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I have a Pakistani passport but living in Dubai, UAE, with residency visa. I also have a Shengen Visa as I have my family in France. I am planning to travel to France (from Dubai) in March and I also want to visit UK and the stay will be really short i.e maximum 1 to 2 days.

I was on the UK visa website and I got a little confused that which visa should I apply for, a transit visit visa or visitors visa?

I will be travelling from France to UK via train, there I will stay in UK for really short time and then back to France.

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You're a Pakistani national and want to visit the UK for a couple of days. Since your visit will be really short, you don't know which type of visa to apply for (transit or visitor). I assume that your visit will be done via a round trip from the Schengen zone.

You need to apply as a General Visitor using The official UK website for online visa applications, for applicants not in the United Kingdom.

Once you have completed the web application, you will schedule a biometrics enrolment. It's the final step in the application.

Then you can approach the UAE visa facilitation service in Dubai for an appointment and ultimate submission of your application to the British Consulate General. The VFS will be your liaison during this part. They will inform you when the decision is reached and how to pick up your passport.

A transit visa is for those making a short stop enroute to other countries and would be inappropriate for your case. Applying for one would lead to a refusal and this would make matters worse. Also, applying for a transit visa on the grounds of France -> UK -> UAE would invite a pejorative refusal and is emphatically not recommended.

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  • Gayot Fow, Thanks alot :) If I plan my trip like this that from France I visit UK and then back to UAE then transit visa should be okay?
    – juliana
    Commented Jan 20, 2015 at 11:26
  • @juliana, that would be seen as a contrivance and get them very worried. That would make matters worse. The UAE is served out of Schengen in the same way as out of London.
    – Gayot Fow
    Commented Jan 20, 2015 at 11:36
  • @juliana If your destination is the UK, you are by definition not in transit to anywhere else, and thus not eligible for a transit visa. Commented Jan 20, 2015 at 11:45
  • @jpatokal, from france my destination is UAE via UK. that's what I meant. ( I am UAE resident by the way).
    – juliana
    Commented Jan 20, 2015 at 11:57
  • @juliana, answer updated to include this
    – Gayot Fow
    Commented Jan 20, 2015 at 11:58

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