UK Overseas Domestic Worker Visa from Thailand – Visa Guidance

If you employ a nanny, housekeeper or other domestic worker in Thailand, they may be able to accompany you on a temporary visit to the UK using an Overseas Domestic Worker visa.

This route is for an existing employee travelling with their employer or the employer’s family. It is not a general recruitment visa for someone seeking a new domestic job in Britain.

Who can apply for an Overseas Domestic Worker visa?

The route covers domestic workers employed in a private household, including nannies, cleaners, cooks, chauffeurs and workers providing personal care for an employer or their family.

The applicant must meet the requirements, including:

• Being aged 19 or older.
• Having worked for the employer for at least one year.
• Working in the employer’s household, or a household the employer uses regularly.
• Travelling with the employer, their partner or children.
• Working full-time as a domestic worker in a UK household where the employer will live.
• Planning to leave after the permitted visit and having support without public funds.

Which employers qualify?

The employer must be either a British citizen who normally lives outside the UK and is visiting for no more than six months, or a foreign citizen visiting the UK for no more than six months.

For example, a British family normally resident in Thailand may be able to take their established nanny on a UK holiday. A family moving permanently to Britain should not assume this temporary route will allow the nanny to relocate with them.

Can you take a Thai nanny on a UK holiday?

Potentially, yes, provided the nanny and employer meet the requirements. The application should explain the existing employment, why the nanny is accompanying the family and the arrangements during the visit.

A newly hired nanny will not meet the one-year employment requirement. Prepare the employment records before making travel commitments.

A Standard Visitor visa should not be used to disguise a trip whose purpose is domestic employment.

What documents are required?

The application needs evidence of identity, financial support and the employment relationship. Required documents include:

• A current passport or other valid travel identification.
• Evidence of financial support during the trip.
• The completed Appendix domestic worker statement, signed by both worker and employer.
• An employer’s letter confirming the job title, length of employment and permanent employee status.
• Supporting employment evidence covering the relevant period.

Employment evidence can include salary records, an employment contract, tax or health insurance records, relevant residence permission, or records of previous travel with the employer.

Additional evidence may be needed for the individual case. Documents not in English or Welsh require certified translations.

What should the employment arrangements explain?

The signed statement and supporting documents should make the UK working arrangements clear. Check the duties, working hours, wages, accommodation and leave arrangements before submission.

The worker must receive at least the applicable UK National Minimum Wage. A salary agreed in Thailand does not automatically satisfy UK employment requirements.

Workers retain employment rights in the UK. They should understand the terms they are signing and keep copies of their documents.

How long can the worker stay?

The visa permits a visit of up to six months. New applicants cannot normally extend this visa or use it as a route to permanent settlement.

Repeated visits must not be used to live in the UK for long periods. The worker must leave before their permission expires.

Can a domestic worker change employers?

Yes. A worker may change to another domestic job in a private household during their permitted stay. Changing employer does not extend the visa: they must still leave by the end of their existing permission.

The visa does not allow unrestricted work in other occupations.

Application fee and processing time

The current government application fee is £726. Applications can be made up to three months before the intended travel date.

GOV.UK normally gives a decision timeframe of three weeks for applications made outside the UK. Further checks can take longer, and a faster service may be available for an additional fee.

Check current fees and service availability before applying. Avoid non-refundable travel bookings until the decision is issued.

What about the older domestic worker rules?

Different arrangements may apply to people who applied under the domestic worker route on or before 5 April 2012. These historical provisions should not be confused with the rules for a new application from Thailand.

If you hold permission under the older route, obtain advice about your existing status before applying to extend or settle.

Help applying from Thailand

Thai Visa Express assists with reviewing eligibility, organising employment evidence, translations and preparing the application for a domestic worker accompanying an employer to the UK.

Contact us with the worker’s job title, employment start date, the employer’s country of residence and intended travel dates.