How do I come to the United Kingdom as a sole representative of an overseas firm?

This page explains how you can come to the United Kingdom as a sole representative of an overseas firm without a work permit.

If you are outside the United Kingdom, you will need entry clearance before you can enter the United Kingdom - see the visa services website for more information.

Permission to enter the United Kingdom as the sole representative of an overseas firm will normally be granted for an initial period of two years. You will then be able to apply to extend your stay for up to another three years. For more information, see the extending your stay page.

To come to the United Kingdom as a sole representative of an overseas firm without a work permit, you should be coming to act as a sole representative to establish a wholly owned subsidiary or register a branch in the United Kingdom for an overseas parent company. The company must have no branch, subsidiary or other representative in the United Kingdom. If the company has a legal entity in the United Kingdom, but this does not employ staff or transact business, you may be able to enter the United Kingdom as their sole representative.

If a sole representative leaves at an early stage before the United Kingdom branch or subsidiary has found premises or started to trade, it may be possible for us to allow a successor to come to the United Kingdom as a sole representative without having to apply for a work permit.

To apply to come to the United Kingdom as a sole representative of an overseas firm, you will need to provide:

• a full description of the parent company's activities, including details of assets and accounts; and
• your own job description, contract of employment and salary details.

You also need to show evidence that:

• you are directly employed by the parent company and not acting as an agent marketing its goods;
• you have been employed by the parent company for some time and hold a senior post;
• you are a senior employee of the parent company with full authority to take operational decisions on its behalf without reference to the parent company;
• you were recruited to the parent company outside the United Kingdom and intend to work full-time as a representative of that company in this country;
• you are not a majority shareholder in the parent company;
• you do not intend to carry out any other work while you are in the United Kingdom; and
• you can maintain yourself and any dependants without recourse to public funds.

You should be establishing a commercial presence for the company in the United Kingdom in the form of a registered branch or a wholly owned subsidiary. You are expected to work full-time for one company. You may not do business of your own or represent any other company's interests.

You must be able to demonstrate a very good track record in the same or a closely related field of work, to show why you have been appointed.

If the company's circumstances change and you have been in the United Kingdom for two years or more, you may continue to stay here as a sole representative even if your company appoints a superior. You may also eventually qualify for indefinite leave to remain (settlement) as long as you continue to fill a genuine vacancy and the company wishes to retain your services. For further information, see the settlement page.

If more than one individual is required to enter the United Kingdom on behalf of the same company, one of them should apply as a sole representative. It may then be possible for that person, after arrival, to apply for a work permit so that another senior or skilled employee can also enter. See the applying page.

If either party terminates a sole representative arrangement, a replacement will normally have to apply for a work permit. Such applications can be made either by the outgoing sole representative or by a solicitor on behalf of the company. For further information on using a representative such as a solicitor when applying, see the section on representatives.