🇬🇧 United Kingdom: visa and tax day limits
Ready-made rules count your days against the limits the law names. They don't decide your visa or residency status, and many laws add conditions a day count can't see.
Ready-Made Rules
- TaxUnited Kingdom: 183 days in the tax yearUnder 183 nights in the UK between 6 April and 5 April
- TaxUnited Kingdom: under 16 days (SRT, recent residents)Under 16 nights in the UK between 6 April and 5 April
- TaxUnited Kingdom: under 46 days (SRT, non-residents)Under 46 nights in the UK between 6 April and 5 April
- TaxUnited Kingdom: 90-day tie (SRT)Over 90 nights in a tax year gives a UK tie for the next 2 years
- ImmigrationUnited Kingdom: 180 days away in any 12 months (ILR)No more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months
What the rules say
Visitor stays
The United Kingdom is not in the Schengen Area and counts its days separately. Visits are commonly made under the Standard Visitor route, usually for up to six months per visit (a few visit types, such as some academic or private medical visits, can be longer). Depending on nationality, visitors need either a visa in advance or an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling. British and Irish citizens need neither.
- gov.uk › standard-visitor
- gov.uk › apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta
- gov.uk › uk-enforces-digital-permission-to-travel
Reviewed September 24, 2026
What visitors may not do
Visitor permission generally does not allow work (paid or unpaid, including self-employment) beyond a limited list of permitted activities such as business meetings and conferences. Frequent or successive visits that amount to living in the UK can be refused, even when each stay is within the limit.
Reviewed September 24, 2026
Longer stays
Work, study and settlement each have their own routes with their own conditions, and are usually applied for before travelling rather than switched into from a visit.
Reviewed September 24, 2026
Tax residency
UK tax residency is decided by the Statutory Residence Test, which runs on the UK tax year (6 April to 5 April). Spending 183 days or more is one automatic test, but fewer days can still make someone resident depending on UK ties such as a home, family or work. For this test a day generally counts if you are in the UK at midnight. A Stay Limit rule over the tax-year dates, counting nights, can show your UK day total.
Reviewed September 24, 2026
Track your days against any of these rules
Add any of them in Track Country Days and it counts your days for you — automatically, on your device. Free download on iOS and Android.