The Home Office's latest statement of changes came into force on 3 August, and Indian travel forums have been trading guesses about it since. The honest summary: for an ordinary Indian passport holder, nothing changed. The one India-specific line concerns diplomatic passports.
In this guide2 sections
What HC 259 does#
Laid before Parliament on 9 July 2026 and effective 3 August, it makes two adjustments to Appendix V: Visitor. The first is technical — the suitability rules now allow certain periods of overstaying to be disregarded where the exceptions for overstayers apply, and treat immigration bail under the same exception. The second adds a new exemption covering "a national of India who holds a diplomatic passport issued by India."
Two changes to the Electronic Travel Authorisation rules landed on the same date, adding "or suspended" to the sentencing criteria in the ETA suitability provisions. Applications made before 3 August are decided under the rules in force on 2 August.
What it does not do#
It does not open the ETA to Indian nationals — that misreading circulates every time an ETA change is published. The ETA is a pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationalities; India is visa-required, so the route stays the Standard Visitor visa, as explained in the UK ETA for Indians.
It does not touch fees either: £135 for the Standard Visitor visa since 8 April, with the long-term options unchanged. And it does not alter what actually decides these applications — evidence of the trip, funding and reasons to return, which is where most Indian refusals happen. See UK visit visa for Indians and refusal reasons and reapplying.
VisaGyan is an independent journal, not affiliated with the Home Office or UKVI. Read the statement of changes on GOV.UK before relying on any summary, including this one.
Frequently asked questions
- Did UK visitor visa rules change for Indians in August 2026?
- Marginally. Statement of changes HC 259, laid on 9 July and in force from 3 August 2026, adds an exemption to Appendix V for "a national of India who holds a diplomatic passport issued by India", and clarifies how overstaying periods are disregarded under the suitability rules. Ordinary Indian passport holders apply exactly as before.
- Can Indians use the UK ETA instead of a visa now?
- No. The ETA is for nationalities that do not need a visa for short stays. India is visa-required, so an Indian passport holder applies for a Standard Visitor visa. HC 259 only adjusted the ETA's sentencing wording, adding "or suspended" alongside custodial sentences; it did not extend the ETA to visa nationals.
- What does a UK Standard Visitor visa cost from India?
- £135 since 8 April 2026, unchanged by this statement. Long-term visitor visas remain £506 for two years, £903 for five and £1,128 for ten, with priority services charged separately.