UK Transit Visa for South Africans

Travelling from South Africa and via the UK and feeling a little confused about whether you need a visa or not? You’re certainly not alone, since Britain introduced the requirement of a visa for South Africans, transiting the UK has quickly become the murkiest of waters in the immigration world. Here is some info which might shed some light on this:

What is a transit visa?

Citizens of certain countries, like South Africa, require visas to enter the UK and in most cases to travel through a UK airport to another country. The transit visa is a slightly cheaper visa which allows the holder the opportunity to pass through the UK but not to enter Britain for any purpose other than to transit through it.

When is a transit visa not needed?

In certain circumstances one does not need a visa to transit via the UK (Transit Without Visa or TWOV), the rule for this is, in technical speak, as follows:

Visa required, except for Passengers who may be granted permission by the Immigration authorities to enter the United Kingdom, for a stay not exceeding 24 hours. […] and have no purpose in entering the United Kingdom other than to pass through in transit.
Nationals of South Africa may only use this administrative concession (TWOV) above if holding:
– a visa which allows entry into (or transit through) either Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA; and
– holding a valid ticket for travel from a third country or territory via the UK as part of a journey TO (or through)
Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA.

In plain speak, you can only enter the UK without a visa if:

  1. You enter on a ticket which departs from South Africa and the destination of that ticket is either the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand
  2. You’re holding a visa for one of the countries mentioned above (point A)
  3. You are staying in the UK for no longer than 24 hours, in transit, to either the USCanadaAustralia or New Zealand
  4. You have no reason to be in the UK other than transiting there (e.g. no business to conduct sites to see or people to visit) while on your way to either the USCanadaAustralia or New Zealand

If you do not meet all of the above criteria, you will need a visa to transit the United Kingdom.

Transiting between London Heathrow and Gatwick

You’ll find very few people who will give you a straight answer about transiting between Heathrow and Gatwick, mostly because the repercussions of giving you the wrong information are high – you won’t be allowed onto your flight, or worse yet, you will be detained and deported upon arrival in the UK. Officially you are allowed to travel between Gatwick and Heathrow without a visa, provided the above rules are met, and we do know of people who have successfully done this. But getting a direct answer out of the High Commission is very difficult, so here are your options:

  1. Risk it, as no where does it say you cannot travel between the two airports if you’ve met the above criteria.
  2. Apply for a transit visa (R638 at the time of this post) and avoid all the risk.

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UK Transit Visa Image from Flickr

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Our Readers Comments

  1. Hi there. Hubby has Irish passport and I have a S.A. one with a valid USA visa. We are wanting to fly from S.A. to Dublin Ireland via Heathrow. Will I need a transit visa and hubby nothing?
    Thanks

    • Hi there,

      South African passport holders transiting the UK as part of their flight enroute to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND or AUSTRALIA may travel to the UK under the “Transit without a Visa” (TWOV) concession. This will allow passengers to connect to the next leg of their route without a visa provided that the passenger:
       Has a confirmed flight to the next destination (USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Has the correct documents to enter their next destination (i.e. a valid visa to the US, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Will be leaving the UK within 24 hours of arrival.

      As you are flying to Dublin you would need to apply for a transit visa. I would contact the Embassy to get the most up to date information as visa rules and regulations could change at anytime.

  2. Hey Marcelle,

    What happens when my girlfriend (SA national) and I (British national w/SA work permit) meet up in Vancouver where we both have valid visas and fly back to SA – stopping in London for less than 24 hours. Is my gf able to get a transit visa to leave the airport for this time in London?

    Thanks in advance

    Ben

    • Hi Ben,

      Thanks for getting in touch. Should you girlfriend wish to pass immigration & leave the airport for tourist purposes she would need to apply for a tourist visa. I’m afraid a transit visa will not cover her unless she was flying into London Heathrow that day and out flying out of London Gatwick within 24 hours.

      Below is a more detailed info on how the Transit Visa’s for the UK work however please contact the Embassy or official visa handling agency for the most up date information as this could have changed at anytime.

      South African passport holders transiting the UK as part of their flight enroute to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND or AUSTRALIA may travel to the UK under the “Transit without a Visa” (TWOV) concession. This will allow passengers to connect to the next leg of their route without a visa provided that the passenger:
       Has a confirmed flight to the next destination (USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Has the correct documents to enter their next destination (i.e. a valid visa to the US, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Will be leaving the UK within 24 hours of arrival.
      The TWOV concession allows passengers to connect to onward flights both airside or at an alternative airport as long as the connecting flight to the onward destination is taken within 24 hours
      What does this mean?
      Example: Should you be travelling to the US with a transit in the UK, but you are landing at Heathrow and your connecting flight is at Gatwick, you can use the TWOV concession to get from one airport to the other as long as the connecting flight takes place within 24 hours of your arrival in the UK.

  3. Hi. I will be going to Canada in 12 days via Heathrow airport. I am a South African with a valid S.African passport which is presently with the Canadian embassy. I am only going to spend 4 hours in transit. i wish to know if this rule of TWOV will work for me. i have a confirmed flight to Canada and the visa to enter Canada. I wish to know if this is enough or if i need a transit visa…where should i get one (transit visa). I will be accompanied by my student from Namibia.We have almost the same documents. Please help.

