INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT VISA

1. What Is the UK International Agreement Visa?

The UK Temporary Work – International Agreement Visa is for individuals aged 18 or over who wish to come to the UK to perform work that is covered by international law or an international agreement.

The route currently covers two principal categories of worker:

• private servants in diplomatic households; and
• employees of overseas governments and recognised international organisations.

Applicants must be sponsored and hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship before they apply. The work must fall within one of the permitted categories and the applicant must satisfy the immigration requirements that apply to their particular role.

The International Agreement route does not lead directly to settlement in the UK. However, depending on their circumstances, a visa holder may later be able to apply under another immigration route which can lead to indefinite leave to remain.

International Agreement Visa vs Service Supplier Visa

The International Agreement route should not be confused with the Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier route.

The International Agreement route no longer provides immigration permission for contractual service suppliers or independent professionals providing services to UK businesses. Those former parts of the International Agreement Rules have been deleted.

If an overseas worker is being contracted to provide services to a UK company under an international trade agreement, the Service Supplier Visa may instead be the appropriate route.

2. International Agreement Visa Requirements

The exact requirements depend on whether the applicant will work as a private servant in a diplomatic household or as an employee of an overseas government or recognised international organisation.

In broad terms, an applicant will need to demonstrate that:

• they are aged 18 or over;
• they will undertake an eligible International Agreement role;
• they have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship issued by an authorised sponsor;
• their Certificate of Sponsorship was issued no more than three months before the date of application;
• they genuinely intend and are able to undertake the sponsored role;
• their proposed employment complies with applicable National Minimum Wage and Working Time requirements;
• they meet the financial requirement, where applicable;
• they meet any applicable tuberculosis screening requirement;
• they have an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate if the ATAS requirement applies;
• if applying as a private servant from outside the UK, they satisfy the relevant English-language requirement; and
• they do not fall for refusal under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules.

The Certificate of Sponsorship must identify the proposed employment and confirm that it satisfies the relevant International Agreement requirements. The decision-maker must also be satisfied that the proposed job is genuine and that the applicant genuinely intends to undertake it.

Financial Requirement

An applicant who is applying for entry clearance, or who has been in the UK with immigration permission for less than 12 months at the date of an application for permission to stay, will normally need to show funds of at least £1,270.

The money must normally have been held for a continuous period of at least 28 days in accordance with Appendix Finance.

Alternatively, an A-rated sponsor may certify on the Certificate of Sponsorship that it will maintain and accommodate the applicant, if necessary, up to the end of the first month of employment to at least the required amount.

An applicant who has already been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months will normally satisfy the financial requirement without needing to demonstrate the £1,270 separately.

The precise requirements will depend on the applicant’s circumstances. Applicants should ensure that both their immigration position and the particular category of International Agreement work have been identified correctly before applying.

3. Private Servants in Diplomatic Households

A person may qualify as a private servant in a diplomatic household where they are employed as a private servant by, and in the household of:

• a named member of staff of a diplomatic or consular mission who has the relevant diplomatic privileges and immunity; or
• a named official employed by a recognised international organisation who has diplomatic privileges or immunities under UK or international law.

The applicant must intend to work full time as a private servant in the specified household. They must not intend to undertake another role for the sponsoring organisation.

The applicant must also not be related by blood or marriage to their employer or their employer’s spouse. This restriction can include, for example, a spouse or unmarried partner, child, parent, grandparent or sibling.

Pay and Working Conditions for Private Servants

A private servant must be paid at least the applicable National Minimum Wage throughout their stay in the UK.

More generally, the sponsored employment must comply with both the National Minimum Wage Regulations and the Working Time Regulations. This remains the case even where the private servant lives in the employer’s household.

The applicant must provide specified written evidence of their terms and conditions of employment in the form required by Appendix Domestic Worker Statement.

A signed statement must also be provided confirming that the employment will not fall within the family-worker exception contained in regulation 57 of the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015.

English Language Requirement for Private Servants

A private servant applying for entry clearance from outside the UK must demonstrate English-language ability at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in reading, writing, speaking and listening.

The applicant must satisfy Appendix English Language. Depending on their circumstances, this may be possible through an approved Secure English Language Test, an eligible academic qualification or another permitted method of demonstrating English-language ability.

This B1 requirement applies specifically to private servants applying for entry clearance. It does not apply generally to employees of overseas governments or international organisations, and a private servant does not have to prove the English-language requirement again when applying to extend their visa.

The English-language requirement for private servants applying from overseas has applied to applications submitted on or after 16 May 2024.

4. Employees of Overseas Governments and International Organisations

The second principal category under the International Agreement route is for employees of overseas governments and recognised international organisations who require immigration permission to work in the UK.

Before sponsorship is considered, it may be necessary to establish whether the individual is actually exempt from UK immigration control because of their position. Certain officials of recognised international organisations may qualify for exemption instead of requiring sponsorship under the International Agreement route.

