You are here:
Step 2 of 5 - Application
Online visa application. This is standard form of practice in South Africa and major majority parts of the world (even our Zimbabwe neighbours have to make use of online application as a means to secure an appointment to attend).
To confirm, all South Africans have to complete an online application in order to secure an appointment to attend at their local Visa Application Centre. The good news is that Move Up help South Africans in these online applications (on a daily basis). So, if you struggle (or are struggling), Move Up offers a solution to help address this frustration.
All travellers are encouraged to lodge an independent application first, if you get stuck, Move Up is here to help. The online application is located on the following website: visa4uk.fco.gov.uk.
We get this question often, so to clarify, this visa4uk website (which is commonly known as "frustrating") is not owned by Move Up (www.moveup.co.za). Move Up is not responsible for its maintenance or infrastructure. Move Up however does offer visa assistance in resolving applications (within an industry leading 6 working hours response time).
How do I book my visa appointment?
Another Good question. In order to book an appointment (for the UK visa application), applicants have to register an account on the visa4uk website. This is a compulsory step for all South African passport holders in South Africa (paper based VAF's (Visa Application Forms) are not accepted in SA).
Once registered, applicants can log-in into the visa4uk website and begin submiting a visa application. At the end of the application, applicants can secure an appointment (on the same visa4uk website) and applicants can only pay for their visas through this same online application (visa4uk website is therefore important aspect of the UK visa application).
If you are tired of trying to submit the online application, Move Up is here to help. Our visa4uk online account already has hundreds of completed online applications. We are here to make the travel experience easier.
More Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I pay for the UK visa?
Payment of the UK visa is done at the end of the visa4uk online application. WorldPay has been appointed as the online payment handler. No other form of payment for UK visas is accepted.
Gone are the days of cash deposit or bankers guaranteed cheques paid to British High Commmision in Pretoria. E.F.T's are a definite no-go. The online payment facility on the visa4uk/WorldPay system is very secure. Further to this, it automatically enables applicants to match payment with their online application (whereas EFT's would be a nightmare to match).
Only once online payment has been processed can applicants print their completed application forms and confirmation of their appointments.
An effective solutions to clients having problem processing payment (happens to often to clients who have not set up online payment permissions with their financial providers), is considering asking either family members or friends to supply their card details (and you can pay your friend or family member back directly).
Another quick option, you can supply Move Up with confirmation of visa fee payment along with an additional R500 as well as your visa4uk account log in details. Move Up can then log in on your behalf and handle the payment on your behalf.
Q: I selected the wrong visa, how do I change visa type?
At the moment, the visa4uk does not permit change of visa type. South Africans have to start their application afresh. They can log into their existing visa4uk account and start a new application.
Please note that starting a new application will not negatively impact the outcome of the updated application.
The best solution in this scenario is to consider making use of Move Up's visa solution. We handle these online applications on our clients behalf daily (saving you time from the administration).
Q: I am having trouble trying to book an appointment online, every time I click on "book" an error message comes up?
This query comes up quite often. Strangely enough, Move Up has never experienced this error ourselves (having handled hundreds of online applications on our visa4uk account). There are two logical reasons for this and two solutions I can offer.
Logical reason 1: The opening question page (where drop down options of visa options did not load/ upload properly. Logical reason 2: All Move Up staff members use Chrome as its default internet browser. These are the only two common factors where we differ to those who experience errors.
Before I offer the two solutions, let me clarify that one cannot out wait this error unfortunately. This is only going to waste your time and it is not going to fix by itself (as we naturally want it too).
Solution 1: log into your visa4uk account, start a new application. Sorry but like I said, this error is not going to fix itself. Solution 2: Move Up. They handle these online applications (saving you from this time consuming administration). Contact us if you are open to the idea of having your travel needs solved.
Q: I am trying to register an account on the visa4uk website but I do not receive the confirmation email?
This happens often. Not emails are sent/delivered when registering an account. We can only assume it is a delivery issue and that the emails are being sent.
Solutions I can offer are simply this, try a new email account. You can use a friends or family members. If you are not able to confirm delivery easily from your social network, you can consider registering a temporary email account. You can create another free email address (gmail, yahoo and hotmail all come to mind) and then try register using your new email account.
Registering an account is obviously the first important step. If you have tried registering a specific email account more than 3 time, I recommend trying another until you finally get that confirmation email.
The best solution I can offer to applicants in this situation is that they make use of Move Up's industry solution. We handle these online applications daily. Our visa4uk account has handled hundreds of applications since its implementation in Nov 2013. We know what we are doing and we can save you the time and hassle of having to take this time consuming challenge on.
Next step: >>Step 3 >> Submission of Supporting Documents
