Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility)

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility)
Stay duration	Maximum 6 or 12 months
Visa cost	£340 application fee
Healthcare surcharge	Usually £1,035 per year
Personal savings requirement	At least £1,270 available
Eligibility timing	Apply up to 3 months before start
Processing time (outside UK)	Usually within 3 weeks
Processing time (inside UK)	Usually within 8 weeks
Work rights	Work for sponsor in specified job
Second job rights	Not permitted
Study rights	Permitted (ATAS may be required)
Travel facility	Travel abroad and return to UK
Family sponsorship	Eligible partner and children can apply
Settlement/Citizenship route	Does not lead to permanent settlement
Medicare / Public funds	No access to most public funds
Visa record type	Digital status or passport vignette

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Purpose and Overview

The Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility) is for individuals coming to the UK to provide services under a contract covered by a valid international trade agreement. Applicants may be:

• An employee of an overseas business.
• A self-employed service provider based overseas.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for this visa, you must:

• Be an employee of an overseas business or a self-employed service provider based overseas.
• Provide a service covered by a valid international trade agreement.
• Provide services to an approved UK sponsor holding a valid licence.
• Have a valid electronic Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) reference number issued by your UK sponsor.
• Meet relevant work experience thresholds:
  • Overseas employees: At least 12 months of employment with your current employer outside the UK.
  • Self-employed providers: At least 12 months of professional experience in the same sector immediately before applying.
• Work in an eligible occupation or meet alternative qualification/experience standards.

Job and Qualification Criteria

Find your 4-digit occupation code on your CoS and check the eligible occupations list.

If your job is not on the list, you generally need a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent technical qualification) plus:

• Overseas employees: 3 years of relevant professional experience.
• Self-employed providers: 6 years of relevant professional experience.

Specific Sector Exceptions

Services	Qualifications & Experience Required
Advertising or translation	Relevant qualifications
Chef de cuisine	Advanced technical qualification and 6 years’ experience
Entertainment services (excluding audio-visual under CARIFORUM-UK EPA)	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

Length of Stay and Maximum Limits

You can stay for whichever is the shortest of:

• 6 months or 12 months (depending on the trade agreement).
• The time specified on your CoS plus 14 days.

Maximum Cumulative Stay

You can stay in the UK for a maximum of 5 years in any 6-year period across any combination of Global Business Mobility routes and predecessor visas:

• Service Supplier visa
• Senior or Specialist Worker visa
• Graduate Trainee visa / Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa
• Secondment Worker visa
• UK Expansion Worker visa
• Intra-company Transfer visa

Costs and Maintenance

Applicants must pay:

• Application Fee: £340 per person.
• Healthcare Surcharge: Usually £1,035 per year.
• Financial Maintenance: At least £1,270 held in personal funds for 28 consecutive days (ending within 31 days of application).

Maintenance exemptions apply if:

• You have been living in the UK with a valid visa for 12 months or more.
• Your sponsor certifies on the CoS that they will support you up to £1,270 during your first month.

Rights and Conditions

Permitted

• Work for your sponsor in the job specified on your CoS.
• Study (an ATAS certificate may be required for sensitive subjects at PhD level or higher).
• Volunteer for a registered charity, voluntary organisation, associated fundraising body, or statutory body (unpaid only).
• Bring eligible dependants.
• Travel abroad and re-enter the UK.

Prohibited

• Accessing most public funds or the State Pension.
• Working a second job.
• Changing jobs/employers without updating your visa.
• Applying for permanent settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain).

Family Members (Dependants)

Eligible partners and children can apply to accompany or join you. Their visas will end on the same date as yours (or the earlier date if parents hold different visa end dates).

Eligible Dependants

• Partner: Spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner (living together for at least 2 years, or in a committed relationship for 2 years if unable to live together).
• Children: Under 18 at application, or over 18 if currently in the UK as your dependant.
• Children born in the UK: Do not automatically become British citizens; must apply for a dependant visa before leaving/re-entering the UK or turning 18.

Dependant Maintenance Funds

Unless exempt, additional maintenance funds must be held for 28 consecutive days:

• Partner: £285
• First child: £315
• Each additional child: £200

Dependant Work and Study Rights

• Dependants can study and work (except as a professional sportsperson or coach).
• Dependants cannot access public funds.

Required Documents

• Valid passport or travel document proving identity and nationality.
• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) reference number, sponsor name, and licence number.
• Job title and 4-digit occupation code.
• Evidence of maintenance funds (unless exempt or sponsor-certified).
• Proof of relationship for accompanying dependants.
• Tuberculosis test results (if applying from a listed country).
• Evidence of 12 months' prior employment or self-employed trading (e.g., payslips, bank statements, invoices, tax accounts).
• Certified translations for any documents not in English or Welsh.
• Valid ATAS certificate (if required by your role/studies).
• Academic or technical qualification certificates (if applicable).

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online up to 3 months before the job start date on the CoS.

1. Submit Application:
   • Apply from outside the UK
   • Apply to extend, update, or switch from inside the UK
   • Dependants apply separately: Partner outside UK | Child outside UK | Partner inside UK | Child inside UK
2. Prove Identity: Either scan documents using the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attend an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) or UKVCAS point.
3. Pay Fees: Pay the visa application fee and healthcare surcharge.

Switching into this Visa

You can switch from another visa inside the UK before your current leave expires, provided you are not in the UK:

• On a visit visa, short-term student visa, Parent of a Child Student visa, seasonal worker visa, or domestic worker visa.
• On immigration bail or with leave outside the immigration rules.
• On a Student visa (unless you completed your course, have a start date after course completion, or completed at least 24 months of a PhD).

Updating Your Visa

If you change occupation codes with the same sponsor, you must apply to update your visa up to 3 months before your new start date. Do not start the new role until approval is granted.

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Important Warnings

• Travel restrictions during application: If applying from inside the UK (to extend, switch, or update), you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man while waiting for a decision. Doing so automatically withdraws the application.
• Application cancellations: Visa fee refunds are only granted if processing has not started.
• CoS validity: You must apply for your visa within 3 months of receiving your Certificate of Sponsorship.