Where the International Agreement route is required, the applicant must be employed under a contract of employment with the relevant overseas government, diplomatic mission, consular post or recognised international organisation.

This category cannot be used to sponsor someone as a private servant in a diplomatic household or as a domestic worker in a private household.

Contract Workers

Special care is required where the proposed worker will be supplied as labour from one organisation to another.

In these circumstances, the decision-maker must be satisfied that the worker will not be filling a permanent position, even temporarily. The arrangements must therefore represent genuine eligible contract working rather than the International Agreement route being used simply to fill an ongoing vacancy within another organisation.

The applicant must intend to undertake the role for which the Certificate of Sponsorship has been assigned. Limited supplementary employment may be permitted separately, provided the conditions governing supplementary employment are satisfied.

5. Certificate of Sponsorship Requirements

Anyone applying as an International Agreement Worker must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job they intend to undertake.

A Certificate of Sponsorship is an electronic record assigned by a licensed sponsor. It contains information about the applicant, their proposed employment and the basis on which the role qualifies under the International Agreement route.

Who Can Sponsor an International Agreement Worker?

An organisation wishing to sponsor workers on this route must normally be either:

• a diplomatic mission or consular post of a country or territory recognised by the UK; or
• a recognised international organisation established by an international treaty signed by the UK and included on the relevant list of exempt organisations.

The organisation must hold a sponsor licence covering the International Agreement route.

For private servants, it is important to distinguish the employer from the licensed sponsor. The private servant will normally be personally employed by the relevant diplomat or international-organisation official, while the diplomatic mission, consular post or international organisation holds the sponsor licence and assigns the Certificate of Sponsorship.

Sponsor Rating

The sponsor must generally be A-rated.

An exception can apply where the sponsor is continuing to sponsor a worker whom it sponsored for the application which led to that person’s existing International Agreement permission.

What Must the Certificate of Sponsorship Confirm?

The Certificate of Sponsorship must contain sufficient information about the role and the proposed arrangements to establish that the International Agreement requirements are met.

This includes information concerning the worker, the proposed employment dates, the role and duties, salary, hours and work location, together with confirmation of how the role is covered by an eligible international agreement.

For a private servant, the Certificate of Sponsorship should also identify the diplomat or official for whom the person will work.

The Certificate of Sponsorship must also state whether the ATAS requirement applies and, where appropriate, whether the sponsor is certifying maintenance for the worker or their dependants.

A Certificate of Sponsorship must normally be used within three months of being assigned. An applicant must also not apply more than three months before the start date stated on it.

6. Documents Required for an International Agreement Visa

The documents required will depend on the particular category and circumstances of the applicant.

An International Agreement Visa application will commonly require:

• the Certificate of Sponsorship reference number;
• a valid passport or other acceptable identity and nationality document;
• evidence of the required maintenance funds, unless the applicant is exempt or the sponsor has certified maintenance;
• evidence of English-language ability where the applicant is a private servant applying for entry clearance;
• a tuberculosis test certificate where required;
• an ATAS certificate where applicable;
• evidence relating to accompanying dependants, where relevant; and
• certified translations of documents which are not in English or Welsh.

A private servant will additionally need the specified documentation relating to the terms and conditions of employment and the required declaration concerning the National Minimum Wage family-worker exception.

Applicants should not assume that this is an exhaustive documentary checklist. The evidence should address the specific legal requirements that apply to the particular role and any issues arising from the applicant’s immigration history or personal circumstances.

7. How to Apply for an International Agreement Visa

A person coming to the UK for the first time under the International Agreement route must obtain entry clearance before travelling to the UK for the purpose of taking up the role.

The application is made online. The applicant will need to pay the relevant application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge, where applicable, establish their identity and submit the required supporting evidence.

An application can normally be submitted up to three months before the proposed employment start date stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship.

The way in which an applicant proves their identity will depend on their nationality, passport and the application process offered to them. Successful applicants will normally receive digital evidence of their immigration permission through an eVisa.

Applicants already in the UK under the International Agreement route may be able to apply for further permission without leaving the UK, subject to the extension requirements considered below.

8. How Long Can You Stay on an International Agreement Visa?

The maximum period depends on the category of International Agreement Worker.

Overseas Government and International Organisation Employees

An employee of an overseas government or recognised international organisation can spend a maximum of 24 months on the International Agreement route.

For an application for permission to stay, the grant will be limited to the shorter of:

• the period of employment stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days; or
• the period remaining before the worker reaches the overall 24-month maximum.

Private Servants in Diplomatic Households

A private servant can remain under the International Agreement route for an overall maximum of five years.

Permission is granted for no more than 24 months at a time. An extension will be limited to the shortest of the period stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, 24 months, or the period remaining before the applicant reaches five years on the route.

