UK Visa fee

[TCA]

The official response, from an unnamed person at the Embassy in Bangkok, says :

Thank you for your email dated 10 January.

UK Visas and Immigration is embarking on a programme of modernisation, which includes moving to an online application process where almost all customers around the world will apply and pay for their visas online. UKVI has already successfully launched online payment for visas to over 90 countries.

Customers in Thailand already apply for their visa online. From 16 December 2013, Thai customers (and all those applying in Thailand) have also been required to pay for their visa application online, using either a MasterCard or Visa credit, debit or pre-payment card. Additional online methods of payment are expected to become available over time, including other payment cards and e-wallets. Online payment is mandatory for all customers and other methods of payment, including payment at the visa application centre, are no longer accepted.

Online payment allows a more streamlined application process and is consistent with a wider global trend to online transactions and payments; it helps to cut costs in the management of the visas operation which in turns helps to keep visa fees down, and it is also a safer system for both customers and staff as it reduces the risk associated with handling large amounts of cash during the visa application process.

Initially in Thailand, it is only possible for customers to pay for their visa in US dollars ($US), although we expect further currency options to be made available at a later date. Some applicants may incur currency conversion charges levied by their card issuers, in addition to the visa fee, if they do not have a payment card intended primarily for use in the designated currency. UKVI will not refund currency conversion fees or processing charges levied by card issuers.

To clarify this for our customers, in this region we no longer quote prices for UK visas in pounds sterling (GBP) – visa application fees are now quoted in US dollars on the Thailand website, and an application for a UK short-term visit visa currently costs $136. The cost of a visa in GBP will vary depending on the exchange rate at the time of purchase. The current consular exchange rate is £1 = $1.70 as of 13 January. The previous consular exchange rate was £1 = $1.65.

The Home Office has considered all options carefully and chosen the best approach on behalf of our customers. The currency options are not driven by the UK Government but by global financial services markets, banking regulations and operational requirements within our global visa services network and our online payment service providers. Alternative currency measures may involve high-cost local arrangements with the banks and online payment providers in each country, which when added to the visa application fee would make the process substantially more expensive for all applicants. This would far outweigh the currency conversion fees suffered by applicants who do not own a payment card intended primarily for use in the required currency.

I hope this has clarified the position for you.

Well, it's taken a while; but I've at last got a reply.

7th March 2014

Thank you for your email correspondence of 244 January to the Immigration Minister, about our online visa fees. Your enquiry has been forwarded to Midlands, East of England and International responder hub, as we have responsibility for entry clearance matters. I am sorry for the delay in replying to your enquiry.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is embarking on a programme of modernisation, which includes moving to an online application process where almost all customers around the world will apply and pay for their visas online. UKVI has already successfully launched online payment for visas in over 90 countries.

Customers in Thailand already apply for their visa online, and as from 16 December 2013, all applicants applying in Thailand have also been required to pay for their visa application online, using a MasterCard, Visa, Debit or pre-payment card. Additional online methods of payment are expected to become available in due course, such as other payment cards and e-wallets.

Online payment is mandatory for all customers and other methods of payment, including payment at the visa application centre, are no longer accepted. Online payment allows a more streamlined application process and is consistent with a wider global trend to online transactions and payments; it helps to cut costs in the management of the visas operation which in turn helps to keep visa fees down, and it is also a safer system for both customers and staff as it reduces the risk associated with handling large amounts of cash during the visa application process.

Currently in Thailand it is only possible for customers to pay for their visa in US dollars although we expect further currency options to be made available as we progress.

We have considered all options carefully and chosen the most beneficial for all concerned. The currency options are not driven by the UK Government but by global financial services markets, banking regulations and operational requirements within our global visa services network and our online payment service providers. Alternative currency measures may involve high-cost local arrangements with the banks and online payment providers in each country, which when added to the visa application fee would make the process substantially more expensive for all applicants. This would far outweigh the currency conversion fees suffered by applicants who do not own a payment card intended primarily for use in the required currency.

