Permitted paid engagements: who can be paid on a UK visit, and the 30-day rule

Written from primary sources · Editor-reviewed · Sources last read 6 October 2026

By the tmcmatch.co.uk editorial team · Published 6 October 2026 · Last reviewed 6 October 2026 · 8 min read

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A business visitor to the UK is normally not allowed to be paid by a UK source. Permitted paid engagements are the exception: seven specific kinds of paid work — a lecture, an examination panel, a court appearance, a performance, a conference talk — that a visitor may do if invited. Much of what is written about them describes a ‘PPE visa’ lasting a month. The current Immigration Rules have no such category. This page quotes Appendix V as published on GOV.UK and read on 2026-10-06.

Key points

No separate visa: paid engagements are done as a Standard Visitor.
Seven categories only, each needing an invitation from a defined kind of UK host.
Within 30 days of entry; the visit itself can be longer.
Pre-arranged, declared, invited, and in the visitor’s own field.
Aged 18 or over.

The general rule, and the exception

Appendix V starts from a prohibition: “Visitors cannot work in the UK unless this is expressly allowed under the permitted activities set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities.” Payment is restricted too:

Appendix V: Visitor, V 4.6

The Visitor must not receive payment from a UK source for any activities undertaken in the UK, except for the following: … (a) reasonable expenses to cover the cost of their travel and subsistence, including fees for directors attending board-level meetings; … (g) the permitted paid engagements listed in V 13.3, providing the requirements in V 13.1 and V 13.2 are met.

Read it on legislation.gov.uk

The other exceptions include prize money, multinationals paying salaries from the UK for administrative reasons, and “billing a UK client for their time in the UK, where the Visitor’s overseas employer is contracted to provide services to a UK company, and the majority of the contract work is carried out overseas (payment must be lower than the amount of the Visitor’s salary);”. For an ordinary business visit — meetings, negotiations, site visits — expenses are the only UK payment allowed; the activities themselves are on UK business visitor visa.

The seven permitted paid engagements

Permitted paid engagements, Appendix V paragraph V 13.3, read 2026-10-06
Who	What the rule says
Academic examiner or selection panel member	“an academic who is highly qualified within their field of expertise, coming to examine students and/or participate in or chair selection panels, and have been invited by a UK higher education institution, or a UK-based research or arts organisation as part of that institution or organisation’s quality assurance processes;”
Visiting lecturer	“an expert coming to give lectures in their subject area, where they have been invited by a higher education institution, or a UK-based research or arts organisation, and this does not amount to filling a teaching position for the host organisation;”
Overseas designated pilot examiner	“an overseas designated pilot examiner coming to assess UK-based pilots to ensure they meet the national aviation regulatory requirements of other countries, where they have been invited by an approved training organisation based in the UK that is regulated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority for that purpose;”
Lawyer providing advocacy	“a qualified lawyer coming to provide advocacy for a court or tribunal hearing, arbitration or other form of dispute resolution for legal proceedings within the UK, where they have been invited by a client;”
Artist, entertainer or musician	“a professional artist, entertainer, or musician coming to carry out an activity directly relating to their profession, where they have been invited by a creative (arts or entertainment) organisation, agent or broadcaster based in the UK;”
Professional sportsperson	“a Professional Sportsperson coming to carry out an activity directly relating to their profession, where they have been invited by a sports organisation, agent, or broadcaster based in the UK;”
Conference speaker	“a speaker coming to the UK to give a one-off or short series of talks and speeches, where they have been invited to a conference or other event.”

The list is closed. A consultant, software developer or trainer paid by a UK client is not on it; the routes for that kind of work are the sponsored ones on Global Business Mobility visas, or the visitor’s overseas employer billing the UK client under V 4.6(d).

The four conditions

“Where the applicant is seeking to come to the UK to undertake a permitted paid engagement, they must be aged 18 or over when they enter the UK.” And the engagement must be:

“arranged before the applicant travels to the UK; and”
“declared as part of the application for entry clearance or, if asked, declared when seeking permission to enter the UK; and”
“evidenced by a formal invitation, as required by V 13.3; and”
“relate to the applicant’s area of expertise and occupation overseas.”

The invitation is the document that carries the case: who the host is, what the engagement is, the dates, and the fee. Condition 2 means a visa national declares it on the visa application and a non-visa national declares it at the border if asked; an engagement that was not declared is not covered.

