Visa requirements for British Nationals (Overseas)

A British National (Overseas) passport

Visa requirements for British Nationals (Overseas) are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states and territories placed on British National (Overseas) passport holders.

Visa requirements map

Countries and territories with visa-free or visa-on-arrival entries for British Nationals (Overseas)

  Visa-free

  Visa on arrival

  eVisa

  Visa required

Visa requirements

Country	Visa requirement	Notes (excluding departure fees)
Afghanistan	Visa required
Albania	Visa not required	90 days
Algeria	Visa required
Andorra	Visa not required
Angola	Visa required
Antigua and Barbuda	Visa not required	6 months
Argentina	Visa not required	30 days
Armenia	Visa on arrival	120 days
Australia	Electronic Travel Authority	90 days. Online ETA not available. Holders must apply for ETA through airlines, travel agencies, Australian embassies or consulates
Austria	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Azerbaijan	Visa required
Bahamas	Visa not required	3 months
Bahrain	Visa on arrival	3 months
Bangladesh	Visa on arrival	30 days
Barbados	Visa not required	6 months
Belarus	Visa required	Visas are issued on arrival at the Minsk International Airport if the support documents were submitted not later than 3 business days before expected date of arrival.
Belgium	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Belize	Visa not required	1 month
Benin	Visa required
Bhutan	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Bolivia	Visa not required	90 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa not required	90 days
Botswana	Visa not required	90 days
Brazil	Visa not required	90 days
Brunei	Visa required
Bulgaria	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Burkina Faso	Visa on arrival	1 month
Burundi	Visa required
Cambodia	Visa on arrival	30 days. Visa is also obtainable online.
Cameroon	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Canada	Visa not required	6 months; eTA required if arriving by air.
Cape Verde	Visa on arrival
Central African Republic	Visa required
Chad	Visa required
Chile	Visa not required	90 days
China	Not recognized	Must obtain Home Return Permit and use it for travel.
Colombia	Visa not required	180 days
Comoros	Visa on arrival
Republic of the Congo	Visa required
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Visa required
Costa Rica	Visa not required	30 days
Croatia	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Cuba	Tourist Card required
Cyprus	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Czech Republic	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Denmark	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days (DK)
Djibouti	Visa on arrival
Dominica	Visa not required	6 months
Dominican Republic	Visa required
Ecuador	Visa not required	90 days
Egypt	Visa on arrival	30 days
El Salvador	Visa required
Equatorial Guinea	Visa required
Eritrea	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Estonia	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Ethiopia	Visa required
Fiji	Visa not required	4 months
Finland	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
France	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days (in Regions of France)
Gabon	eVisa
Gambia	Visa not required	90 days
Georgia	eVisa
Germany	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Ghana	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Greece	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Grenada	Visa not required	6 months
Guatemala	Visa required
Guinea	Visa required
Guinea-Bissau	Visa on arrival	90 days
Guyana	Visa required
Haiti	Visa not required	90 days
Honduras	Visa required
Hungary	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Iceland	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
India	Visa required
Indonesia	Visa not required	30 days
Iran	Visa required
Iraq	Visa required	Visa on arrival for 15 days at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports.
Ireland	Visa not required
Israel	Visa not required	3 months
Italy	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Ivory Coast	eVisa	3 months; eVisa holders must arrive via Port Bouet Airport.
Jamaica	Visa not required	30 days
Japan	Visa not required	90 days, extendable once
Jordan	Visa on arrival	Conditions apply
Kazakhstan	Visa not required	15 days as part of the no-visa pilot program in period 15 July 2014 - 31 December 2017
Kenya	eVisa	3 months, visa on arrival also available.
Kiribati	Visa not required	30 days
North Korea	Visa required
South Korea	Visa not required	90 days
Kuwait	Visa on arrival	3 months
Kyrgyzstan	Visa required
Laos	Visa on arrival	30 days
Latvia	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Lebanon	Visa required
Lesotho	Visa not required	14 days
Liberia	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Libya	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Liechtenstein	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Lithuania	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Luxembourg	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Macedonia	Visa required
Madagascar	Visa on arrival	90 days
Malawi	Visa on arrival	30 days, extendable to 90 days
Malaysia	Visa not required	90 days
Maldives	Visa on arrival	30 days
Mali	Visa required
Malta	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Marshall Islands	Visa required
Mauritania	Visa on arrival	Available at Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport.
Mauritius	Visa not required	90 days
Mexico	Visa not required	180 days
Micronesia	Visa not required	30 days
Moldova	Visa not required	90 days
Monaco	Visa not required
Mongolia	Visa required
Montenegro	Visa not required	90 days
Morocco	Visa not required	90 days
Myanmar	eVisa	28 days. eVisa holders must arrive via Yangon International Airport. Also visa on arrival for 28 days, if arriving from Siem Reap, Guangzhou or Phnom Penh on MAI.
Mozambique	Visa on arrival
Namibia	Visa not required	3 months
Nauru	Visa required
Nepal	Visa on arrival	90 days
Netherlands	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days (European Netherlands)
New Zealand	Visa not required	3 months
Nicaragua	Visa not required	90 days
Niger	Visa required
Nigeria	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Norway	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Oman	Visa on arrival	3 months
Pakistan	Visa required
Palau	Visa on arrival	30 days
Panama	Visa not required	180 days
Papua New Guinea	Visa required
Paraguay	Visa not required	90 days
Peru	Visa not required	183 days
Philippines	Visa not required	7 days
Poland	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Portugal	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Qatar	Visa required
Romania	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Russia	Visa required	72-hour Visa on arrival in Kaliningrad if traveling as part of a tour group organized by an authorized travel agent.
Rwanda	Visa on arrival	30 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Visa not required	3 months
Saint Lucia	Visa not required	6 weeks
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa not required	1 month
Samoa	Free Entry Permit on arrival	60 days. Free of charge.
San Marino	Visa not required
São Tomé and Príncipe	eVisa
Saudi Arabia	Visa required
Senegal	eVisa	3 months
Serbia	Visa not required	90 days
Seychelles	Free Visitor's Permit on arrival	3 months. Free of charge.
Sierra Leone	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Singapore	Visa not required	30 days
Slovakia	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Slovenia	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Solomon Islands	Free Visitor's permit on arrival	3 months. Free of charge.
Somalia	Visa required	Visa on arrival for 30 days, provided an invitation letter issued by the sponsor has been submitted to the Airport Immigration Department at least 2 days before arrival.
South Africa	Visa not required	30 days
South Sudan	Visa required
Spain	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Sri Lanka	Electronic Travel Authorization	30 days
Sudan	Visa required
Suriname	Tourist Card on arrival	90 days
Swaziland	Visa not required	30 days
Sweden	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Switzerland	Visa not required	90 days within 180 days
Syria	Visa required
Tajikistan	Visa required
Tanzania	Visa on arrival
Thailand	Visa not required	30 days
Timor-Leste	Visa on arrival	30 days. Not available at all entry points.
Togo	Visa on arrival	7 days
Tonga	Free visa on arrival	31 days. Free of charge.
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa not required	30 days
Tunisia	Visa not required	3 months
Turkey	eVisa	3 months
Turkmenistan	Visa required	Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Tuvalu	Free visa on arrival	1 month. Free of charge.
Uganda	Visa on arrival	May apply online.
Ukraine	Visa required
United Arab Emirates	Visa required
United Kingdom	Visa not required	6 months
United States	Visa required
Uruguay	Visa not required	90 days
Uzbekistan	Visa required
Vanuatu	Visa not required	30 days
Vatican City	Visa not required
Venezuela	Visa not required	90 days
Vietnam	Visa required
Yemen	Visa required
Zambia	Visa on arrival	90 days
Zimbabwe	Visa on arrival	3 months

