UK Service Supplier Visa for Contract-Based Work
The UK Service Supplier Visa allows an overseas employee or self-employed independent professional to come to the UK temporarily to deliver services to a UK business under a qualifying international trade agreement.
To qualify, the applicant normally needs:
- An approved UK sponsor and valid Certificate of Sponsorship.
- Qualifying overseas work history.
- An eligible occupation or the required qualifications and professional experience.
Depending on the agreement, permission can last up to 6 or 12 months, subject to the Certificate of Sponsorship and cumulative stay limits.
Eligibility Rules for the Service Supplier Visa
The Service Supplier route is open to people aged 18 or over who are currently working for an overseas service provider, including qualifying self-employed independent professionals.
Applicants must meet the following Service Supplier Visa eligibility requirements:
- Provide services under the sponsor’s eligible contract.
- Have accumulated at least 12 months of qualifying work outside the UK for, or as, the overseas provider.
- Satisfy the route’s skill requirement through an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code or, where permitted, relevant qualifications and professional experience.
- Hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a Home Office-authorised sponsor.
- Meet the nationality or residence conditions linked to the relevant trade agreement.
The route requires 40 points in total: 20 for sponsorship and 20 for the qualifying job or professional criteria.
Does Your Service Contract Qualify for the Service Supplier Route?
A Service Supplier application begins with the commercial arrangement, not simply the applicant’s job title. The UK sponsor must have a genuine contract with an overseas service provider for a service covered by an eligible UK international trade agreement.
The qualifying arrangement must meet key conditions:
- The overseas provider must have no commercial presence in the UK.
- The sponsor must register the contract with the Home Office before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship.
- The contract should be awarded through an open tender or another genuine award process.
- The UK sponsor must be the final consumer of the service.
- The worker cannot simply be supplied as labour to another organisation.
Eligibility also depends on the relevant agreement’s sector, nationality or residence rules. Because coverage differs between agreements and service sectors, the contract and worker should be checked against current Home Office tables before sponsorship is confirmed.
Is the Service Supplier Route Right for Your UK Assignment?
The correct immigration route depends on why the worker needs to come to the UK and the relationship between the overseas and UK organisations.
- Service Supplier: for qualifying services delivered under a covered international trade agreement.
- Senior or Specialist Worker: for eligible senior or specialist employees transferred to a linked UK business.
- Graduate Trainee: for qualifying overseas employees undertaking structured graduate training.
- UK Expansion Worker: for eligible personnel supporting an overseas business establishing a UK presence.
- Secondment Worker: for qualifying assignments connected with certain high-value contracts or investments.
For broader route selection, see Axis Solicitors’ Global Business Mobility Visa overview. This Service Supplier page remains focused specifically on contracted international services rather than general mobility requirements.
Service Supplier Sponsor Licence and Certificate of Sponsorship
A UK organisation cannot simply invite an overseas professional to work under this route. It must be authorised by the Home Office to sponsor Service Suppliers and have the relevant qualifying service contract registered.
For a new Service Supplier application, the sponsor must normally be A-rated. An exception can apply where a person already has Service Supplier permission and is continuing with the same sponsor.
The Certificate of Sponsorship must identify the applicant, the sponsored job and the registered contract on which they will work. It must also satisfy the applicable timing requirements. A Service Supplier cannot be sponsored simply to fill an ordinary vacancy or be hired out to another business.
Service Supplier Visa Financial Requirements
An applicant will usually need at least £1,270 available to support themselves. Where evidence is required, the funds normally need to have been held for 28 consecutive days, with the end of that period falling within 31 days before the application.
The requirement may be met without personal savings where the applicant has already been in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months, or an eligible A-rated sponsor certifies maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship.
How much does a Service Supplier Visa cost?
As of 2026:
- Visa application fee: £340.
- Immigration Health Surcharge: usually £1,035 per year.
- Maintenance funds: usually at least £1,270 where required.
Dependants make their own applications and may also need to pay the application fee and healthcare surcharge.
Eligible Occupations, Qualifications and Professional Experience
The Service Supplier route provides two principal ways of satisfying the job skill requirement.
Eligible Occupation Route
Under Option A, the applicant can qualify where the sponsored job falls within an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code listed in the relevant tables of Appendix Skilled Occupations. The correct occupation code must reflect the actual duties rather than simply a convenient job title.
Qualifications and Experience Route
Where the occupation itself does not qualify under Option A, Option B may be available. An applicant will generally need a university degree or equivalent-level technical qualification together with professional experience.
The standard professional experience requirement is generally three years. Self-employed service providers normally need six years of relevant professional experience. Special rules apply to particular services, including management consulting, advertising, translation, technical testing and analysis, fashion and modelling, entertainment services and certain chef de cuisine assignments.
Service Supplier Visa Processing Time
Applications can normally be submitted up to three months before the sponsored work start date shown on the CoS. After the online application, identity verification and supporting documents have been completed, UKVI usually aims to decide:
- Applications from outside the UK: within 3 weeks.
- Applications from inside the UK: within 8 weeks.
Processing can take longer where additional checks, documents or an interview are required.
How Long Can You Stay on a Service Supplier Visa?
