Last updated on April 29th, 2021; Published on October 4th, 2019
Nigerian citizens need a visa to visit the United Kingdom. Therefore, in this post, I’ll show you the UK visa application process in Nigeria and some important things you need to know. If you’re applying for a visa for the first time, be sure to read my guide, detailing general rules about visa applications in Nigeria.
What's Covered in this Post
The UK Visa Application in Nigeria – The Process
The first step to applying for a visa is to fill the online application form at the Gov.UK website. Navigate to ‘Visas and Immigration’ and select the category of visa you wish to apply for. In my case, I selected ‘Visit the UK’. To clarify, this option can be used for short stays visit up to 6 months. Next, you should select the type of visa. I selected ‘Standard Visitor Visa’, for example. Lastly, click on the ‘Apply’ link and the ‘Apply Now’ button.
Choose your preferred language and country. This should be where you will live and will be providing your biometrics in. Go ahead and fill in the necessary information, then, pay the visa application fee after completion.
Note that the form may take some time to fill. Luckily, you can fill it in bits, returning to your application at a later time.
UK Standard Visitor Visa Fee (2020)
The costs of a UK visa may vary depending on the kind of visa you apply for. The duration and whether or not you pay for a priority visa will also affect the cost. A regular short stay 6-month visa costs £95 at the time of this writing. It could cost from $404 to $1,400 if you choose to expedite the process.
After paying the visa fees, you will be redirected to the TLScontact website to schedule an appointment. You will be required to pay an additional fee of £55. TLScontact also provides additional services at varying costs. I opted for a Prime Time appointment (7:00 – 8:30 am) and had to pay another ₦37,000 at the venue.
Once you have confirmed your appointment, you should proceed to scan and upload ALL your supporting documents. I didn’t upload my bank statements. As a result, I had to pay an extra ₦10,000 at the TLScontact office to get this done.
It’s also important to note that TLScontact only accepts payments with a Nigerian (Naira) card. Previous visa application centres I have been to accept only cash, so, naturally, I went to this centre with a wad of cash. I tried to pay with a US bank card but they didn’t accept that either. I ended up asking other applicants to pay on my behalf, while I did a transfer back to them.
After the document pre-check, you will be asked to go in for your biometrics.
UK Visa Application Supporting Documents
The documents needed for your visa application include, but are not limited to the following;
- Letter of Invitation from the UK
- Letter of Introduction from employer
- Evidence of employment (employment letters, promotion letters, etc)
- Bank statements (I submitted 6months)
- Payslips (I submitted 6months)
- Photocopy of your international passport bio-data page
- Hotel reservation ( if applicable )
- Flight Itinerary
- Documentation from Host in the UK ( passport copy, letter of invitation, bank statement )
- Original Marriage Certificate if applying with a spouse
- Original Birth Certificates of children if applying with children
- Family Photographs
- Evidence of assets
Where is TLScontact Located?
TLScontact has offices in Abuja, Lagos (Ikeja and Victoria Island)
Victoria Island: Ground Floor, Ivie House, 4/6 Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Opening Hours: Mondays to Fridays at 08:30 – 15:00 – for submission. Prime Time Appointments are between 07:00 and 08:30 am
Passport Return 10:00 – 16:00 Monday to Friday
Ikeja: Ground and First Floors, Etiebets Place, 21 Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
Opening Hours: Mondays to Fridays at 08:30 – 15:00 – for submission. Prime Time Appointments are between 07:00 and 08:00 am
Passport Return 10:00 – 16:00 Monday to Friday
Abuja: Third floor, Murkhtar El-Yakub Place beside Metro Plaza, on Plot 1129 Zakariya Maimalari Street, Central Business District, Abuja, Nigeria
Opening Hours: Mondays to Fridays at 08:30 – 15:00 – for submission. Prime Time Appointments are between 07:00 and 08:00 am
Passport Return 10:00 – 16:00 Monday to Friday
What Should You Do Before and During Your Appointment?
- Fill out the online application form
- Schedule your appointment date. Beware of additional costs associated with prime time appointments and special services.
- Arrive on time. I can’t stress this enough. There is a steep penalty for showing up late.
- Upload ALL your supporting documents online. If you miss even one document, officials will automatically sign you up for the ‘Assisted Service’. Consequently, you will pay an additional fee of ₦11,700 (updated 2020)
- If you opt for the assisted service option, make sure all your documents are in A4 formats
- Print out the visa supporting documents checklists. Even though they didn’t take this from me, they asked that I signed it.
- Go with your passport biodata page
- Remember that the centre only accepts (Nigerian) card payments
- All other documents I went with were not collected but if it makes you feel comfortable, go with them.
UK Visa Application in Nigeria Processing Time
It takes an average of 15-21 working days to get a response for a regular visa. However, this time may vary from one application to the next. Be sure to apply for your visa well ahead of time. You can also pay to get a priority visa in 5 days or 24 hours but be aware that these options could be quite costly.
What Next?
The TLScontact service will send regular emails to keep you updated on the status of the progress of your application. Alternatively, you can track the progress from the UK immigration website.
That’s it for the entire UK visa application process in Nigeria. I hope you find this guide useful. Feel free to share your visa experience with me or ask any questions you might have in the comment section.
Disclaimer: All information presented is correct at the time of writing. They are subject to change without notice. Always confirm travel details and necessary requirements with respective embassies & airlines before you travel.
Photos by Sabrina Mazzeo, Eva Dang, Charles Postiaux on Unsplash
