How can I come to the United Kingdom as a sportsperson without a work permit?

This page explains how you can come to the United Kingdom as a sportsperson without a work permit. A sportsperson can be a professional or an amateur.

Although it is not mandatory, you should obtain entry clearance to enter the United Kingdom in most cases if you are a non-European Economic Area (EEA) national. For further information on entry clearance see section the section on entry clearance or the visa services website.

To come to the United Kingdom under the sportsperson category without a work permit you should:

• have a genuine invitation to participate in an organised sporting event; and
• not use your engagement to establish yourself in the United Kingdom; and
• not intend to stay in the United Kingdom for more than six months.

As a sportsperson you can:

• participate in an event, series or tournament and you can do this as an individual or as part of a team;
• participate in a one-off charity sporting event, testimonial, benefit or exhibition match and you must not receive payment;
• if an amateur overseas, join a club that is mainly amateur, which does not have more than one or two professional players, where you may receive board, lodging and reasonable expenses but no pay;
• if you are a polo groom, accompany a a polo player in a competitive event or series of events;
• if you are a personal coach, accompany a sportsperson for an event or series of events;
• officiate for a event or a series of events.

If you want to come to the United Kingdom without a work permit you will need:

• a genuine invitation from the United Kingdom sports event organiser; or
• evidence that you can live in the United Kingdom without help from public funds or working; or
• evidence that you can pay for your journey out of the United Kingdom.

However, if you want to come to the United Kingdom for a holiday that involves recreational sport, you may enter as a visitor. In some cases, you can enter the United Kingdom as a business visitor rather than a sportsperson, because business visitors do not need work permits. Entry as a business visitor would allow you to:

• negotiate contracts or discuss sponsorship;
• take part in trials; you should not be paid to do so;
• make personal appearances or promotions.

You will not be able to extend your stay for longer than six months.

In all other cases you will need a work permit if you are a non-EEA national to come the United Kingdom as a sportsperson and you should see the section on sports and entertainers for further information on how to apply for a work permit.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.