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My next plan is to live (travel) in the UK within 6 months. As a Taiwanese national, we don't have to apply for a visa if our stay is within 6 months, however, we need to prepare documents so basically my question is about the documents.

  1. How much money do I need in my bank account if I am planning to stay for 4 months?

  2. Could I use a train ticket to France or a plane ticket to France rather than a return ticket to Taiwan?

  3. My real plan is to be a nomad in the UK, but I don't want to complicate things for the officer in the airport, could I just simplify my schedule (pretend to be a one month visit in the UK?

  4. How could I prepare the accommodation proof if I am going to use couchsurfing for 80 percent of the time while staying in the UK?
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    Never lie to border officials. If you plan to travel around the UK (or be based on one location in the UK) for six months, do not claim planning to leave after one month.
    – Willeke ♦
    Apr 25, 2020 at 9:11
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    Do you have documents showing ties to Taiwan that will ensure you leave? It can be difficult to show ties close enough to ensure you will leave and yet permitting four months of travel.
    – Patricia Shanahan
    Apr 25, 2020 at 11:49
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    Do not avoid the question posed by @PatriciaShanahan just above. UK Immigration's border control officer's first and most important issue is will you depart the UK at the end of your entry period? You must be prepared to show ties to your home country sufficient to persuade them you'll leave, and not stay in the UK to work or otherwise go underground. With the idea of going nomad for months, I'll suggest that your ties to your home country are weak, and your presentation at the border — that is, how you behave and how you look and what documents you have — will be crucial.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Apr 25, 2020 at 14:24
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    It's probably worth pointing out that if you say you are going to travel to the UK "within six months" then it means you will go to the UK between now and six months from now. If you want to say that you will spend no more than six months in the UK you say you are travelling to the UK "for six months". I say this so that a customs official won't misunderstand you.
    – DJClayworth
    Apr 25, 2020 at 17:32
  • @Never Exisbut Maybe also worth pointing out that it seems likely the UK will introduce quarantine for travellers arriving in the UK as one of the steps towards relaxing lockdown. Your couch surfing options may be severely limited by this, if they’re not already almost non-existent due to the COVID outbreak.
    – Traveller
    Apr 28, 2020 at 7:10

1 Answer 1

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How much money do I need in my bank account if I am planning to stay for 4 months?

For this specific question, please see this other question which could help:

You need enough money to show the officer you have enough money for accommodation, food and travel so that you won’t have to work illegally while in the UK. They also want to see a steady income each month on your bank statement.

Could I use a train ticket to France or plane ticket to France rather than a return ticket to Taiwan?

See this other post:

No. UK does not require proof of return/onward travel as a matter of routine and if you don't have such a ticket you can't produce it on request at a border.

However, it is not very likely that you will be asked for a return ticket unless there is some doubt about your returning and then having a return ticket should help

Therefore, a return ticket necessarily isn’t required, but if asked for one, you could show a ticket to France which means you are planning to leave the country.

My real plan is to be a nomad in the UK, but i dont want to complicate things for the officer in the airport, could I just simplify my schedule (pretend to be a one month visitor in the UK?

No, tell the officer the truth. If you lie and they find out, you could face a ban and serious immigration problems.

How could I prepare the accommodation proof if i am going to use couchsurfing for 80 percent of the time while staying in the UK?

Related:

I recommend presenting proof for a place you will be staying a long time, e.g. a few weeks, or say you are couch surfing and present multiple proofs of accommodation.

Although Willeke did mention in a comment that a young person, planning to travel around, it would be acceptable to have the first night in a hostel or cheap hotel and a list of hostels or some such, to book after that. But if you do so, make sure you have a budget that allows you to travel that kind of hotel or hostel.
And know you can not rely on finding couch surfing hosts, certainly not in this (still or just post) lock-down situation.

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  • It is generally recommend to apply for Visas in reverse order of travel - so each country can be assured that you will get into the next country (and from their point of view - leave theirs). However, Taiwan is a Schengen Annex II country, and thus the OP doesn't need a visa to enter. Therefore, the UK should have no concerns that the OP can enter France - assuming the OP is only staying less than 90 days in France.
    – CSM
    Apr 25, 2020 at 11:48
  • They are not looking for a specific amount of money, as some countries might. Rather, they will look to see that you appear to have enough money for the travel plans you have declared. If you stay in hostels and couch surf you will need less money than if you stay in central London hotels. But you still need to research how much money you are likely to need, and make sure you have enough.
    – Michael Hampton
    Apr 25, 2020 at 17:01
  • thank you so so soo much for answering my questions danill:))) i learned so many things from your answer:)) i am very lucky that i found a person like you who is being so generous and really trying to help me out, you know before receiving your answer , i was very worried about the documents, now everything its wayyyy more clear now thanks to you danil:))
    – Never Exisbut
    May 2, 2020 at 14:13
  • @CSM thank you so much for telling me:)) i will just by one cheap train ticket or airplane ticket to france then:))
    – Never Exisbut
    May 2, 2020 at 21:52
  • @MichaelHampton may i ask you could i just screenshot my booking.com app about my booking record?
    – Never Exisbut
    May 2, 2020 at 21:53

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