Service Supplier visa for UK businesses
The Service Supplier visa lets a UK business that has bought a service from an overseas provider sponsor that provider's staff, or a self-employed professional based abroad, to deliver the contract in the UK. The service must be covered by one of the UK's trade agreements, and you need a Temporary Worker sponsor licence to do it.
- Longest assignment6 or 12 monthsset by the trade agreement
- Experience first12 monthswith the provider, or self-employed in the sector
- Pay ruleMinimum wageno salary threshold or going rate
- Certificate, you pay£55the Temporary Worker rate, per worker
Figures from GOV.UK, Service Supplier visa.
Who the Service Supplier route is for
The route covers two kinds of worker. A contractual service supplier is employed by an overseas service provider that has no commercial presence in the UK. An independent professional is self-employed and established outside the UK (GBM guidance).
Your business must be the final user of the service. You cannot sponsor a Service Supplier and then supply them as labour to another organisation. The licence you need is the Temporary Worker one, which costs £611 whatever your size (GOV.UK licence fees).
| UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement | 12 months |
|---|---|
| UK and Switzerland services mobility agreement | 12 months |
| UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement | 12 months |
| CPTPP, for those it defines as business persons | 12 months |
| UK-India agreement, for Indian nationals, once in force | 12 months |
| Any other eligible agreement | 6 months |
The contract your business needs
You need a genuine contract with the overseas provider, lasting no more than 12 months and awarded through open tendering or a similar process. The service must sit in a sector listed under one of the eligible trade agreements.
- Register the contract on the sponsorship management system when you apply for your licence.
- Each certificate of sponsorship (CoS), the electronic record the worker uses to apply, can only be used for that registered contract.
- For a new contract, report it through a change of circumstances and wait for Home Office approval before assigning any CoS. Assigning one early can cost you the licence.
Skills and experience the worker needs
The simplest way to qualify is a job on the GBM eligible occupations list. If the job is not listed, the worker can still qualify with a bachelor's degree or an equivalent technical qualification, plus relevant experience (GOV.UK eligibility):
- 3 years' professional experience for an employee of the provider
- 6 years' experience for a self-employed professional
Some sectors differ. A chef de cuisine needs an advanced technical qualification and 6 years' experience, while fashion and modelling and most entertainment services need no qualification at all.
Pay, costs and length of stay
You must make sure the pay meets National Minimum Wage law and the working time rules. The worker pays a £340 visa fee and the healthcare surcharge (GOV.UK costs), and there is no immigration skills charge for you to pay.
A Service Supplier can come back for further assignments, but every one counts towards the shared GBM limit of 5 years in any 6. The visa does not lead to settlement, and the worker cannot take a second job.
How many sponsors use the Service Supplier route
Few. The Home Office register of licensed sponsors (22 October 2026 edition) shows 56 organisations licensed for Service Supplier, out of 127,744 on the whole register.
Questions employers ask about Service Suppliers
Is this the same as the International Agreement visa?
No. International Agreement covers work for an overseas government, a recognised international organisation or a diplomatic household. GOV.UK points anyone contracted to provide services to a UK company to the Service Supplier visa instead (GOV.UK). See our Temporary Worker licence guide for that route.
Can someone already in the UK switch to a Service Supplier visa?
Yes, from most visas. It is not possible from a visitor, short-term student, Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker or domestic worker visa, or from immigration bail (GOV.UK switching rules).
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