UK Names Six Countries Eligible for Diplomatic Visa Access

The UK government has released a list of six countries whose citizens can enter Britain under the Diplomatic Visa Arrangement (DVA), which allows stays of up to six months. The eligible countries are China, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey, and Vietnam.

The DVA is specifically designed for individuals traveling on diplomatic passports, meaning that ordinary passport holders from these nations must still adhere to standard UK visa application procedures. South Africa is noted as the only sub-Saharan African nation on the list, while no countries from West or East Africa are included.

The arrangement permits eligible travelers to enter Britain without going through the conventional visa process, aligning with the visitor visa allowance. The UK government has made it clear that this arrangement is limited to these six countries, with no indication of future expansions.