This is an important distinction. The 24-month overall maximum applicable to overseas-government and international-organisation employees does not represent the overall maximum period for a private servant in a diplomatic household.

9. Extending an International Agreement Visa

An International Agreement Worker who is already in the UK may be able to apply for further permission on the route.

The applicant must have, or have last had, permission under the International Agreement route. This means that a person cannot ordinarily use an in-country application to switch into this route from an unrelated immigration category.

A fresh Certificate of Sponsorship will normally be required for an extension application.

An employee of an overseas government or international organisation cannot be granted permission beyond the overall 24-month maximum.

A private servant can apply for further grants of up to 24 months at a time, subject to the overall five-year maximum.

Salary Evidence for Private Servants

A private servant applying for permission to stay must provide evidence showing that they have actually received their salary for at least the three months immediately preceding the application.

The evidence should include payslips together with evidence that the salary payments were transferred into the applicant’s bank account or other permitted account. Current sponsor guidance also requires the most recent financial evidence to be dated within 31 days before the application.

A private servant applying to extend does not need to satisfy the B1 English-language requirement again.

The current Immigration Rules no longer impose the former requirement that a private servant must have worked for the same individual employer throughout their previous grant in order to extend. However, any proposed employment relied upon for a further application must itself meet all of the applicable International Agreement requirements and be supported by valid sponsorship.

10. Can You Switch Into or Out of the International Agreement Route?

A person applying for permission to stay under the International Agreement route must have, or have last had, permission on that route.

It is therefore generally not possible to switch into the International Agreement route from another UK immigration category. A person who does not already have International Agreement permission will normally need to leave the UK and make an entry-clearance application from overseas.

There is no equivalent blanket rule preventing an International Agreement Worker from applying under another immigration category.

Whether an individual can switch from the International Agreement route into, for example, the Skilled Worker route or another work or family route will depend on the eligibility and switching requirements of the proposed new route.

This can be particularly important because the International Agreement route itself does not lead to settlement.

11. What Work Can an International Agreement Visa Holder Do?

An International Agreement Worker can undertake the employment for which they have been sponsored.

They are also permitted to study, subject to the ATAS requirements where applicable, and they have no access to public funds.

The rules concerning additional employment differ between the two International Agreement categories.

Supplementary Employment for Government and International Organisation Employees

A person sponsored as an employee of an overseas government or international organisation may undertake supplementary employment provided they continue to undertake their sponsored role.

Supplementary employment must normally:

• be for no more than 20 hours each week;
• take place outside the hours of the sponsored employment; and
• be either in the same profession and at the same professional level as the sponsored work or in an occupation listed in the Immigration Salary List.

Where these conditions are met, the supplementary employer does not need to be a licensed sponsor for that additional work.

Additional Work by Private Servants

Private servants in diplomatic households do not have the same general supplementary-employment permission.

However, the Immigration Rules specifically allow a private servant to take additional employment as a domestic worker in a different household, provided their main sponsored employment as a private servant continues.

Private servants should therefore take particular care before accepting any additional employment which falls outside domestic work.

12. International Agreement Visa Dependants

An International Agreement Worker may be accompanied or joined by an eligible partner and dependent children.

A dependent partner must satisfy the relevant relationship requirements.

A dependent child will usually need to be under 18 when applying for the first time. A child aged 18 or over may nevertheless be able to continue as a dependant where they were previously granted immigration permission as the worker’s dependent child and continue to satisfy the applicable requirements, including the requirement not to be leading an independent life.

Financial Requirement for Dependants

Where the dependant financial requirement applies, the additional funds are:

• £285 for a dependent partner;
• £315 for the first dependent child; and
• £200 for each additional dependent child.

The funds will normally need to have been held for at least 28 days unless an A-rated sponsor certifies maintenance for the family members. Dependants who have already been living in the UK with immigration permission for at least 12 months will normally satisfy the financial requirement without demonstrating these funds.

Can International Agreement Dependants Work?

A dependant partner can generally work, including in self-employment, subject to the restriction on working as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

Dependants are also permitted to study, subject to any applicable ATAS requirement. They will not have access to public funds.

A dependant partner’s permission will normally expire on the same date as the International Agreement Worker. A child’s permission will generally expire on the date on which the first of their parents’ relevant immigration permissions expires.

13. Does the International Agreement Visa Lead to Settlement?

The International Agreement route does not lead directly to indefinite leave to remain.

This applies both to employees of overseas governments or international organisations and to private servants in diplomatic households.

Although the Rules historically contained settlement provisions for certain private servants, those provisions have now been deleted.

An International Agreement Worker who wishes to settle in the UK may need to consider switching into another immigration category which provides a route to settlement.

Whether this is possible, and when an application should be made, will depend on the requirements of the alternative immigration route.

