UK visas for business owners

Since Brexit, every EU, EEA and Swiss citizen without status under the EU Settlement Scheme needs a visa to work in the UK. For business owners, though, the visa is rarely the first question. The first question is what your company is going to do in the UK: sell, build a branch, send staff, or start something entirely new. The route follows from that, and from the route follows whether you can stay in the end.

That is why we sort the routes by your situation. If you only travel for meetings and trade fairs, you need an ETA. If you are building a UK branch before it has any revenue, the UK Expansion Worker is your route. If you work through your own trading UK company, the Skilled Worker visa. If you are founding something new or are recognised in your field, Innovator Founder or Global Talent. Setting up the company itself is what our UK Company Setup is for.

A visa, indefinite leave to remain or settled status says nothing about where you are taxable. In the UK that is decided by the statutory residence test, year by year, and at home by your own country's law. If you are moving to the UK, plan visa and tax together: residence, the FIG regime for your first years, inheritance tax after ten years, and what happens to your company and assets back home. Start with our overview of the UK tax system.

For everything about the move itself, from finding a flat to choosing a school, see our section on moving to the UK. Check your own country's departure rules before you go as well.