Turkish Businessperson visa

If you wish to apply for a visa in this category then our team at Hunter Stone Law will be able to guide and assist you throughout every step of the process. In order to qualify for this visa you would have to meet the requirement of the relevant section of the Immigration Rules. However we have attempted to simplify the requirements below.

You can apply for a Turkish Businessperson visa if you’re a Turkish national and you want to:

• start a new business in the UK
• come to the UK to help run an established business

You must meet the eligibility requirements.

How long you can stay

You can use this visa to stay in the UK for 12 months.   You may also be able to extend it for another 3 years.

What you can and can’t do

You can:

• start a new business in the UK
• join an existing business which you will have an active part in running
• switch into this visa from another visa category
• extend your stay if you’re already in this visa category
• bring your family (‘dependants’) with you

You can’t switch to this visa if you’re already running a business in the UK. You’ll need to apply for a Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa instead.

Eligibility

You must be a Turkish national and show that:

• you have a genuine intention to set up a viable business
• you’ll be bringing sufficient funds to establish your business
• you’ll be able to pay your share of the costs of running the business
• your share of the profits will be enough to support you and your family without you needing to have another job

If you want to join an existing partnership or company you must show:

• you’ll have an active part in running the business
• there is a genuine need for your services and investment

Documents you must provide

You must provide:

• a current passport or other valid travel identification
• 2 passport size colour photographs
• proof that you can support and house yourself and your dependants during your stay, eg bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months
• proof of your living costs, such as a tenancy agreement, mortgage agreement, utility bills, council tax statement, bank statements, documents relating to transfer of money to relatives abroad
• proof of state benefits you’ve received in the UK
• your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test
• You’ll need to have a blank page in your passport on which to put the visa.

You may be asked to get a police certificate for yourself and your family after you arrive in the UK.

Proof for your business

You should provide proof that you’re in the process of planning, setting up or running your business.

This can include:

• a business plan
• documents for your business premises
• partnership agreements
• insurance documents
• business accounts prepared by a chartered accountant or approved by an auditor
• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) documents (including evidence of payment)
• qualifications for running the business, such as relevant formal qualifications or evidence of previous relevant experience
• evidence of your finances and your investment in the business, such as UK or overseas bank statements, overseas money transfers, and bank loans
• evidence of any financial assistance from a third party (eg family member), such as bank statements or other financial documents as evidence of their finances, and a legal or other document confirming their involvement in and share of the business
• a document setting out the terms of your involvement in the business

Application

If you apply from outside the UK then you must apply online for this visa.  You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken at a visa application centre as part of your application.

If you apply from within the UK then you can only extend your existing visa or switch to this visa if you’re already in the UK.

Extend your visa

You may be able to apply to extend your stay in the UK under a Turkish Businessperson visa.  You should include any dependants who are on your current visa on your application to extend - including children who have turned 18 during your stay. You should apply before your current visa expires.

Eligibility for extending your visa

You must be in the UK to extend your visa.

You must also meet the following conditions:

• your business is still going
• you’re still able to pay your share of the costs of running the business (its liabilities)
• your share of the profits will be enough to support you and your dependants without you needing to have another job

How long you can stay

A Turkish Businessperson visa can normally be extended for 3 years - though you must keep working in the business your visa is for.  If you don’t have all the evidence you need for your extension application, you may be able to stay 1 year. You can apply again at the end of that year.

How to extend your visa

Complete the form and send it with the right documents to the address on the form.

Once you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your last visa expired.

You can apply to settle in the UK if you’ve had a Turkish Businessperson visa for 4 years.

Switch to this visa

You can apply to change (‘switch’) from another visa to a Turkish Businessperson visa.  You should apply before your current visa expires.

Eligibility for switching

To switch to this visa you must:

• be in the UK legally
• meet all of the visa’s eligibility requirements
• not already be running a business in the UK that’s not allowed on your current visa

How long you can stay

A Turkish Businessperson visa lasts 12 months. You may be able to extend it for a further 3 years.

Family members

Your family members (‘dependants’) can come with you when you come to the UK on this visa.

A ‘dependant’ is any of the following:

• your partner
• your child under 18

For each family member you must have:

• a current passport or other valid travel identification
• 2 passport size colour photographs
• proof of your relationship, eg a marriage certificate, evidence that you live together, birth certificate
• proof they will live permanently with you
• proof that you have sole responsibility for any dependants aged under 18 if the other parent won’t be in the UK, eg written permission or relevant legal documents
• proof that you can support and house yourself and your dependants during your stay, eg bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months
• their tuberculosis test results if they’re from a country where you have to take the test

If your dependant is already in the UK, they must also have:

• evidence they haven’t broken any immigration laws while in the UK
• a police registration certificate if they were asked to register with the police when they came to the UK

If your dependants applying from outside the UK then you can include your family on your visa application form. If you’re already in the UK and want your family to join you, they must apply in person at their local visa application centre.  They’ll need to have their fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken as part of their application.

If your dependants applying in the UK then your dependants can apply separately to switch from a different visa to being dependants on your Turkish Businessperson visa if they’re already in the UK. They must apply before their current UK visa expires.