Upvote:3
Bank statements are needed for a lot of different reasons and applying for a Standard Visitor Visa without including an indicative series of bank statements is wildly adventurous. You asked...
When applying for a Standard Visitor Visa to the UK and providing documents as a sponsor, must the bank statements be stamped or can they be printed out from online?
You have three main options...
Sending photocopies or unattested print-outs is asking for trouble. The guidance is clear that all evidence should be originals. A sponsor's bank statements must follow the same rules as the applicant (this includes provenance of funds also). Note: to help prevent identity theft, it is OK to blacken out any account numbers that appear on the statements and send them under separate cover (I used to do this as a matter of routine and never had a problem from it).