• VAT17.1 What type of people and sports qualify?
• VAT17.2 Sportspersons coming for specific events
• VAT17.3 Technical, support staff and officials
• VAT17.4 Charity events and exhibition matches
• VAT17.5 Sportspersons coming for training
• VAT17.6 Amateur sportspeople joining amateur teams
• VAT17.7 Dependants
• VAT17.8 Is entry clearance mandatory?
• VAT17.9 What is the maximum stay in the UK for a Sports Visitor?
• VAT17.10 Entry clearance endorsement
• VAT17.11 Examples of refusal wordings
• VAT17.12 Do sports visitors have full appeal rights?
• VAT17.13 Switching
• VAT17.14 Events not considered as a sports competition

See other guidance information VAT1 Visitors: General VAT10 Special Visitor: Prospective student VAT11 Business Visitors VAT12 Business Visitor: Academic Visitor VAT13 Business Visitor: Visiting Professors VAT14 Business Visitors: Religious Workers VAT15 Business Visitor: Doctors coming for PLAB test VAT16 Business Visitor: Doctors undertaking clinical attachments VAT18 Entertainer Visitor VAT19 Visitors under the Approved Destinations Status MoU with China VAT2 Visitors: Visiting family; friends; as a tourist VAT20 Foreign armed forces (not NATO/Commonwealth) VAT21 Archaeological excavations VAT22 Appellants seeking admission VAT23 Parents with access rights to children in the UK VAT24 Child minders for relatives VAT25 Visitors seeking visas or settlement visas for other countries VAT26 Persons coming for job interviews VAT27 Court reporters VAT28 Witnesses attending trials in the UK VAT3 Special Visitor: Child visitors VAT3A Special Visitor: Student exchanges VAT4 Special Visitor: Child visitors sponsored by charities VAT5 Special Visitor: Parents with children under 12 at school in UK VAT6 Special Visitor: Marriage/Civil partnership visit (not settlement) VAT7 Special Visitor: Private medical treatment VAT8 Special Visitor: Visitor in transit VAT9 Special Visitor: Student visitor  

VAT17.1 What type of people and sports qualify?

Those coming for a specific event, tournament, or series of events as individual competitors or as members of an overseas team.  This includes persons coming for charity events, exhibition matches etc.  Amateurs joining amateur teams.   The intention is to enable sportspersons coming to the United Kingdom for one of these purposes to do so outside the Points Based System. 

Those seeking entry for personal appearances and promotions such as book signings, television interviews, negotiating contracts or to discuss sponsorship deals may also be treated as sports visitors as may those seeking entry for `trials’ provided that the trial is not in front of an audience, either paying or non-paying.

The following are all accepted as sports for the purposes of a sports visit.  NB: This is not an exhaustive list - any sport not listed should be referred to ECO Support.

Aikido, American football,  Angling, Aquathlon, Archery, Arm wrestling, Artistic skating (roller), T Association football, Athletics, Australian rules football, Badminton, Ballooning, Ballroom dancing, Basketball, Baseball/Softball, Baton twirling, Biathlon, Bicycle polo, Billiards, BMX, Bobsleigh, Boccia, Bowls, Boxing, Camogie, Canoeing, Caving, Chinese martial arts, Clay pigeon shooting, Cricket, Croquet, Curling, Cycling, Dance sport, Darts, Disability sport, Diving, Dragon boat racing, Duathlon, Equestrian, Exercise and fitness, Fencing, Folk dancing, Flying, Fives, Futsal, Gaelic football, Gliding, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hang gliding and paragliding, Harness racing, Health and beauty exercise, Highland games, Hockey, Horse racing, Horse riding, Hovering, Hurling, Ice hockey, Ice skating, Jet skiing, Judo, Ju jitsu, Kabaddi, Karate, Keep fit, Kendo, Knee boarding, Korfball, Lacrosse, Land-sailing/Yachting, Luge, Model aircraft flying, Modern pentathlon, Motor cycling, Motor cruising, Motor sports, Mountain biking, Mountaineering, Movement and dance, Netball, Octupush, Orienteering, Parachuting, Petanque, Polo, Polocrose, Pool, Powerboating, Power lifting, Puck hockey (roller), Quoits, Rafting (white / wild water), Rackets, Racquetball, Rambling, Real tennis, Roller sports, Rounders, Rowing, Rugby league, Rugby union, Sailing / yachting, Shinty, Shooting, Show jumping, Skateboarding, Skater hockey (roller), Skeleton, Skiing, Skipping, Snooker, Snowboarding, Softball, Sombo, Speedway, Speed skating (roller), Squash, Sub aqua, Surf life saving, Surfing, Swimming and diving, Table tennis, Tae kwon do, Tang soo do, Tennis, Tenpin bowling, Trampolining, Triathlon, Tug of war, Unihoc, Volleyball, Wakeboarding, Water polo, Water skiing, Weightlifting, Windsurfing, Wrestling, Yoga.