UKVI will not refund currency conversion fees or processing charges levied by card issuers.

Yours sincerely

Cliff Brown

MPs Account Managers Team | Midlands, East of England & International Responder Hub

Utter rubbish; he doesn't say why it is "only possible for applicants in Thailand to pay in US dollars" not Sterling.

I can only assume it's so UKVI make a nice extra bit of cabbage by using the consular exchange rate to convert the fee in Sterling to Baht, and then a bit more converting the Baht fee into USD!

Utter rubbish indeed. I see more than a few similarities to the reply Tony received.

Edited March 7, 2014 by TCA

[Jay Sata]

Surely there are costs involved trying to pay a visa fee in Thailand using Sterling?

By that I mean you have to either convert Baht to GBP or transfer UK funds to Thailand?

I have to pay charges every time I transfer funds here.

Most people applying for a UK visa in Thailand will be using a Thai bank account so what is wrong with

converting baht to dollars? Paying with a Visa or MasterCard does that automatically.

All applicants will be in Thailand so why bother with Sterling?

Edited March 8, 2014 by Jay Sata

[Jip99]

Surely there are costs involved trying to pay a visa fee in Thailand using Sterling?

By that I mean you have to either convert Baht to GBP or transfer UK funds to Thailand?

I have to pay charges every time I transfer funds here.

Most people applying for a UK visa in Thailand will be using a Thai bank account so what is wrong with

converting baht to dollars? Paying with a Visa or MasterCard does that automatically.

All applicants will be in Thailand so why bother with Sterling?

A Visa or Mastercard does not do that.

Such cards transact in the currency of the seller (in this case US Dollars) and then convert to the currency of where the card is domiciled. In my case I have just made a payment with a UK card and the $473 was converted to GBP 283.52.

I agree that it is ludicrous that you cannot pay in the currency of the country in which you are applying.

[Jay Sata]

I guess some local currencies are more volatile than others.

However the point remains that sterling will not be the local currency whatever the country where visa

applications are made.

Like it or not we have to accept the US dollar is the global default currency.

[Jip99]

I guess some local currencies are more volatile than others.

However the point remains that sterling will not be the local currency whatever the country where visa

applications are made.

Like it or not we have to accept the US dollar is the global default currency.

I think that what we have to accept is the fact that Vfs Global are not geared up to accept Baht. Shame really because they could have made a turn on the rate.

Ironic that the British Embassy in Bangkok require payment in Baht.

[Jay Sata]

No different to using the Rupee in India?

[Jip99]

No different to using the Rupee in India?

I agree.

But..................at the moment we can't. So US Dollars it is.

[7by7]

Mr. Sata, it is obvious that you have either

• not read the whole topic, or
• failed to understand it, or
• forgotten what you have previously read,or
• your real name is Cliff Brown and you are on the MPs Account Managers Team | Midlands, East of England & International Responder Hub!

Therefore I will repeat the main points for you.

1) Most applicants in most countries pay for their visa themselves or they have a British sponsor who pays. The latter is the case in the vast majority of one of the most expansive applications; settlement.. Logic and fairness dictate that the fee should be charged in the local currency or, if only one currency must be used worldwide, Sterling. Particularly if the British sponsor is paying using their British card; in which case were the fee charged in Sterling there would be no need for any currency conversion at all.

2) UKVI's say that the system only allows one currency at present. The company collecting the fees on behalf of UKVI, World Pay, have the capacity to collect the fees in any currency; indeed do exactly that for many of their customers.. The excuse that UKVI had to choose just one currency is total rubbish.

3) Further evidence of this is the fact that fees in China are collected in Yuan and in India in Rupees. I am sure that China and India are not the only two countries where UKVI, via World Pay, accept payment in the local currency.