    • Hi there,

      Thanks for getting in touch.

      South African passport holders transiting the UK as part of their flight enroute to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND or AUSTRALIA may travel to the UK under the “Transit without a Visa” (TWOV) concession. This will allow passengers to connect to the next leg of their route without a visa provided that the passenger:
       Has a confirmed flight to the next destination (USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Has the correct documents to enter their next destination (i.e. a valid visa to the US, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Will be leaving the UK within 24 hours of arrival.
      The TWOV concession allows passengers to connect to onward flights both airside or at an alternative airport as long as the connecting flight to the onward destination is taken within 24 hours

      However please contact the Embassy or official visa handling agency, as this information could have changed at anytime. As the Embassies are granting the visa’s they will be able to provide you with the most up to date info.

      With regards to foreign passport holders I’m afraid we are not able to advise what documents your student would require. You would need to contact the Embassy or official visa handling agency and would be able to assist.

  4. Hi, I have a slightly different situation and can’t pick up an exact match on previous questions. I have a South African passport but living in Sweden on a 2 year work permit (residence permits) which gives me access to Schengan states.
    We are travelling to Canada but will be in transit in London Heathrow for 3 hours. Do we need to get transit visas or do we qualify for TWOV.
    We will not be leaving from South Africa but from Sweden
    We have visas for Canada.
    Thanks in advance for the assistance

    • Hi Nicole,

      South African passport holders transiting the UK as part of their flight enroute to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND or AUSTRALIA may travel to the UK under the “Transit without a Visa” (TWOV) concession. This will allow passengers to connect to the next leg of their route without a visa provided that the passenger:
       Has a confirmed flight to the next destination (USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Has the correct documents to enter their next destination (i.e. a valid visa to the US, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Will be leaving the UK within 24 hours of arrival.

      It doesn’t say that one needs to depart from South Africa. However we do recommend you contact the Embassy direct as they would be able to provide you with the most up to date information.

  5. Thanks Marcelle!!

  6. Hi Nick
    We are visiting Ireland for a conference and traveling from Johannesburg. The flight is Johannesburg-Dublin with a stop-over at Heathrow. We are using SA passports. No visa required for Ireland…..
    Please can you assist in terms of visas? It seems so unnecessary and expensive to have to have a visa just while you wait for a flight?

    Kind regards
    Petra

    • Hi Petra,

      South African passport holders transiting the UK as part of their flight enroute to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND or AUSTRALIA may travel to the UK under the “Transit without a Visa” (TWOV) concession. This will allow passengers to connect to the next leg of their route without a visa provided that the passenger:
       Has a confirmed flight to the next destination (USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Has the correct documents to enter their next destination (i.e. a valid visa to the US, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Will be leaving the UK within 24 hours of arrival.
      The TWOV concession allows passengers to connect to onward flights both airside or at an alternative airport as long as the connecting flight to the onward destination is taken within 24 hours

      As you are travelling to Ireland via the UK you would need to apply for a UK transit visa. Please contact the Embassy as they would be able to provide you with the most up to date information on visa requirements.

  7. Hi Nick
    We are from South Africa and will be visiting the USA in June 2018. My Family and i have valid US VISA’S for the trip. I will be flying BA to the UK. My stopover in the UK will be 4 hours before we re- connect with a flight to the USA. We will most likely collect, then check in our baggage on to the connecting flight to the USA since that flight is with an American airline.
    Since we will be collecting our baggage and re-checking them in, do we still require a VISA for the U.K?

    • Hi Nazeer,

      If you have purchased a through ticket (all flights on one ticket) your baggage should be checked straight through.

      South African passport holders transiting the UK as part of their flight enroute to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND or AUSTRALIA may travel to the UK under the “Transit without a Visa” (TWOV) concession. This will allow passengers to connect to the next leg of their route without a visa provided that the passenger:
       Has a confirmed flight to the next destination (USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Has the correct documents to enter their next destination (i.e. a valid visa to the US, Canada, New Zealand or Australia)
       Will be leaving the UK within 24 hours of arrival.

      However we do recommend you contact the airline you will be travelling with and the Embassy. They will be able to provide you with the most up to date information.

  8. Hi Nick,

    I’m visiting Oklahoma in March and will most probably stop in London Heathrow.

    Question number 1:

    Can I request that the airline books me a ticket with a layover longer than 24hrs? I ask this because I was living in London until September when my visa expired. Now that I’m flying via london, I’d like to stop by and see my friends even if it’s for a little under 2 days. I left in haste before my visa expired, so I just want to get another chance to be there for a little while for “closure”:-/

    Q2. If I apply for the visitor transit visa which allows a 48hr stay, will I be allowed to leave the airport for nearly 2 days and go back (to the same airport) in time for my onward flight?

    • Hi there,

      thanks for getting in touch.

      To my knowledge, you would need to apply for a tourist visa. However as we do not specialise in visa related queries you would need to contact the Embassy or official visa handling agency. they will be able to provide you with the most up to date info.

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