Visa free countries for British passport holders

Visa free countries for British passport holders include most of Europe, Morocco, Mexico, Brazil and Singapore. Japan, the UAE and Indonesia give a visa on arrival, while Canada, Australia and Sri Lanka want an online authorisation first. This page checks 38 destinations.

Every entry comes from the GOV.UK foreign travel advice page of that country, which is written for people leaving the UK on a full British citizen passport. The list is a bounded set of popular holiday destinations, not every country in the world, and a country is left out when its GOV.UK page makes travel or health cover a condition of entry or when we could not read its entry rules. Kenya, Tanzania, Qatar and Oman are among those left out for that reason.

For one destination in full (passport validity, work, longer stays, customs), start from the entry requirements guide for British passport holders, which links to each country page.

Visa free means you board and arrive with your passport and no approval beforehand, while a visa on arrival is paid for or stamped at the airport and an online authorisation must be approved before you fly. The three are easy to mix up, and so is the paperwork that sits next to them.

Two of the online authorisations cost nothing: GOV.UK says Sri Lanka issues its ETA free of charge and that Australia charges no visa application fee for the eVisitor visa. Others, such as the New Zealand NZeTA, come with a levy: the amounts are on the country pages, so we do not repeat them here.

All nine European destinations here need no visa. Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Malta share the Schengen allowance of 90 days in any 180, so a fortnight in Italy followed by a week in Spain uses 21 days of the same 90. Cyprus has its own 90 days, and Ireland has no limit.

Schengen countries are also rolling out the EU Entry/Exit System: GOV.UK says you may be asked to register fingerprints and a photo at the border on your first visit, at no cost, and that the record is valid for 3 years. Cyprus and Ireland are outside it. The Turkey guide covers the 90-day count in more depth: see Turkey visa for UK citizens.

Morocco, Tunisia and South Africa let you in for 90 days with no visa, the United Arab Emirates gives a free visa when you land, and Egypt, Jordan and Israel each ask for something more.

Two of these pages have their own guide: Morocco visa for UK citizens and Egypt visa for UK citizens. Egypt is the one to read first, because the answer depends on where you land and how long you stay.

Six of the fourteen destinations here need no visa (Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Hong Kong), four give a visa on arrival or an e-visa, and Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand work through an online authorisation. India is the only one in the table that needs a visa before you leave.

Stays vary a lot, from 30 days in Thailand, the Philippines and the Maldives to 6 months in Hong Kong and New Zealand. Country guides exist for Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Six of the eight American destinations need no visa: Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Colombia and Brazil. The United States and Canada are the exceptions: the United States requires a visa or an online authorisation, and Canada an eTA when you fly.

The Canada eTA guide covers who needs one when flying. For the United States, the GOV.UK page linked in the table says which route applies to you, including if you have been arrested or have a criminal record.

A visa-free entry is still an entry check, so the officer can ask for papers you did not know about. These are the conditions GOV.UK lists most often for the countries in this guide.

The rules in this page apply to a full British citizen passport. GOV.UK says holders of another type of British passport, such as a British National (Overseas) or British overseas territories citizen passport, may need a visa where a British citizen does not, and should ask the embassy of the country.

• Which countries can British citizens visit without a visa?

  In this guide, 24 of 38 destinations need no visa and nothing to apply for: the six Schengen countries listed, Cyprus, Ireland, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Colombia and Brazil. Some ask for an online arrival card.

• Which countries give a British passport a visa on arrival?

  Seven in this guide: Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the Maldives, Indonesia, Jordan, Egypt and Cambodia. Egypt, Cambodia and Indonesia also allow you to apply online before you go, and GOV.UK says getting an Egypt e-visa in advance can help prevent delays.

• Which countries need an online authorisation like an ETA?

  Six in this guide: Sri Lanka, Canada (when you fly), Australia, New Zealand, Israel and the United States. Apply only on the official government site: GOV.UK warns, for example, that sites other than the official K-ETA website are generally scams.

• Can I go to the USA without a visa?

  Not without something: GOV.UK says you must have either an online authorisation or a visa to enter or transit through the US. The GOV.UK entry requirements page for the United States says which one applies to you.

• Does the 90 days in 180 rule cover all of Europe?

  No. It covers the Schengen area, which in this guide means Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Malta. Cyprus has its own 90 days, and Ireland has no limit under the Common Travel Area. Turkey also gives 90 days in any 180, counted separately.

• Which of these countries lets me stay the longest without a visa?

  Ireland has no time limit. Costa Rica allows up to 180 days at the officer’s discretion, while Hong Kong, Canada (normally) and New Zealand allow up to 6 months. Thailand, the Philippines, the Maldives and the Dominican Republic are among the shortest, at 30 days.

• Do I need a return ticket for visa free entry?

  Often yes. South Korea requires an onward or return ticket, Colombia wants one valid within 90 days, and Indonesia asks for proof of onward or return travel for a visa on arrival. Officers or airlines may also ask in the Philippines, New Zealand, Cyprus and Canada.

• Is a passport enough for every visa free country?

  Mostly, but several want an online step first. Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, the Maldives, Malaysia, South Africa, Cambodia and New Zealand each require an online arrival card or declaration, set out in the table above.

• Does a British Overseas Territories or BNO passport follow the same rules?

  Not always. The GOV.UK pages used here are written for a full British citizen passport. Holders of another type of British passport should check the entry rules with the embassy of the country they are visiting, because a visa may be needed where a British citizen does not need one.

• Is this list of visa free countries complete?

  No. It is a bounded set of 38 popular destinations, checked on 2 November 2026. A country is left out when GOV.UK makes travel or health cover a condition of entry or when we could not read its entry rules.