The 30-day limit

Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities: “A Visitor may undertake the permitted paid engagements in V 13.3, providing they are completed within 30 days of the Visitor’s entry to the UK, and the requirements of V 13.1. to V 13.2. are met.” The limit is on the engagement, not the visit. A Standard Visitor can be granted “Standard Visitor up to 6 months except:” specified exceptions, so a speaker can give a paid talk in the first week and spend the rest of the trip on other permitted activities such as meetings or a holiday.

There is no longer a PPE visa

Appendix V lists the visitor types: “There are 4 types of Visitor:” They are Standard, Marriage/Civil Partnership, Transit and Diplomatic Visa Arrangement, with one deleted entry between the second and third (“or give notice of marriage or civil partnership. DELETED.”). None of them is a paid-engagement visitor. GOV.UK’s Standard Visitor guide lists paid engagements among the reasons to visit as a Standard Visitor — “for certain paid engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’) as an expert in your profession” — and states the time limits plainly:

GOV.UK — Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor

You can come to the UK for up to 6 months, but you must do the engagement in the first month. The engagement must be relevant to your expertise, qualifications and main job in your home country.

Read it on legislation.gov.uk

Common statements about permitted paid engagements, against Appendix V as read 2026-10-06
Often said	What the rules say now
A separate ‘PPE visa’	The current list of four visitor types has no paid-engagement category. Paid engagements are done as a Standard Visitor.
A one-month stay	GOV.UK: “You can come to the UK for up to 6 months, but you must do the engagement in the first month.”
Open to any freelancer or remote worker	Only the seven engagements in V 13.3, each needing an invitation from a defined kind of UK host.
Payment from the UK is fine for any visitor	Only for the listed exceptions in V 4.6, of which permitted paid engagements are one.

In practice: apply for, or seek entry as, a Standard Visitor, and declare the engagement. Fees are those of the Standard Visitor route — £135 for a six-month visit visa where one is needed — and non-visa nationals need an ETA where the ETA rules apply to them.

Why this site has nothing to gain from your answer

We are paid a fixed fee per enquiry, agreed in advance, identical whichever supplier receives it. We do not give immigration advice. Paid engagements are here because conference speakers and visiting experts are booked through the same travel channel as other inbound business visitors.

Bringing speakers or experts to the UK?

Describe the requirement once. It goes to no more than three suppliers, once each.

For a UK host inviting someone

Check the engagement is one of the seven, and that you are the kind of host the category names.
Send a formal invitation before travel, stating the engagement, dates and fee.
Make sure the paid part fits within 30 days of arrival.
Tell the visitor to declare the engagement on the application or at the border.
Pay expenses as expenses; a fee for anything outside V 13.3 is not covered.

This page quotes the Immigration Rules as read on 2026-10-06. It is not immigration advice; the rules change often and a host or visitor with any doubt should take advice before the trip.

Common questions

What is a permitted paid engagement?

One of seven kinds of paid activity a visitor may do in the UK, listed in paragraph V 13.3 of Appendix V, such as a lecture, an advocacy appearance or a conference talk, done on a formal invitation.

Is there still a Permitted Paid Engagement visa?

Not as a separate category. Appendix V says “There are 4 types of Visitor:” Standard, Marriage/Civil Partnership, Transit and Diplomatic Visa Arrangement. None is a paid-engagement visitor; GOV.UK treats a paid engagement as a reason to visit as a Standard Visitor.

How long can a permitted paid engagement last?

The engagement must be completed within 30 days of entry. Appendix Visitor: “A Visitor may undertake the permitted paid engagements in V 13.3, providing they are completed within 30 days of the Visitor’s entry to the UK, and the requirements of V 13.1. to V 13.2. are met.”

Who can do a permitted paid engagement?

Only the seven categories in V 13.3, and the applicant must be 18 or over. The engagement must “relate to the applicant’s area of expertise and occupation overseas.”

Can a speaker be paid to speak at a UK conference?

Yes, under V 13.3(g): “a speaker coming to the UK to give a one-off or short series of talks and speeches, where they have been invited to a conference or other event.”

Do I need a visa for a permitted paid engagement?

It depends on nationality, as for any Standard Visitor: a visa national needs a visit visa (£135); others need an ETA (£20) where required. The engagement must be declared on the application or, if asked, at the border.

Sources cited on this page

Every figure above was read from the source it is attributed to on 20 September 2026. How we check this.