 

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VAT17.2 Sportspersons coming for specific events

Amateur and professional sportspersons coming to the UK to take part either as an individual or as part of a team in a specific event or series of events provided that they are visiting or touring and are not seeking to base themselves here.

Examples include:

• Persons coming for championships such as the British Open Golf or  Wimbledon;
• Touring rugby, football or cricket teams;
• Boxers coming for one fight.

A series of events is defined as two or more linked events, such as a tour or rounds of a competition, which do not add up to a league or a season.

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VAT17.3 Technical, support staff and officials

Members of the technical or support staff of amateurs or professionals,  who are attending for the same event may treated as sports visitors.  Examples of such staff include physiotherapists, coaches, dieticians, bodyguards and press officers.  Polo grooms may be included where they are accompanying a polo player and where the ECO is satisfied that the groom does not intend to base himself/herself  in the UK for the sporting season in order to take up employment in the stables.

Officials attending the same event as the sportsperson such as linespersons and umpires may also be regarded as sports visitors.

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VAT17.4 Charity events and exhibition matches

Amateur and professional sportspersons coming to take part in specific one-off charity sporting events, testimonials, benefit and exhibition matches, even though they may be joining UK-based teams may be treated as sports visitors providing that they do not receive payment other than for travelling and other expenses.

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VAT17.5 Sportspersons coming for training

Amateur and professional sportspersons may come for training for short periods (whether as an individual or as part of a team), provided that:

• They are not basing themselves in the UK;
• They are not being paid by a UK sporting body;
• They are not joining a UK team; and
• Any matches they are involved in are of the friendly / exhibition type.

 

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VAT17.6 Amateur sportspeople joining amateur teams

Sportspersons who are amateurs at home, will be able to join a club in the UK as a sports visitor provided that the team is represented wholly or predominantly by amateur players and they are not being paid by the club  other than board and lodging and living expenses. The club must be regarded within their sport as an amateur one (i.e. one where the players are not normally paid or contracted to play for the club) and must not be in a professional league.

In the Immigration Rules an `amateur’ is defined, for the purpose of distinguishing him from a professional who is paid a salary for participation in sport (eg someone contracted to play for a sport or club) as a person who engages in a sport solely for personal enjoyment and who is not intending to derive a living, either wholly or in part, from the sport. Amateurs may not receive fees and sponsorship but may receive cash prizes as well as board, lodging and living expenses.

Sports visitors may undertake some informal or unpaid coaching provided that it is incidental to their playing with a club as amateurs.

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VAT17.7 Dependants

Dependants should be treated as visitors under Paragraph 41-46.

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VAT17.8 Is entry clearance mandatory?

Entry clearance is mandatory for visa nationals.

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VAT17.9 What is the maximum stay in the UK for a Sports Visitor?

Leave to enter should normally be granted for six months and entry clearance endorsed accordingly.  Entry clearance is mandatory for visa nationals.

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VAT17.10 Entry clearance endorsement

Entry clearance should be endorsed as follows:
C:  Visitor – sportsperson.  LTE 6 months.  Code 3

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VAT17.11 Examples of refusal wordings

Wording for refusals: Section 1-5

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VAT17.12 Do sports visitors have full appeal rights?

No. Sports visitors only have limited appeal rights in line with general visitors.

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VAT17.13 Switching

Sports visitors may undertake permissible activities of business visitors whilst they are in the UK. This means, for example that a sports visitor coming to take part in a specific event, may do some promotional activities during his stay

Switching to a purpose covered in the Points Based System after entry to the United Kingdom as a sports visitor is not permissible.  However if a person holds a Certificate of Sponsorship for Tier 5 – Creative and Sporting issued before they come to the UK they may use this to apply for leave to remain to continue with the Tier 5 work without leaving the United Kingdom.

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VAT17.14 Events not considered as a sports competition

Those coming to take part in competitions that do not fall within the definition of ‘sports’ for the sports visitor provision, (for example chess tournaments) may be regarded as general visitors provided they meet the general visitor/child visitor requirements of the Immigration Rules.  They should not receive any fee or sponsorship for their participation but may receive cash prizes, board, lodging and living expenses.

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