4) Even if only one currency could be used, why choose USD not Sterling? Other UK government services, such as a passport renewal, overseas which are paid for with Visa or MasterCard are charged in Sterling, not USD. If the passport office, presumably using the same system, can accept payment in Sterling from Thailand, why can't UKVI?

5) That UKVI have chosen a foreign currency rather than Sterling means that they have to convert the fee set by Parliament into that currency. They don't dio this using the current exchange rate, although other international payments do, but instead have set their own rate which means that when converted back to Sterling the applicant or sponsor ends up paying a fee which is higher than that set by Parliament; as the OP shows in the region of 8% higher.

I made all of the above points in my email; none of them have been dealt with in the reply.

[Jay Sata]

I doubt the visa fees are ever repatriated back to the UK instead it is more likely they go in to the issuing embassies coffers.

In the majority of cases visas are issued to and paid for by the nationals of the countries concerned.

On this board we of course are concerned with Thailand but the system across the world appears to favour local currency or US dollars. In the case of the latter many companies applying for staff visas and indeed individuals hold dollar accounts which means it is not great problem.

I'm not aware of anywhere in Thailand where I can use sterling to pay a bill but there are plenty of places that take the greenback.

The average Thai national would have to convert baht to GBP to pay for their visa and there would be an exchange rate cost in that. A much better idea would be a greater use of the local currency in the country concerned but then of course daily exchange rates would come in to play.

Edited March 8, 2014 by Jay Sata

[7by7]

1) Visa fees are not kept 'in country' they are paid to and kept by UKVI to fund those UKVI activities, IOs at ports of entry, enforcement teams etc., for which there is no fee.

Some might argue that the costs of these should be borne by the exchequer, not visa and LTR applicants; but that's a different subject.

2) Visit visas etc., yes; many are paid for by the applicant. Settlement, most are paid for by the UK based sponsor. Ditto for work visas under the PBS.

I doubt that very many of these, particularly sponsor's of family settlement applicants, hold dollar accounts!

The currency of the UK is Sterling; if fees worldwide have to be paid in just one currency, there is no reasons why that currency should not be Sterling. Then visa applicant's would pay the actual fee set by Parliament, not one inflated by converting it to USD at a rate very favourable to UKVI.

Of course, those using cards issued by a local bank would still have to pay to convert from local currency to Sterling; but they've got to do that anyway.

But, as we know, UKVI do not have to use just one currency worldwide; they use the local currency in at least two countries we know of for sure; and I'm sure many more.

It seems that, like the subjects of extortionate visa and LTR fees and unfairly high minimum earnings requirement, you obviously feel that us lowly proles should know our place and be grateful for what scraps the government and UKVI allow us.

[thepool]

Interesting !

I can purchase many things but as a long term British expat I look to use either the Thai Baht or the £ for any on line transactions. For airline tickets purchased on line here in Thailand I use Thai Baht. For a British passport I see no reason why I should not use £ which are sitting in my British bank. Why the he*l should I be forced into buying $ ?

Any chargeable service undertaken by the British Embassy in Bangkok are charged in Bht. How long before they begin to demand the $

I would suggest an email storm be mounted on the Foreign Office , VFs and the Passport office protesting this unnecessary outrage.

[7by7]

Passports are still charged for in Sterling.

It is just visa applications which are now charged in USD.

Nothing to do with VFS, who are just a handling agent and have no say in policy etc..

Nothing to do with the Foreign Office.

The decision to do this came from the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) which is a division of the Home Office.

The person to complain to is the Immigration Minister via [email protected]

See this post for the mail I sent which, eventually, elicited the reply posted above.

[Jay Sata]

Worth remembering this is not an inconvenience to expats or UK passport holders and is only an issue for foreigners paying for visas across the world. Very few of these will have sterling accounts.

[thepool]

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Passports are still charged for in Sterling.

It is just visa applications which are now charged in USD.

Nothing to do with VFS, who are just a handling agent and have no say in policy etc..

Nothing to do with the Foreign Office.

