Your journey estimate
Your journey: Visiting family in the UK · visiting Dec 2026 (assumed)
Tight
Nothing is late yet, but your first dated step is due on 21 Oct 2026, only 0 days away. Start this week and the rest stays comfortable. This is only about calendar dates, not your chances with any authority.
Calculated on from our journey rules. Nothing about you is saved.
We understood
Visiting family in the UK.
Fix anything that’s wrong. We would rather ask than guess.
Change your answers
Or say it in your own words:
Your journey at a glance
Timeline
What do I need to do, and by when?
These 11 steps matter most: the critical ones, the official ones and the ones where a service can help. Dates are counted back from Dec 2026 (our assumption: see below). 37 steps in all.
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Phase 1 of 3
Visitor paperwork
to · 10 steps
The official visitor pages, the invitation letter and your documents.
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by
Check whether you need a UK visa before you travel Visitor paperwork · GOV.UK: Check if you need a UK visa (official page, opens in a new tab)
9 more steps in this phase
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Check every passport is valid for the whole trip Documents · Passport Seva (Ministry of External Affairs) (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Know where to turn for official answers Visitor paperwork
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Ask your family member for an invitation letter, if the official page asks for one Documents
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Read what the Standard Visitor page says about visiting family Visitor paperwork · GOV.UK: Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Gather documents that show your relationship and your host’s details Documents
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Learn how scams aimed at visiting families work Visitor paperwork · Government of India: National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Apply, prove your identity and follow your application on GOV.UK Visitor paperwork · GOV.UK: How to apply for a visa to come to the UK (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Gather the financial documents the official page asks for Documents
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Save your approval documents exactly as issued Documents
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by
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Phase 2 of 3
Book the trip
to · 15 steps
Cover, flights, a place to stay, a phone and money for the trip.
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Decide where you’ll stay: with family or nearby Accommodation
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Book flights on a changeable fare until your paperwork is confirmed Flight
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Arrange travel and health cover for everyone travelling Insurance · IRDAI: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Check your cover for the whole of a longer stay Insurance · IRDAI: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Book or confirm your return flight Flight
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Check the official rules on carrying and spending foreign currency Forex & money · Reserve Bank of India: Foreign Exchange Management Act (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Sort a travel card or some local currency for the first days Forex & money · Reserve Bank of India: Foreign Exchange Management Act (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Get an eSIM so you can call home the moment you land Connectivity
7 more steps in this phase
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Ask about lifts, stairs and bathrooms before you book Accommodation
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Arrange help at airports and on board, if anyone needs it Flight · Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India (check the official website) (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Check the official UK page on what you can bring: medicines, food and gifts Pre-departure · GOV.UK: Bringing goods into the UK, banned and restricted goods (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Sort things at home before a longer stay Pre-departure
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Keep your Indian number reachable and set up video calls Connectivity
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Pack your medicines and prescriptions in hand luggage Pre-departure
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Keep passports, approval papers and the invitation letter in hand luggage Pre-departure
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Phase 3 of 3
Time together, then home
to · 12 steps
Arrival, time with your family and the way home.
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Arrange how you’ll get from the airport to where you’re staying Arrival
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At the UK border: documents ready, answers honest Arrival · GOV.UK: Entering the UK (official page, opens in a new tab)
10 more steps in this phase
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Check your permitted stay and what to do if plans change Heading home · GOV.UK: Standard Visitor, extend your stay (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Talk openly about who pays for what Time with your family
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Agree how and where you’ll meet at the airport Time with your family
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Write down the contacts that matter Time with your family · Ministry of External Affairs, India (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Plan an ordinary week as well as the highlights Time with your family
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Learn the local transport with your family Local setup
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Find the nearest pharmacy, clinic and hospital Local setup
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Re-confirm your return flight and how you’ll reach the airport Heading home
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Plan a proper goodbye and how you’ll stay in touch Heading home
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Check India’s customs rules for what you bring home Heading home · CBIC: Customs, Government of India (official page, opens in a new tab)
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Workload
Which months are busiest?
Steps due each month, all 37 of them. Plan your free evenings around the longest bars.
