UK Innovator Founder Visa
The endorsement-based route for founders bringing an innovative, scalable business idea to the UK.
Key facts
Last checked: 6 November 2026- Official name
- Innovator Founder visa
- Precondition
- Endorsement of the business idea by an approved body
- Assessed on
- Innovation, viability and scalability
- Relation to the ECAA route
- It is not an official replacement; the requirements differ
Innovator Founder is the endorsement-based route for founders starting a business in the UK. The heart of the application is not the visa form but the business plan submitted to an approved endorsing body.
Three tests
Endorsing bodies assess whether the idea is innovative, viable and scalable. Copies of existing business models fail at this stage, and that is the most common obstacle.
Do not confuse it with the ECAA route
Since the Turkish Businessperson route closed, this visa is often described as its replacement. Officially there is no such substitution: the requirements, the endorsement mechanism and the costs are all different.
Frequently asked questions
No. There is no official substitution; Innovator Founder has its own endorsement process, requirements and costs.
Three tests: innovation, viability and scalability. Copies of existing business models are filtered out at the endorsement stage.
Official sources
Fees and rules can be changed by the Home Office at any time. We confirm the current figures from these pages before every application.
Visa decisions rest entirely with the consulate; no consultancy can guarantee an outcome.