TRAVELLING OUSIDE THE UK (International students)
This information is aimed at international students considering trips abroad during a stay in the UK. It is recommended you start planning any travel in the earlier part of your stay rather than leaving it until the final stages of your leave. Checking immigration procedures for your destination Before you travel you must check whether you will be able to satisfy the immigration requirements for your destination country. If you have to apply for a visa before travelling this could take weeks to be processed and so it is important to plan ahead. You can usually find all the information you need on how to apply, including what documents are required, on the website of the embassy for the country you plan to visit. Immigration enquiries are usually dealt with by the visa or consular section of the embassy. We can help you access the information we cannot give specialist advice on other countries visa laws or procedures, if required you will need to contact the relevant embassy direct. You can find contact details for foreign embassies in the UK at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office s website (i). Schengen Countries The Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland (Bulgaria and Romania are due to join). These countries have agreed to end border controls between each other and share a common visa scheme for business, leisure or tourist visits. If you are travelling to a Schengen country for study purposes you need to check that country s individual visa requirements. A Schengen visa can be used to enter more than one Schengen country. A short stay visa allows visits of up to 90 days, single and multiple entry visas are available. If you are planning a trip to more than one Schengen country then you should apply to either the embassy of the country you will spend most time in or if you plan to spend the same amount of time in more than one country you should apply to the embassy of the first country you will visit. Visa application procedures and requirements for each of the Schengen countries varies, e.g. each country has its own policy on how much UK permission you must have left after your proposed trip. For more information see UKCISA website (ii). Ireland Any permission to stay in the UK includes Northern Ireland but does not include the Republic of Ireland. However, between the UK and Ireland there is free movement of British and Irish Nationals and immigration checks between the British and Irish borders are made on an occasional rather than systematic basis. If you are planning to visit Ireland you should check whether you need a visa before travelling. If you need a visa Irish law requires you to obtain one before travelling even though you may not be requested to produce it on arrival.
UK Immigration requirements The following information is aimed at students who have limited leave, i.e. permission to stay in the UK until a specific date. European Economic Area and Swiss students are not subject to a specific time limit on their length of stay and can readily return to the UK for studies without difficulty. If you have a student entry clearance (ie a visa issued overseas) or your immigration permission was granted by the Home Office or an Immigration Officer inside the UK (in the form of a residence permit or Biometric Residence Permit) for a period of more than 6 months you should be allowed to re-enter the UK after a short trip abroad, unless the Immigration Officer at the port of entry decides your circumstances have changed such that your permission to stay should be cancelled. This is not likely to happen if you are a continuing student i.e. if you are returning to the UK for the same purpose as your permission was granted. You can be refused re-entry if your permission was last obtained for a purpose which has now finished, eg if your studies have finished, or your permission was obtained on false information, or the Immigration Officer decides that there are medical grounds or that it would be conducive to the public good to cancel the leave. If your last permission was granted in the UK for less than 6 months get advice before making a trip abroad. Evidence to carry in your hand luggage In general it is advisable to travel with recent documents in your hand luggage to confirm your ongoing studies and your ability to finance yourself. To confirm your ongoing student status you can ask for a letter from Student Enquiries or the Research Student Office if you are a research student confirming you are still enrolled on a full-time degree course. Evidence of your ability to finance yourself can be in the form of recent bank statements. Trips within the Common Travel Area (CTA) The UK is part of a Common Travel Area that also includes the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. If you visit any other part of the Common Travel Area you can return to the UK using the remainder of your UK student permission. On your return to the UK you may still be checked by an Immigration Officer, so it is advisable to travel with the documents described above (see Evidence to carry in your hand luggage ). Although your UK student permission remains valid while you are in the Common Travel Area you should still check the immigration requirements of the other parts of the CTA before you travel.
Useful links: i) Foreign and Common Wealth Office: www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk ii) UKCISA website: www.ukcisa.org.uk/international-students/immigration-/other-immigrationmatters/schengen-visas/ Updated November 2015