VFS Standard Service Kathmandu — UK Student Visa Processing Time
The default service every UK visa applicant in Nepal gets, at no extra cost. UKVI targets a decision within 15 working days of your biometric appointment. For most Nepali students applying on time, this is the right choice.
VFS standard service in Kathmandu is free — there is no fee beyond the £558 visa fee and the VFS service charge everyone pays. UKVI targets a decision within 15 working days (about 3 weeks) from the date you give biometrics. In peak season, June to September, it can take longer. Apply at least 8 weeks before your course start date and you will not need to pay for speed.
- Service
- Standard
- Target decision time
- 15 working days (about 3 weeks)
- Extra fee
- None
- Where
- VFS Kathmandu
- Best for
- Students applying 8+ weeks before their course starts
Which UK Visa Service Should You Choose from Nepal?
| Service | Decision target | Extra fee | Available in Kathmandu? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 15 working days (~3 weeks) | None | Yes — the default |
| Priority | 5 working days | ~£500 (NPR ~97,500) | Yes, subject to slot availability |
| Super Priority | End of next working day | ~£1,000 (NPR ~1.95 lakhs) | No, in HOA’s experience — New Delhi |
Decision targets: UK Visas and Immigration service standards for non-settlement applications. Fees converted at the Nepal Rastra Bank reference rate of NPR 195 to the pound and rounded — confirm the exact charge in the booking flow.
How to settle availability for yourself: priority services can only be purchased inside the online appointment booking flow — never at the centre, and never after submission. Start a booking for Kathmandu and look at which options appear. That is the authoritative answer for your route and your date.
Where Is the VFS UK Visa Centre in Kathmandu?
The UK Visa Application Centre in Kathmandu is at Rotary Complex Building, Thapathali, Kathmandu. It relocated from Chhaya Complex in Thamel — many search results, map listings and consultancy pages still show the old Thamel address, so check the address on your own appointment confirmation email before you travel.
The Thamel centre closed. Students still turn up there because a stale Google result or a competitor’s page told them to. A missed biometric appointment usually means rebooking and losing days you may not have — and appointment slots are scarce in the June to September peak.
- Centre
- UK Visa Application Centre, operated by VFS Global
- Location
- Rotary Complex Building, Thapathali, Kathmandu
- Previous address
- Chhaya Complex, Thamel — closed, do not go there
- Who decides your visa
- UKVI, not VFS. VFS collects biometrics and documents only
- Appointments
- Pre-booked online; walk-ins are not accepted
- Confirm before travelling
- The address on your appointment confirmation email
Not sure which service you need?Send us your course start date and CAS status and we will tell you whether standard is enough — free, and we will say so plainly when paying for speed would be wasted money.
Free WhatsApp checkCommon Questions About VFS Kathmandu · Standard Service
UKVI targets a decision within 15 working days — about three calendar weeks — from the date you submit biometrics at VFS Kathmandu. This is a target, not a guarantee. During the June to September peak it commonly runs longer, and an application that triggers extra checks or a credibility interview will take longer again.
Yes. There is no charge for standard processing itself. You still pay the £558 UK student visa fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge (£1,164 for a one-year master’s), and the VFS service charge that applies to every applicant regardless of speed.
Book as soon as you have your CAS and have paid the visa fee and IHS. Working backwards from a September start, a biometric appointment by early July leaves room for the 15 working day target plus slippage. Appointment slots themselves fill up in peak season, so the constraint is often the appointment, not the processing.
Your passport, the printed application form and appointment confirmation, your CAS, your TB test certificate from a Home Office-approved clinic, your 28-day bank statement, academic transcripts and English evidence. Take originals and photocopies. Full document checklist →
Self-upload was withdrawn for Nepal, so documents are now submitted through VFS Kathmandu. VFS charges separately for document scanning assistance. Check the current arrangement when you book, since this has changed more than once.
No. Priority and Super Priority change only the speed of the decision, never the outcome. A weak application is refused faster, not approved. If your documents are not ready, paying for speed makes things worse, not better.
VFS forwards your documents and biometrics to the UKVI decision-making hub. You will get an email when a decision is made and when your passport is ready for collection or courier. You can track the application through the VFS tracking service using your reference number.
Your passport is held at VFS during processing, so you cannot travel internationally. Plan around this — it catches out students who book an appointment shortly before a family trip or another country’s appointment.
Get your documents checked before you book — free
Most refusals from Nepal come from financial evidence and document errors, not from processing speed. We check every file against the UKVI list before you pay a fee. House of Admissions is free to students at every stage.
Apply free WhatsApp a counsellorRelated Guides
Sources
- GOV.UK — Student visa (fees and processing standards).
- UKVI — Financial evidence for Student route applicants.
- VFS Global — appointment booking, service availability and centre details.
- Availability of priority services at the Kathmandu centre: House of Admissions operational experience, 2016–2026 (self-reported).
Last updated 21 Oct 2026. Fees and decision targets are reviewed by UKVI and change without much notice — confirm the current figures in the booking flow before you pay. Decision times are targets, not guarantees, and nothing on this page is immigration advice; for a decision on your specific case, consult a regulated adviser.