Documents
Which documents will I need?
12 documents, each listed once with the first step that asks for it. Official pages say exactly what they accept.
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Passport
First needed for: Check every passport is valid for the whole trip
Have it by
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Invitation letter from your host
First needed for: Ask your family member for an invitation letter, if the official page asks for one
Have it by
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Documents that show your relationship
First needed for: Gather documents that show your relationship and your host’s details
Have it by
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Birth / marriage certificate
First needed for: Gather documents that show your relationship and your host’s details
Have it by
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Your host’s status or address evidence (copy)
First needed for: Gather documents that show your relationship and your host’s details
Have it by
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Bank statement
First needed for: Gather the financial documents the official page asks for
Have it by
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Where you will stay
First needed for: Decide where you’ll stay: with family or nearby
Have it by
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Travel and health insurance certificate
First needed for: Arrange travel and health cover for everyone travelling
Have it by
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Return ticket
First needed for: Book or confirm your return flight
Have it by
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Visa decision or travel authorisation
First needed for: Save your approval documents exactly as issued
Have it by
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Medicine list and doctor’s letter
First needed for: Pack your medicines and prescriptions in hand luggage
Have it by
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Passport and visa copies
First needed for: Keep passports, approval papers and the invitation letter in hand luggage
Have it by
Services and budget
Which services will I probably need, and what might they cost?
Demo Sample prices from our demo partners — not a quote. They show how prices would look; nothing here can be booked or paid for from this page.
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Accommodation
Around : Decide where you’ll stay: with family or nearby
No sample price for this service yet.
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Flights
Around : Book flights on a changeable fare until your paperwork is confirmed
Demo price ₹1,08,622 to ₹1,68,562
Sample return economy fares for 1 traveller, Delhi (DEL) to London Heathrow (LHR), around 20 Dec 2026 (9 demo offers, taxes and demo fee included).
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Insurance
Around : Arrange travel and health cover for everyone travelling
No sample price for this service yet.
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Forex & money
Around : Sort a travel card or some local currency for the first days
No sample price for this service yet.
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eSIM
Around : Get an eSIM so you can call home the moment you land
No sample price for this service yet.
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Airport transfer
Around : Arrange how you’ll get from the airport to where you’re staying
No sample price for this service yet.
Services budget outline (demo-priced services only)
₹1,08,622 to ₹1,68,562
For one traveller, adding up 1 demo-priced service. Sample prices from our demo partners — not a quote. Official fees are not in this figure.
No surprises
What did we assume?
Anything you did not tell us is listed here, so you can change it.
- You did not give a outbound travel month, so we counted back from about 60 days from today (20 Dec 2026), the default our rules use. Choose yours above and every date moves with it.
- We assumed you are still exploring, with one adult travelling and no children. Steps about assistance, access and medicines are shown to everyone, worded “if anyone needs it”, and nothing about anyone’s health or mobility is stored. A visit with no return date is planned as a visit of a few weeks. Add your dates when you save your plan to refine this.
- We count every step from the beginning. If you have already done some, they are ticked off when you save your plan.
- No departure city given, so the sample fare uses Delhi (DEL).
- Due dates come from our journey rules. We do not predict how long any official application takes.
- Sample prices from our demo partners — not a quote. Official fees are set by the authorities, so we link their pages and never show an amount.
Guides
Read next
Plain-English guides for your plan, each with its official source.
Flying with older relatives, step by step
How to ask for assistance, choose a comfortable itinerary, carry medicines and keep documents safe when flying with older relatives. No medical advice...
VerifiedIf plans change: avoiding an overstay
Know the date your permission to stay ends, keep your return flight aligned, and know where the official extension pages are. No promises about outcom...
VerifiedInvitation letters for a family visit
What an invitation letter from your child or relative usually contains, and why no letter or template can promise approval. Official pages linked.
VerifiedLonger family visits: where to look
Where the official pages cover longer family visits and extensions in the UK, Canada, Australia and Germany. Links only: they decide what applies.
VerifiedTurn this estimate into your plan.
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Free to plan. No card needed. Not legal or immigration advice.