Service Supplier visa: who can apply, what it costs and how long you can stay

The Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility) is for people with a contract to provide services to a UK company. You can be an employee of an overseas company or a self-employed professional based overseas. GOV.UK says you need a UK sponsor, a contract covered by a trade agreement and 12 months of earlier work or experience.

Who is this visa for?

It is for people with a contract to provide services to a UK company. You can be:

• an employee of an overseas company
• a self-employed professional based overseas

Can I apply?

You can apply if you:

• are an employee of an overseas business, or a self-employed service provider based overseas
• provide a service under a contract that is covered by a valid international trade agreement
• provide a service to a UK business that the Home Office has approved as a sponsor
• do an eligible job, or can prove you have relevant qualifications and professional experience
• have a certificate of sponsorship from your UK sponsor with details of the work you will do in the UK
• have worked for your employer for at least 12 months outside the UK, or have at least 12 months’ professional experience if you are a self-employed service provider

The 12 months must be one of these:

• with your current employer outside the UK
• if you are self-employed, immediately before you apply and in the same sector as the service you will provide

Your work in the UK must be covered by a valid trade agreement. GOV.UK publishes a list of eligible trade agreements and sectors. It says your UK sponsor can tell you which agreement covers your work.

You can apply up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. You must apply within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship.

What do I need?

Your job and pay

You need the 4-digit SOC occupation code for your job. You can get it from your sponsor or from your certificate of sponsorship.

GOV.UK publishes a table of Global Business Mobility eligible occupations. See Appendix Skilled Occupations for how this site explains the occupation tables.

GOV.UK’s Service Supplier pages do not set a minimum salary or a going rate, so this page does not give one. The going rate is a set pay figure for the job’s occupation code. For how going rates work on other routes, see going rates.

Qualifications and experience

If your job is not eligible, you may still apply if you have relevant qualifications and experience. GOV.UK says you will normally need one of these:

• a bachelor’s degree or higher in any subject
• a technical qualification equivalent to a bachelor’s degree

You also need professional experience relevant to the service:

• 3 years if you are an overseas employee
• 6 years if you are self-employed

Some services have different rules:

Services	Qualifications and experience
Advertising or translation	Relevant qualifications
Chef de cuisine	Advanced technical qualification and 6 years’ experience
Entertainment services (excluding audio-visual services under the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement)	No qualifications required
Fashion and modelling	No qualifications required
Management consulting services	Bachelor’s degree
Technical testing and analysis	Bachelor’s degree or relevant technical qualification

If you are not providing services in one of these areas, you might still be eligible with at least a bachelor’s degree in any subject, or an equal technical qualification.

English language

GOV.UK’s Service Supplier pages do not set an English language requirement.

How much does it cost?

Cost	Amount
Application fee	£340
Healthcare surcharge	Usually £1,035 per year
Savings to support yourself	At least £1,270 (unless exempt)
Savings for a partner	£285
Savings for one child	£315
Savings for each additional child	£200

You, your partner and your children each pay the application fee and the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay.

You must have had the savings for at least 28 days in a row. The 28 days must end within 31 days of the day you apply.

You do not have to show your own savings if:

• you have been in the UK with a valid visa for 12 months or more
• your sponsor covers your costs during your first month, up to £1,270, and confirms this on your certificate of sponsorship

How long can I stay?

You can stay for whichever is shorter of:

• 6 months or 12 months, depending on the trade agreement you provide services under
• the time on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days

The most you can stay on a Service Supplier visa is 6 or 12 months, depending on the type of trade agreement.

You can only stay in the UK for a maximum of 5 years in any 6-year period if you have spent time on any of these visas:

• Intra-company Graduate Trainee
• Intra-company Transfer
• Graduate Trainee (Global Business Mobility)
• Secondment Worker (Global Business Mobility)
• Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility)
• Service Supplier (Global Business Mobility)
• UK Expansion Worker (Global Business Mobility)

Once you have applied, the usual decision time is:

Where you are when you apply	Usual decision time
Outside the UK	3 weeks
Inside the UK	8 weeks

You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

With this visa you can:

• work for your sponsor in the job on your certificate of sponsorship
• study
• travel abroad and return
• do unpaid voluntary work

You cannot:

• apply for most benefits or the State Pension
• change jobs, unless you update your visa
• apply to settle permanently
• do a second job

Can I bring my family?

Yes. Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay in the UK. GOV.UK calls them dependants. A dependant is:

• your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
• your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay
• your child over 18, if they currently have permission to be in the UK as your dependant

To count as your partner, you must be able to prove one of these:

• you are in a marriage or civil partnership that the UK recognises
• you have lived together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
• you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but cannot live together, for example because you work or study in different places, or your culture does not accept it

Your child must live with you, unless they live away from home in full-time education. Your child must not be married or in a civil partnership.

Each family member makes a separate application and pays the visa fee. Their visa will usually end on the same date as yours.

Partners and children can work, except as a sportsperson or coach. They can also study. They cannot apply for most benefits or the State Pension.

Some family members cannot switch to your visa from inside the UK. This applies to partners and children who are in the UK:

• on a visit visa
• on a short-term student visa
• on a Parent of a Child Student visa
• on a seasonal worker visa
• on a domestic worker in a private household visa
• on immigration bail
• with permission to stay outside the immigration rules

A partner or child on a Student visa can only switch if they have finished the course they were sponsored to study, or have studied for a PhD for at least 24 months.

Can I extend or switch?

Extending

You must be in the UK to extend. You can apply to extend if:

• you are still contracted to work for the sponsor who gave you your current certificate of sponsorship
• you have not reached the maximum total stay
• your job, qualifications and experience still meet the rules

Changing job or employer

You must apply to update your visa if your job changes to a different occupation code. You must still be contracted to work for the sponsor who issued your current certificate of sponsorship. Your new job must meet the eligibility rules, and you need a new certificate of sponsorship.

Switching from another visa

You must meet the eligibility rules. If you are on a Student visa, one of these must also be true:

• you have finished the course you were sponsored to study
• your job start date is after your course has finished
• you are studying for a PhD full time and have been for at least 24 months

You cannot switch if you are in the UK:

• on a visit visa
• on a short-term student visa
• on a Parent of a Child Student visa
• on a seasonal worker visa
• on a domestic worker in a private household visa
• on immigration bail
• with permission to stay outside the immigration rules

In those cases, you must leave the UK and apply from abroad.

Extensions, updates and switches usually get a decision within 8 weeks.