Territories

Visa requirements for British Nationals (Overseas) for visits to various territories, disputed areas, partially recognized countries and restricted zones:

Europe

• Abkhazia — Visa required.
• Mount Athos — Special permit required (4 days: 25 euro for Orthodox visitors, 35 euro for non-Orthodox visitors, 18 euro for students). There is a visitors' quota: maximum 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox per day and women are not allowed.
• Crimea — Visa issued by Russia is required.
• Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus — Visa free access for 3 months.
• UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus — Access Permit is required for travelling inside the zone, except Civil Use Areas.
• Faroe Islands — Visa not required.
• Jan Mayen — permit issued by the local police required for staying for less than 24 hours and permit issued by the Norwegian police for staying for more than 24 hours.
• Kosovo — Visa not required for 90 days.
• Nagorno-Karabakh Republic — Visa required (issued for single entry for 21 days/1/2/3 months or multiple entry visa for 1/2/3 months). Travellers with Nagorno-Karabakh visa (expired or valid) or evidence of travel to Nagorno-Karabakh (stamps) will be permanently denied entry to Azerbaijan.
• Closed cities and regions in Russia — special authorization required.
• South Ossetia — Visa free. Multiple entry visa to Russia and three-day prior notification are required to enter South Ossetia.
• Transnistria — Visa free. Registration required after 24h.

Africa

• Eritrea (outside Asmara) — visa covers Asmara only; to travel in the rest of the country, a Travel Permit for Foreigners is required (20 Eritrean nakfa).
• Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara controlled territory) — Visa not required up to 3 months.
• Somaliland — Visa issued on arrival (30 days for 30 US dollars, payable on arrival).
• Sudan — All foreigners traveling more than 25 kilometers outside of Khartoum must obtain a travel permit.
• Darfur — Separate travel permit is required.

