With lockdowns and travel restrictions easing across the world, property investors from all countries are considering their next move.
That includes overseas property investors looking to purchase homes in the UK post-lockdown, with buyers from Russia, China, Australia and India featuring prominently when it comes to external investment into Britain, especially in the prime parts of London and other major cities.
But what are the rules on visas for a property viewing, what are the current restrictions on travel in the UK, and what is likely to happen on a property viewing itself?
Apply for a Standard Visitor visa
If you’re coming to the UK for a short trip to view a property, a Standard Visitor visa is the best bet. Byevisa - a convenient new online service for international travellers, to make getting their travel visa as easy as one-two-three, without the need to visit the embassy - is one useful service to find out more.
The Standard Visitor visa is used when people are coming to Britain for leisure or business purposes. You must not have the right of abode in the UK (for example, if you’re a British citizen) to apply for a Standard Visitor visa. If you apply erroneously, your application will not be accepted and you will not receive a refund.
The Standard Visitor visa is the amalgamation of a number of previous visas into one, easier to categorise visa. It has replaced the: Family Visitor visa, the General Visitor visa, the Child Visitor visa, the Business Visitor visa (including visas for academics, doctors and dentists), the Sports Visitor visa, the Entertainer Visitor visa, the Prospective Entrepreneur visa, the Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa, and the Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa.
You can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you want to visit the UK for business-related activities. These Visitor Rules outline what business-related activities you can take part in on this type of visa, including site visits and inspections.
The earliest you can apply for a Standard Visitor visa is three months before you travel, and you should get a decision on your visa within three weeks when you apply from outside the UK, if you want to work or invest in the UK. (One week is counted as five working days).
You may be able to get your visa faster depending on what country you’re in. You should check with your visa application centre. On a Standard Visitor visa, you can typically stay in the UK for up to six months.
Should you need to visit the UK regularly over a longer period – perhaps to check in on a rental property or a new development you are looking to invest in - you can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa that lasts for two, five or 10 years. On each visit, you can once again stay for a maximum of six months.
A Standard Visitor Visa will only cost you £95, while the fee for a long-term Standard Visitor visa naturally depends on its length. For a two-year visa, it’s £361, for a five-year visa it goes up to £655, and for a 10-year visa it rises to £822.
You can find out more about eligibility for a visa, the documents and evidence you must provide to be granted a visa, how to apply, what you must show at the UK border, and what you must do after you arrive in the UK, by checking out the gov.uk page here.
The visa situation is currently complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has placed restrictions on people travelling into the UK. Anyone arriving in the UK must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival, regardless of their circumstances and symptoms, with only a few exceptions.
England recently lifted these quarantine restrictions, first introduced on June 8, for a list of exempted countries.
These 59 countries are as follows: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Réunion, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, South Korea, Spain, St Barthélemy, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Vatican City, Vietnam.
The 14 British Overseas Territories and those in the common travel area (Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) are also exempt from the quarantine policy.
The policy is being kept under review and may be added to or reduced depending on the prevalence of coronavirus in a given country. You can find out more about the travel corridors, and what you must do if you arrive from a country that is not on the exempted list, by clicking here.
Viewings will look different
Property viewings will also be very different for the time being, and those visiting the UK from overseas to view a property in person will need to be aware of these changes.
The current UK government advice on viewings is that people should use virtual viewings as a first port of call where possible, to minimise public health risks.
All viewings should take place by appointment and only involve members of a single household. Viewings should also only take place when a buyer is serious about a home, and strongly considering placing an offer. No open house viewings should take place, for obvious reasons.
On viewings, all the internal doors should be left open, while access to handwashing facilities and ideally separate towels/paper towels should be provided. If you are buying a home from someone else, they are encouraged to vacate the property while the viewing takes place.
When viewing a property, all parties should wash their hands and avoid touching surfaces where possible. You will be asked by the agent to restrict the number of people accompanying you on the viewing, and this should only be restricted to people in your household.
If agents accompany clients on a viewing, they should follow social distancing rules wherever possible. If viewings are unaccompanied, agents should ensure that viewers and homeowners understand how they should conduct themselves.
While there are definite challenges ahead, overseas investment into UK property is big business and is highly likely to continue, just in a slightly different way for some time. It’s vital that you know where you stand on visas, quarantining and viewings. eVisas should make at least one part of that process much simpler.
