel document or passport. If you have paid for document scanning, you will need to bring all relevant documentation in hard copy. You may choose to bring hard copies of your documents for peace of mind.
How to create a UKVCAS account?
After submitting your online visa application, you will be prompted to create a UKVCAS account on the UKVCAS website via a link sent to your email address. You will be required to create a secure username and password associated with your account. If you need assistance creating a UKVCAS account, you can call UKVCAS at 0844 092 0232 from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Please note that calls cost £0.04 per minute in addition to the access charge from your phone provider.
How can I book a UKVCAS appointment?
After submitting your online visa application and creating a UKVCAS account, you can book a UKVCAS appointment via the UKVCAS appointment booking system.
First, select a Service Point in a convenient location around the UK and assess the availability of appointments. If no suitable appointments are available due to high demand, you can select a different location or return to the appointment booking system at a later date to finalise the booking process. Free appointments are added to the appointment booking system daily at 9am and chargeable appointments are added at midnight. You may want to check daily to see if suitable appointments have arisen.
Next, you can choose additional services for your appointment. You will need to determine what services are appropriate for your personal immigration needs and budget.
You can also add ‘Additional Requests’ if you have any accessibility needs.
Finally, you will finalise and pay for your appointment. Once this appointment has been booked, you can begin to upload documents.
How do you upload documents to UKVCAS?
Depending on your specific visa, settlement, or citizenship application, you will need to upload documents to the UKVCAS website before your biometrics appointment. These documents will then be transmitted to UK Visas and Immigration and assessed when your application package is reviewed by a caseworker.
Depending on the type of visa, settlement, or citizenship application and your specific circumstances, you may be required to upload documents such as the following (please note that this list is comprised of example documents and you will need to determine the correct documents for your application):
- Current passport(s) or travel document(s)
- Prior passport(s) or travel document(s)
- Current Biometric Residence Permit
- Prior Biometric Residence Permit(s)
- Bank statement(s)
- Birth certificate(s)
- Letter(s) of financial support
- Tuberculosis test(s)
- Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate(s)
- Police Registration Certificate(s)
- Consent declaration form(s)
- Payslip(s)
- Employer letter(s)
- Marriage certificate(s)
- Divorce documentation
- Tenancy agreement(s)
- Bills and correspondence
You can upload your documents to the UKVCAS website through the online upload portal. You will need to log in to your account and individually upload and submit each relevant document. Please ensure that each document is less than 6MB in size and in PDF, JPG, or PNG format.
If you pay for the Document Scanning Service in advance, you do not need to upload documents to the UKVCAS website. Instead, you will bring all documents to your biometrics appointment which will then be digitally scanned, uploaded, and submitted alongside your application by a UKVCAS employee.
When will I get a decision on my application?
The time frame in which you will receive a decision on your application will depend upon the type of visa, settlement, or citizenship application you have submitted. It will additionally depend upon if you have chosen regular processing or expedited processing, if available. Estimated time frames for visa and citizenship application processing change regularly and are noted on the UK Visas and Immigration website. In general, most visa applications will be decided within 8 weeks after attending a biometrics appointment and most citizenship applications will be decided within 6 months.
UKVCAS FAQs
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Legal disclaimer
The matters contained in this article are intended to be for general information purposes only. This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information is correct, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. Before acting on any of the information contained herein, expert legal advice should be sought.
Author
Gill Laing is a qualified Legal Researcher & Analyst with niche specialisms in Law, Tax, Human Resources, Immigration & Employment Law.
Gill is a Multiple Business Owner and the Managing Director of Prof Services - a Marketing & Content Agency for the Professional Services Sector.