Asia

• Hong Kong — Right of abode or right to land.
• India — Protected Area Permit (PAP) required for whole states of Nagaland and Sikkim and parts of states Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh. Restricted Area Permit (RAP) required for all of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of Sikkim. Some of these requirements are occasionally lifted for a year.
• Kazakhstan — Special permission required for the town of Baikonur and surrounding areas in Kyzylorda Oblast, and the town of Gvardeyskiy near Almaty.
• Kish Island — Visitors to Kish Island do not require a visa.
• Macao — Visa not required for 6 months.
• Sabah and Sarawak — These states have their own immigration authorities and passport is required to travel to them, however the same visa applies.
• Maldives — With the exception of the capital Malé, tourists are generally prohibited from visiting non-resort islands without the express permission of the Government of Maldives.
• Palestine — Visa not required. Arrival by sea to Gaza Strip not allowed.
• Taiwan — Visa on arrival (for a fee) or free online registration for 30 days, only applicable to holders who were born in Hong Kong. BN(O)s who were not born in Hong Kong must apply for an Entry and Exit Permit (EEP) prior to arrival unless they have previously traveled to Taiwan as a Hong Kong Permanent Resident.
• Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province — OIVR permit required (15+5 Tajikistani Somoni) and another special permit (free of charge) is required for Lake Sarez.
• Turkmenistan — A special permit, issued prior to arrival by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is required if visiting the following places: Atamurat, Cheleken, Dashoguz, Serakhs and Serhetabat.
• Korean Demilitarized Zone — restricted zone.
• UNDOF Zone and Ghajar — restricted zones.
• Phú Quốc — can visit without a visa for up to 30 days.
• Yemen — Special permission needed for travel outside Sana’a or Aden.

Caribbean and North Atlantic

• Aruba — Visa not required for 30 days.
• Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba — Visa not required for 3 months.
• Colombia — Visitors arriving at San Andrés and Leticia must buy tourist cards on arrival.
• Curacao — Visa not required for 3 months.
• Greenland — Visa not required.
• Margarita Island — All visitors are fingerprinted.
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon — Visa not required.
• Sint Maarten — Visa not required for 3 months.

Oceania

• American Samoa — Visa required.
• Ashmore and Cartier Islands — special authorisation required.
• Clipperton Island — special permit required.
• Cook Islands — Visa free access for 31 days.
• Lau Province — Special permission required.
• French Polynesia — Visa not required.
• New Caledonia — Visa not required for 3 months.
• Niue — Visa on arrival valid for 30 days is issued free of charge.
• United States Minor Outlying Islands — special permits required for Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island.
• Wallis and Futuna — Visa not required.

South Atlantic and Antarctica

• Antarctica and adjacent islands — special permits required for French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Argentine Antarctica, Australian Antarctic Territory, Chilean Antarctic Territory, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Peter I Island, Queen Maud Land, Ross Dependency.
• Arab League — Certain countries will deny access to holders of Israeli visas or passport stamps of Israel because of the Arab League boycott of Israel.

Right to consular protection in non-EU countries

When in a non-EU country where there is no British embassy, British Nationals (Overseas) have the right to get consular protection from the embassy of any other commonwealth country present in that country.

Vaccination

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia require all incoming passengers to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination. Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area.

Passport validity

Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months and one or two blank pages.

Countries requiring passport validity of at least 6 months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Cambodia, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Guyana, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq (except when arriving at Basra - 3 months and Erbil or Sulaimaniyah - on arrival), Israel, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, countries requiring passport validity of at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia, Zambia, countries requiring passport validity of at least 3 months on arrival include Georgia, Honduras, Iceland, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Moldova, Nauru, Panama, United Arab Emirates and countries requiring passport validity of at least 1 month on arrival include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Macao, New Zealand, South Africa. Other countries require either a passport valid on arrival or passport valid throughout the period of intended stay.

Fingerprinting

Several countries including Argentina, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United States demand all adult passengers (age varies by country) to be fingerprinted on arrival.

Conflicts

Israel, subject to the Arab League boycott due to the Arab–Israeli conflict, does not stamp passports anymore. Instead, it issues ID cards to visitors. Previously, it was possible to get the stamp on a separate piece of paper.

However, similar conflicts exist between other countries. Visitors with passport stamp of such countries may have trouble to enter the other countries.

See also

• Visa requirements for British citizens
• Visa requirements for British Overseas Territories Citizens
• Visa requirements for British Overseas Citizens
• Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Hong Kong
• British National (Overseas) passport