Is hotel confirmation needed at UK immigration?

Question

I have a question regarding travelling to the UK from Germany.

I am an Indian passport holder who has a blue card and a permanent job.

I applied for my UK visitor visa from Germany where I said I plan to book a hotel for my stay on my application.

But by the time I got my visa the prices of hotel were so incredible high, I decided to take my cousin’s offer to stay at her place instead. (She lives and works there with her family)

Now would I need any kind of document or anything from her such as a letter of invitation to stay at her place? Will I need to produce such a document at immigration, because I already have a valid visa.

Answer 1

Having a valid visa doesn’t guarantee entry. On arrival you may still need to show that you meet the ‘genuine visitor’ rules in V4.2 of the UK visitor immigration rules.

V4.3 states that accommodation may be provided by a third party only if that third party:

(a) has a genuine professional or personal relationship with the applicant; and

(b) is not, or will not be, in breach of immigration laws at the time of the decision or the applicant’s entry to the UK as a Visitor; and

(c) can and will provide support to the applicant for the intended duration of the applicant’s stay as a Visitor.

If you stated in your visa application that you would be staying in an hotel, the Immigration Officer may ask to see proof. Since you now plan to stay with a relative, you should be prepared to show evidence of that instead.