Planning a move to the United Kingdom. Where to begin.
Choose the permission before the address.
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Where the visa stands
UK visitor rules allow remote activities connected to overseas employment only when remote work is not the primary purpose of the visit. These UK rules also apply in Scotland.
Start with your work plans
The UK has no digital-nomad visa. Since January 2024, visitor rules allow remote work connected to overseas employment only when remote work is not the primary purpose of the visit — the Home Office considers length of stay and financial viability, and visitors still cannot take local employment or run a UK business. A genuine move needs a qualifying work, family, or study visa. Read the visitor permitted-activities guidance and the caseworker instructions before planning anything around remote work.
Describe who pays you, where your employer or clients are based and what you would do while living abroad. Use those details when checking the official route. Employer approval and immigration permission are separate questions.
Employer approval and immigration permission are separate questions.
Take the first application step
Read the visitor permitted activities and caseworker guidance. Research a work visa separately for a move whose purpose is employment.
Do not present a visitor visa option as a digital nomad residence visa. Long stays and repeated visits require careful assessment.
Keep two money questions separate
The visa income test concerns the evidence required for an application. A living budget concerns your housing, healthcare, transport and daily spending. Compare both before committing to a move.
This briefing reorganizes the existing visa summary. It does not represent a new source review. The visa section of the guide keeps the original review dates and qualifications.
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