The decision to do this came from the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) which is a division of the Home Office.

The person to complain to is the Immigration Minister via [email protected]

See this post for the mail I sent which, eventually, elicited the reply posted above.

Thank you and sorry !

Clearly I jumped the gun!

As I will not be applying for a visa this will not affect me but I still feel anger in support of those who will be caused avoidable additional expense.

[Jay Sata]

Surely the bulk of the visa applications worldwide will be for tourist visas not settlement visas.

Visas have to be applied for in the country of the applicant and as such it serves no purpose to use sterling.

[thepool]

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Surely the bulk of the visa applications worldwide will be for tourist visas not settlement visas.

Visas have to be applied for in the country of the applicant and as such it serves no purpose to use sterling.

It would however be very simple to facilitate the use of sterling.

[Tony M]

As an update on this thread, I recently complained again to UKVI. My complaint was that a visit visa ( quoted cost - 83 GBP) was debited to my account at 98.60 GBP ! After my complaint I became aware that a friend had paid for a UK settlement visa ( quoted cost 885 GBP), and was debited 1030 GBP ! That is 145 GBP above the quoted cost. This is outrageous, and works out at around 17 - 18% above the quoted cost of a UK visa.

This is the latest response from UKVI, dated 20th January 2015 :

Your email to the complaints hub in the UK has been passed to Bangkok to reply. We do not provide responses in Thai.

Since 16 December 2013, Thai customers (and all those applying in Thailand) have been required to pay for their visa application online, using a MasterCard or Visa credit, debit or pre-payment card. Additional online methods of payment are expected to become available over time, including other payment cards and e-wallets. Online payment is mandatory for all customers and other methods of payment, including payment at the visa application centre, are no longer accepted.

Online payment allows a more streamlined application process and is consistent with a wider global trend to online transactions and payments; it helps to cut costs in the management of the visas operation which in turns helps to keep visa fees down, and it is also a safer system for both customers and staff as it reduces the risk associated with handling large amounts of cash during the visa application process.

Initially in Thailand, it is only possible for customers to pay for their visa in US dollars ($US), although we expect further currency options to be made available at a later date. Some applicants may incur currency conversion charges levied by their card issuers, in addition to the visa fee, if they do not have a payment card intended primarily for use in the designated currency. UKVI will not refund currency conversion fees or processing charges levied by card issuers.

To clarify this for our customers, in this region we no longer quote prices for UK visas in pounds sterling (GBP) – visa application fees are now quoted in US dollars on the Thailand website

I am sorry that you are unhappy with the fee charging structure but you will appreciate that UKVI in Bangkok is unable to change this world wide policy

Yours sincerely

Correspondence Unit

Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam

UK Visas and Immigration, Home Office.

British Embassy, 14 Wireless Road, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

Edited January 25, 2015 by Tony M

[7by7]

More waffle, Tony.

All this would not be a problem if they charged in Sterling; at least for applicants who have a British sponsor paying the fee using a card issued by a UK bank.

My MP previously refused to get involved as I was asking on behalf of a third party. I am now in the process of preparing a visit application for my sister in law, so will see what we are charged by UKVI and the bank for the conversion.

I will then be writing to him again.

BTW, current visit visa fee in Thailand from UKVI website is $142.

Using Money Converter, at today's rate £83 is $124.41; and $142 is £94.73.

The excuse given last year that they can only charge in one currency is &lt;deleted&gt;.

As is their now saying that charging in USD is a worldwide policy.

For example, applicants in the Eurozone are charged in Euros!

The current fee being 110 Euros, which using Money converter again, is, at today's rate, £82.24!

Applicant's in China are charged in CNY, in India they are charged in INR. I'm sure there are many more examples of local currency being used if one takes the time to look.

[Jip99]

Surely the bulk of the visa applications worldwide will be for tourist visas not settlement visas.

Visas have to be applied for in the country of the applicant and as such it serves no purpose to use sterling.