14. International Agreement Visa Fees and Immigration Health Surcharge

As at 3 November 2026, the application fee for an International Agreement Visa is £340 per applicant.

The same application fee applies whether the application is made from inside or outside the UK. Partners and children making dependant applications each pay their own application fee.

Applicants will also normally need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

The standard rate is currently:

Applicant	Annual Immigration Health Surcharge
Applicant aged 18 or over	£1,035
Applicant aged under 18	£776

The total surcharge depends on the length of immigration permission applied for and the rules governing how part-years are calculated. The surcharge is normally paid upfront as part of the visa application process.

Visa fees and Immigration Health Surcharge rates can change, so applicants should check the applicable rates at the time they submit their application.

15. International Agreement Visa Processing Times

An applicant applying from outside the UK will usually receive a decision within approximately three weeks after completing the application process, proving their identity and providing the required documents.

An application for permission to stay made from inside the UK will usually be decided within approximately eight weeks.

A faster decision service may be available for some applications, but availability depends on the application type, location and services offered when the application is submitted.

Applicants should avoid making travel or employment arrangements which depend on a particular decision date unless their immigration position permits them to do so.

16. International Agreement Visa Refusals and Administrative Review

An International Agreement Visa application may be refused where the applicant fails to satisfy the relevant eligibility or suitability requirements.

Common issues can include problems with sponsorship, a role which does not meet the International Agreement requirements, insufficient financial evidence, defects in the private-servant employment documentation, failure to satisfy the English-language requirement where applicable, or concerns about whether the proposed employment is genuine and compliant.

Where an application is refused, the Immigration Rules provide for Administrative Review.

Administrative Review is intended to identify caseworking errors in the refusal decision. Whether it is preferable to seek Administrative Review or submit a fresh application will depend on the nature of the refusal.

For example, Administrative Review may be appropriate where the decision-maker has misunderstood evidence that was submitted or applied the Immigration Rules incorrectly. A fresh application may be more suitable where a genuine evidential deficiency can now be corrected.

In an appropriate case, Judicial Review may also be available where a decision is unlawful and no adequate alternative remedy exists.

Applicants should consider the reasons for refusal carefully before deciding how to proceed, as the appropriate strategy will depend on the nature of the error and the available evidence.

17. Frequently Asked Questions: International Agreement Visa

Who Can Apply for an International Agreement Visa?

The route is principally available to private servants in qualifying diplomatic households and employees of overseas governments or recognised international organisations. Applicants must be at least 18 and hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for qualifying employment.

Do International Agreement Visa Applicants Need to Speak English?

Most applicants do not have a specific English-language requirement. However, a private servant in a diplomatic household applying for entry clearance must demonstrate English at B1 level in reading, writing, speaking and listening. The requirement does not have to be met again when the private servant extends their visa.

How Long Can I Stay in the UK on an International Agreement Visa?

An overseas-government or international-organisation employee can spend a maximum of 24 months on the route. A private servant in a diplomatic household can extend their stay up to an overall maximum of five years, although permission is granted for no more than 24 months at a time.

Can I Switch Into an International Agreement Visa From Another UK Visa?

Generally not. An applicant applying for permission to stay must have, or have last had, permission under the International Agreement route. Someone in the UK under another immigration route will therefore normally need to apply for International Agreement entry clearance from overseas.

Can a Private Servant Change Employer?

The current Immigration Rules no longer contain the former requirement that a private servant must remain with the same employer throughout successive grants. However, any new employment relied upon for an International Agreement application must independently qualify under the private-servant provisions and be supported by valid sponsorship.

Can I Have a Second Job on an International Agreement Visa?

An overseas-government or international-organisation employee may undertake qualifying supplementary employment for up to 20 hours per week while continuing their sponsored employment. A private servant does not have this general supplementary-work permission but may undertake additional employment as a domestic worker in another household while continuing their main sponsored role.

Can My Partner and Children Come to the UK With Me?

Yes. An International Agreement Worker can normally bring an eligible partner and dependent children. Additional financial requirements apply unless an exemption applies or an eligible sponsor certifies maintenance.

Does the International Agreement Visa Lead to ILR?

No. The International Agreement route does not lead directly to indefinite leave to remain. A visa holder wishing to settle in the UK may need to qualify under another immigration category which provides a route to settlement.

How Much Money Do I Need for an International Agreement Visa?

The main applicant will normally need at least £1,270 where the financial requirement applies. Additional amounts are normally required for dependants: £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child. Different rules apply where the applicant has been in the UK for at least 12 months or an A-rated sponsor certifies maintenance.

Is an International Agreement Visa the Same as a Service Supplier Visa?

No. The routes serve different purposes. The International Agreement route now principally covers private servants in diplomatic households and employees of overseas governments and recognised international organisations. A person contracted to provide services to a UK business under an eligible international trade agreement should normally consider the Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier route instead.