There is no fixed minimum balance for a UK Standard Visitor visa — gov.uk sets no number. This guide replaces the bare '฿100,000' myth with a transparent THB+£ method, then goes where Thai pages don't: real Thai bank documents, certified statement translation, source-of-funds for cash, land-sale and family-gift money, and ties to Thailand. It is general information from gov.uk, not an assessment of your application.
Written & reviewed by Sunaree Ko, Founder · Sourced from GOV.UK
The UK sets NO minimum bank balance for a Standard Visitor visa. You must simply show funds that are sufficient to cover your whole trip and your return journey without working in the UK or using public funds. A practical rule of thumb: plan around £100–£150 a day plus a buffer (about ฿4,350–฿6,500 a day at an indicative rate), evidenced by 3–6 months of bank statements.
Why is there no number? Because a caseworker judges your trip as a whole under the genuine-visitor rules (Appendix V): your money is read alongside your reason to visit and your reason to leave. For the full route requirements, see our UK Standard Visitor visa requirements page. A few 2026 facts to fix first: the Standard Visitor fee is £135 (from 8 April 2026); Thai nationals need a full visa, not the £20 ETA; and your permission is now held as an eVisa, with no passport sticker since 25 February 2026.
Not sure the Standard Visitor visa is even the right route for you? This quick router can point the way before you start gathering bank statements.
The Standard Visitor rules do not name an amount. Instead they ask that you can, without working or using public funds, support yourself (and anyone with you), pay for your trip, and pay for your return or onward journey. Your money is judged against your specific plan, not against a fixed figure.
The gov.uk guide to supporting documents asks that a financial document detail the origin of the funds you hold — in other words, where your money came from, not just that it is there today. A healthy-looking balance with no traceable history is weaker than a modest balance built from regular, explainable income.
Money is read alongside your intention to leave the UK and your ties to Thailand. Funds prove you CAN afford the trip; ties prove you WILL go home. Money alone never decides a visitor application — which is exactly why there is no magic number. We cover ties in detail further down.
Instead of guessing a number, build it from your trip. Two simple steps: estimate a daily budget, then add a buffer.
Plan roughly £100–£150 a day for food, local travel and incidentals, and remember it is region-dependent: London and the South-East run higher than the rest of the UK. Anything you have already paid for — flights, prepaid hotels — reduces what you still need to show, because you only need to fund what is left.
Add about 25–30% on top of your estimated trip cost as a safety margin. Some sources suggest 'show twice the trip cost' — treat that as a comfortable buffer, not a rule. The point is to leave no doubt that you can absorb the unexpected without working or claiming public funds.
| Trip length | Daily £100–£150 | + buffer (target £) | ≈ THB to show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | £700–£1,050 | ≈ £1,400 | ≈ ฿61,000 |
| 10 days | £1,000–£1,500 | ≈ £2,000–£3,000 | ≈ ฿87,000–฿130,500 |
| 14 days | £1,400–£2,100 | ≈ £3,500–£4,600 | ≈ ฿152,000–฿200,000 |
| 21 days | £2,100–£3,150 | ≈ £5,000–£6,500 | ≈ ฿217,500–฿282,750 |
Illustrative only — these are worked from the daily-budget method, not gov.uk thresholds (there is no official figure). They assume accommodation is NOT fully prepaid; if your flights and hotel are already paid, you need to show less. Baht at ~฿43.5/£1, indicative — your bank's FX differs. Last reviewed June 2026.
Use the calculator for your own dates and trip — it converts to today's baht and is honest that the figure is FX-dependent.
Show 3–6 months of statements, with 6 preferred. The caseworker wants to see a stable, genuine pattern over time, not just one day's balance. Keep them recent: statements older than about a month at submission carry less weight, because the rules expect a current picture of your finances.
Myth-bust: the '28-day rule' does NOT apply to the Standard Visitor visa. The 28-day rule is a points-based maintenance requirement for student and certain work routes. For visitors there is no rule that funds must sit frozen for 28 days — stability and genuineness over several months matter far more.