The currency is irrelevant except that everyone has to pay by credit card. Using a UK bank card (many expats still have these) to pay in Sterling avoids handling/conversion and other costs.

The fact remains that the UK government quotes a Sterling price for a UK visa, therefore Vfs Global should get stuffed with their demand that the fee is processed in Dollars.

[7by7]

Jip99, it is not VFS Global who have this policy; it is the British government, implemented by UKVI!

As visa fees are now paid online direct to UKVI, VFS are not involved in the fee paying process at all.

Charges made by VFS for optional, user pay services, such as the courier return of passports, are, in Thailand, still payable in THB.

[Tony M]

The company that takes the payment is called WorldPay. They are a British company.

I paid by debit card, so there were no card charges. All of the surcharge would therefore seem to be for the exchange rate. How can exchange rate charges be 17 - 18% ? How can anyone think that this is acceptable, and how can UKVI continue to get away with it ?

[7by7]

May I suggest that with the election coming up that all UK resident readers question all the candidates in their constituency on this point.

Whether that will have an effect after the election, whoever wins, or not, I don't know; but the responses gained will be interesting.

[vinny]

 

3. ECB6.3 How are fees paid?

Quote

Fees for entry clearance and related services are set in UK legislation in UK pounds (GBP). Changes to the fees are approved by the UK Parliament. The exchange rate is determined by the Home Office Exchange Rate Policy which may be subject to change.

 

Still in USD for Thailand.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2018 by vinny

[simoh1490]

On 1/10/2014 at 10:21 PM, Waterloo said:

WorldPay are a similar organisation to paypal on ebay, just a third party billing service, currently do some work in one of there offices in london.

Had to purchase some technical spec's for work the other day and WorldPay handled the billing at no extra charge.

As a buisness they have to charge for there services I suspect this depends on what contract they sign with there client as to whether the client or the customer pays?

Worldpay is a global payments system, they disburse some of the  Social Security payments for the US government and use the average rate for the month rather than the latest exchange rate.

Edited April 28, 2018 by simoh1490

[7by7]

8 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

Worldpay is a global payments system, they disburse some of the  Social Security payments for the US government and use the average rate for the month rather than the latest exchange rate.

 When I queried with the then immigration minister why UKVI charged a fee set by Parliament in Sterling in USD three months later I got a reply from the MP Account Managers Team, Midlands, East of England & International Responder Hub (attached).

 

Amongst other meaningless waffle, they tried to blame, among others, their "online payment service providers," i.e. WorldPay.

 

So I asked WorldPay, who confirmed that they are happy to process payments in any currency the client wished, and process payments for the same client in the local currency of the country where payment is being made..

 

There is absolutely no reason why UK visa fees cannot be paid either in the local currency, as they always have been and still are in many countries, Sterling or both. The only time there is any justification for charging in USD is when the application is made in the USA!

Visa fees in USD.doc

[vinny]

A more recent response.

[OJAS]

On 4/29/2018 at 11:13 AM, vinny said:

A more recent response.

"..we were only able to charge in a single currency in any given country and in Thailand this is US Dollars."

Why? This is the crucial point that UKVI need to answer, I think.

[7by7]

On ‎30‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 8:59 AM, OJAS said:

"..we were only able to charge in a single currency in any given country and in Thailand this is US Dollars."

Why? This is the crucial point that UKVI need to answer, I think.

 And the one they have been dodging for the last 4 years!

[Morakot]

What's the current going rate for that short stay visa in sterling, USD, THB, Casino Bitcoins, or whatever? Anyone?

[theoldgit]

What's the current going rate for that short stay visa in sterling, USD, THB, Casino Bitcoins, or whatever? Anyone?

US$128
https://visa-fees.homeoffice.gov.uk/y/thailand/usd/visit/standard-visitor-visa---for-uk-isle-of-man-jersey-and-guernsey/short-term-up-to-6-months-single-or-multiple-entry



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