Permission is granted for the shortest applicable period based on the sponsored assignment, cumulative immigration history and the relevant international agreement.
A single assignment can normally last up to 6 or 12 months. Twelve-month provisions currently apply in specified circumstances under agreements including the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK-Switzerland Services Mobility Agreement, the UK-Australia FTA, qualifying CPTPP commitments and, from 15 July 2026, qualifying UK-India CETA assignments. Other qualifying cases are generally limited to six months.
Time already spent under specified Global Business Mobility and predecessor Intra-Company routes is also relevant because a Service Supplier is normally subject to a maximum cumulative stay of 5 years in any 6-year period.
Can Your Partner and Children Join You?
Eligible partners and children can apply as Service Supplier Visa dependants. This can include a spouse, civil partner, qualifying unmarried partner, children under 18 and certain children over 18 who already hold dependant permission.
Where maintenance evidence is required, the additional amounts are currently:
- £285 for a partner.
- £315 for the first child.
- £200 for each additional child.
These amounts are additional to the main applicant’s £1,270 requirement. For related family immigration support, see our guide to UK Dependent Visa.
Can You Extend a Service Supplier Visa?
An extension may be possible where:
- You remain contracted to work for the sponsor that issued your current CoS.
- Your job, qualifications and experience continue to satisfy the route.
- You remain within the applicable assignment and cumulative stay limits.
An in-country extension application must be made before the current visa expires. Settlement eligibility is route-specific, and our Indefinite Leave to Remain provides further guidance on qualifying routes.
Common Service Supplier Visa Problems
The Service Supplier route depends on several connected requirements. A strong worker profile alone will not correct a problem with the underlying commercial or sponsorship arrangements.
Common issues include:
- Selecting a trade agreement that does not cover the relevant service.
- Using a service contract that has not been registered correctly.
- Assigning a CoS before Home Office approval of a new qualifying contract.
- Choosing an occupation code that does not reflect the actual assignment.
- Failing to evidence the required overseas work history.
- Relying on qualifications or experience that do not satisfy Option B.
- Providing insufficient maintenance evidence where the exemption does not apply.
- Structuring the assignment as third-party labour rather than delivery of the contracted service.
Where an application is refused, Administrative Review may be available under the Immigration Rules, depending on the decision and circumstances.
How to Apply for a Service Supplier Visa
The application should be prepared around the trade agreement, registered contract and sponsorship arrangement before the online form is submitted.
- Check eligibility: confirm the service sector, trade agreement, applicant status and relevant nationality or residence provisions.
- Confirm sponsorship: ensure the UK organisation is authorised and the qualifying contract has been registered.
- Assign the CoS: issue a valid Certificate of Sponsorship containing the correct assignment and contract details.
- Submit the application: complete the online form, pay applicable charges and provide the required evidence.
- Verify identity: use the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attend a biometric appointment when instructed.
Applicants can normally apply up to three months before their sponsored start date. A permitted in-country switch must be submitted before the applicant’s existing visa expires.
Service Supplier Visa Requirements that UKVI Will Check
1. Qualifying Overseas Service Supplier
- You must be an overseas employee or qualifying self-employed independent professional.
- You must currently work as or for the overseas service provider.
- You need at least 12 months of qualifying overseas work.
2. Eligible Trade Agreement and Contract
- The contracted service must fall within an eligible UK trade agreement.
- The relevant agreement must cover the service sector and applicant.
- The UK sponsor must register the qualifying contract with the Home Office.
3. Service Supplier Visa Sponsor and CoS
- Your sponsor must be authorised for the Service Supplier route.
- A new applicant must normally be sponsored by an A-rated organisation.
- The CoS must identify the approved contract and sponsored role.
4. Eligible Occupation or Professional Criteria
- Option A generally requires an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code.
- Option B can rely on specified qualifications and professional experience.
- Required professional registrations must also be held where applicable.
5. Finance and Genuine Assignment
- There is no general Service Supplier Visa salary threshold.
- Maintenance of £1,270 normally applies unless an exemption is available.
- The sponsored work must be genuine and comply with UK employment rules.
Service Supplier Visa Documents & Evidence
1. Identity and Immigration Documents
- Provide a valid passport or another accepted identity and nationality document.
- Include a tuberculosis certificate where the TB rules apply.
- Provide certified translations for documents not in English or Welsh.
2. Sponsorship and Job Evidence
- Provide your Service Supplier Visa Certificate of Sponsorship reference.
- Confirm your sponsor’s name and sponsor licence number.
- Include the sponsored job title and correct occupation code.
3. Overseas Employment or Professional Evidence
- Employees may use payslips, employer letters and relevant bank statements.
- Self-employed applicants may use invoices, accounts or accountant confirmation.
- Evidence should support the required qualifying overseas work period.
4. Qualification and Professional Evidence
- Provide relevant degree or technical qualification evidence where required.
- Include professional registrations or qualifications required for the service.
- Supply an ATAS certificate where the sponsored research activity requires one.
5. Financial and Family Evidence
- Provide bank evidence showing £1,270 where maintenance must be demonstrated.
- Provide relationship evidence where a partner or children are applying.
- Ensure additional dependant maintenance funds are evidenced where required.