A statement that does its job shows the account holder's name (matching your passport), the account number, the statement period, regular income coming in, and the available balance — in an official bank format, not a screenshot.
The simplest way to avoid translation is to ask your bank for an English-language statement. The major Thai banks — Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn (KBank), SCB and Krungthai — can issue one, usually at a branch (some via the app), for a small fee and with a short wait. Request the full period you need (3–6 months) in one go.
UKVI requires documents that are not in English or Welsh to have a certified translation. If your bank cannot issue an English statement, a Thai-only statement needs a certified Thai→English translation — one that includes the translator's confirmation it is accurate, the date, the translator's full name and contact details, and a signature. We provide certified Thai→English translation of bank statements as part of our document service.
| What to request | Best option | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Official English statement from the bank | Avoids translation; otherwise certified Thai→English |
| Format | E-statement / printed statement (not just a passbook) | A passbook alone may lack a clear period & transactions |
| Period | 3–6 months, ending close to your submission date | 6 months preferred; keep it recent |
| Details shown | Name, account number, balance, income credits | Name must match your passport spelling |
Translation requirement and 'documents not in English' rule: gov.uk guide to supporting documents. Bank-specific English-statement availability is general guidance; confirm with your branch. Last reviewed June 2026.
Build a personalised list of the financial documents to gather and translate with our checklist tool — it is printable and tracks what you have, X of Y.
More visitor applications stumble on WHERE the money came from than on how much there is. A balance you cannot explain is treated as borrowed or temporary.
Fund parking is dropping a large lump sum into your account shortly before you apply, to make the balance look healthier than your normal finances. Caseworkers read your whole transaction history, so a sudden unexplained deposit stands out and damages your credibility — even when the money is genuinely yours. The fix is not to hide it but to explain and evidence it, and ideally to let it settle for a few months.
Savings that arrived as cash, from a land sale (ขายที่ดิน) or as a family gift (เงินก้อนจากญาติ) are common in Thailand and are perfectly legitimate — but each needs a paper trail. For a land or property sale, attach the sale contract or land-office document. For a gift, attach a short gift letter from the giver plus their own bank statement showing the transfer out. For cash deposited over time, an explanation of the income behind it helps.
The trip cost should make sense against your declared income and savings. A very large balance sitting on a small salary, with no explanation, invites questions — so does a trip that looks far beyond what your finances would normally allow. Consistency between what you earn, what you have saved, and what you plan to spend is what reads as genuine.
A short, neutral cover note can pre-empt the obvious question. As a structure to fill in: paragraph one states what the deposit was and when it arrived; paragraph two states where it came from; paragraph three lists the proof you have attached. This is a presentation structure, not legal advice about your case.
No salary slip does not mean no application. It means you evidence your finances a different way.
Lean on what you do have: tax documents, business registration (DBD), a savings history that builds over time, and a plain explanation of how the business runs and how cash turns into bank deposits. Regular, traceable deposits read far better than an unexplained lump.
You can rely on your own savings (with their origin evidenced) and/or a sponsor who pays for the trip. A retiree might show pension or savings; a homemaker might show household savings plus a sponsoring spouse; a student might show savings plus a sponsoring parent. The sponsor section below covers what a sponsor provides.
The neutral funds checker below compares what you have against the published evidence types. It shows your options — it does not give a pass or fail and is not an eligibility verdict.
| Your situation | Main evidence | Helpful extras |
|---|---|---|
| Employed | 6 months' statements + salary credits | Employer leave letter |
| Self-employed | Statements + tax docs + DBD registration | Note on how the business runs |
| No income / homemaker | Own savings (source evidenced) | Sponsor letter + sponsor statements |
| Retiree | Pension and/or savings history | Property / ties in Thailand |
Evidence types reflect the gov.uk guide to supporting documents (visiting the UK). Which documents help depends on your circumstances; this is general information, not an assessment. Last reviewed June 2026.
A friend or relative can pay for your visit — but the funds must be genuinely available, not borrowed. A real sponsor with their own provable resources is very different from money lent to top up a balance.
