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► Travelling to Europe
Travelling to Europe
This leaflet has been written for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who may wish to visit other European countries during their stay in the UK.
The EEA consists of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
Please note we are not able to provide detailed advice on immigration procedures to other countries outside the UK.
DO I NEED A VISA?
Check whether you will require a visa in order to enter a particular country. This can be done by contacting the Embassy of the country concerned. A full list of embassies is available at: http://www.fco.gov.uk and click on Shortcut menu to Foreign Embassies in the UK.
Schengen Visa
If you intend to visit one or more of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden you will only have to apply for one visa. This is referred to as the Schengen visa.
The Schengen visa allows the holder to move freely in all of these countries within the validity of the visa, provided that they satisfy immigration requirements at the time of entry. The Schengen visa is valid for a maximum period of three months.
Where do I apply?
If you intend to visit only one Schengen country, you must apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of that country.
If you intend to visit several of the Schengen countries you should apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country that you intend to spend the majority of your time in.
If you are unsure what your main destination will be you should apply to the Embassy or Consulate of the first country you will visit.
Non-Schengen countries
In the case of all other European countries, which are not part of the Schengen Agreement, you will have to contact the relevant embassy or consulate for further information.
HOW DO I APPLY?
As some of the Embassies are based in London and do not have Consulates in this region, it is often advisable to check whether you can submit your application by post.
If you are unable to go in person to London it may be possible to have your application submitted by a courier. There is a charge for this service, which can be arranged through larger travel agents.
It is important to plan your trip in advance as applications can take many weeks or months to be processed.
Charges for visas vary according to the country issuing the visa.
Documentation
When applying for a visa you will need to check the particular requirements of the embassy at which you are applying. However, for most applications you will have to provide the following: -
passport / official travel document
completed application form(s)
passport-sized photograph(s)
certificate of student status
proof of purpose of visit eg. official letter of
invitation from conference; confirmed return
airline ticket, or a confirmed hotel booking
proof of sufficient funds to cover visit e.g. bank
statements, travellers cheques or credit cards
proof of travel insurance to cover medical costs.
Leave to remain in the UK
Most Embassies specify that students must have a minimum period of leave to remain in the UK before they will issue a visa. This can range from one to six months.
Passport Validity
It is also very important to check the validity of your passport before making an application. Many embassies require that passports are valid for a minimum period (three to six months past the date of travel).
INSURANCE
You are strongly advised to take out comprehensive travel insurance whenever you travel out of the UK, in particular to cover medical emergencies. It is generally much cheaper to buy your travel insurance directly from an insurance company rather than a travel agent. If you are travelling more than once during the year it may work out cheaper to obtain an annual policy.
RE-ENTRY TO THE UK
It is extremely important that you are adequately prepared for immigration control upon your return to the UK.