The sponsor's statements must show enough to support themselves, their own dependants AND your visit. A sponsor stretched thin by their own commitments is weak support.
Typically: an invitation/sponsorship letter, their bank statements, and proof of your relationship. A UK-based sponsor also adds proof of their UK immigration status and UK address. Past failed sponsorships and the genuineness of the relationship are weighed by the caseworker.
For Thai–UK couples and families, a UK partner or relative who sponsors the trip submits the bundle above. Important: a UK sponsor's invitation and money do NOT remove your own ties and genuine-intention test — UKVI still assesses you as the visitor. If your sponsor is a partner you later intend to settle with, the spouse/partner route is a different application with its own income rule; see our UK partner sponsoring your trip — spouse visa requirements page so you do not confuse a visit with settlement.
Funds prove you can afford the visit; ties prove you will leave at the end of it. Both are needed. The most common real reason a Thai visitor application struggles is not a thin balance — it is thin evidence that you will go home.
| Tie to Thailand | Document that evidences it |
|---|---|
| Employment | Employer leave letter + salary credits in statements |
| Property / land | Land title deed (โฉนด) or property documents |
| Family / dependants | House registration (ทะเบียนบ้าน), children's documents |
| Studies | Enrolment / student letter showing ongoing course |
| Business | Business registration (DBD), ongoing trading records |
Ties evidence reflects the genuine-visitor test in the gov.uk Standard Visitor rules (Appendix V) and the guide to supporting documents. This is general information, not an assessment of your ties. Last reviewed June 2026.
It helps to separate two very different kinds of problem, because they call for two very different responses.
Not a document fix: if an application is refused on credibility or genuine-visitor grounds — a judgement about whether you are a genuine visitor — that is a regulated matter, not something a better statement solves. For advice on a refusal, see our visitor visa refused over funds information page and consult an IAA-registered adviser. We prepare and translate documents; we do not assess your chances or advise on refusals.
These are paid costs — money you spend — separate from the living funds you only evidence. The Standard Visitor fee is £135 for 6 months (from 8 April 2026). The longer 2/5/10-year visitor visas cost more up front but are still visitor visas with the same per-trip rules — buying a 5-year visa does not let you stay longer on each visit (a common myth). Visitors pay no IHS (NHS health fee).
| Standard Visitor validity | Gov fee £ | ≈ Gov fee ฿ | IHS? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months | £135 | ≈ ฿5,900 | No |
| 2 years | £506 | ≈ ฿22,000 | No |
| 5 years | £903 | ≈ ฿39,300 | No |
| 10 years | £1,128 | ≈ ฿49,100 | No |
Standard Visitor fees from the gov.uk fees table (8 April 2026). Fees are charged in pounds; your card converts to baht at roughly the mid-market rate plus ~1.5–2.5%, so the baht is indicative and drifts daily. For the full breakdown see the 2026 UK visa fees table and our UK visitor visa cost in baht guide. Last reviewed June 2026 — confirm on gov.uk.
Work out the fee in today's baht with the calculator (no IHS for visitors), then remember: this paid fee is separate from the living funds you only need to show.
We are a document-assistance service, not a law firm. We help you prepare, complete and organise your financial bundle; translate Thai bank statements to a certified standard; structure your source-of-funds cover note; and book your VFS Global appointment. We do not assess your chances or give regulated immigration advice — that distinction is what keeps this honest.
Last reviewed: June 2026. This page is general information based on public gov.uk sources (the Standard Visitor rules / Appendix V, the guide to supporting documents, and the fees table) — it is not immigration advice and not an assessment of your application's chances. There is no fixed minimum balance; the figures here are illustrative. For a refusal or a question about your eligibility, see gov.uk and consult an IAA-registered adviser. Fees and exchange rates change — confirm current figures on gov.uk. Baht is indicative at ~฿43.5/£1; your bank's FX will differ.
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Sunaree founded UK Visa From Thailand and writes and reviews the guides on this site. We're a document-preparation and certified-translation service — not a law firm and not IAA-registered — and every figure here is sourced from GOV.UK. Read Sunaree's full bio →
