Travelling Abroad

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, and sometimes outsourced to private companies.

Although the Student Advice and Support Service can help you access the information, it cannot give specialist advice on visa laws or procedures in other countries. If required, you will need to contact the relevant embassy direct or their ‘official partner’ if they use a visa service to handle applications.

You can find contact details for foreign embassies in the UK on the gov.uk website – see the London Diplomatic List.

Most European countries are within the Schengen area.  The UK and Ireland are not members, therefore a UK Student visa will not give entry rights to another country.  However, the Schengen countries have agreed to end border controls between each other and share a common visa scheme for short stays. If you need a visa to visit a Schengen country it can also be used to enter other Schengen countries. 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 and require a visa 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 or what evidence is required to apply.

If you are travelling to Schengen country for longer than a short stay you need to check that country’s general visa requirements.

Any Student visa 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.

Although some nationals can visit the UK and Ireland using a single ‘visit’ visa this does not apply to Student visas.

Many countries will require you to prove your visa and study status in the UK.  Each country will have its own requirements on letter content or format, e.g. some ask for letters to be specifically addressed to the visa section or need attendance confirmed as well as registration.  If you request a letter from the University ensure you make it clear what is required e.g. you could copy the information provided by the Embassy or its visa service provider.  We advise against making a generalised request eg ’a letter for a Schengen visa’ as it will not be clear what is required.

You can obtain a student status letter from the Student Self-Service portal or request other letters from Student Records, London Student Services or the Doctoral College Office as appropriate.  The Student Advice and Support Service is not able to provide letters confirming student status.

If you have settled or pre-settled status under the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme you can travel in and out of the UK. The following information is for students with Student (including Tier 4) permission.

If you have a  Student visa granted overseas or your Student permission was granted by the UKVI inside the UK for a period of more than 6 months you should be allowed to re-enter the UK after a short trip abroad, unless the Border 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).

If your last period of Student permission was granted in the UK for 6 months or less, your immigration permission will automatically come to an end (lapse) when you leave the Common Travel Area (see below) and you will not be able to return to the UK without obtaining fresh immigration permission.

If you are in a situation where your visa permission could be cancelled e.g. the University withdraws visa sponsorship due to completing studies early or an interruption of studies beware that a cancelled visa does not carry a right of re-entry.  See our study changes guide for more information.

You can also be refused re-entry if the permission was last obtained on false information, or the Border Officer decides that there are medical grounds or that it would be ‘conducive to the public good’ to cancel the permission.

There is no rule that you must return to the UK a set number of days or weeks in advance of visa expiry. If you are returning to the UK close to visa expiry you can expect a Border Officer may take more interest in your intentions e.g. whether you will be switching or extending your visa or leaving the UK before it expires.

You will need your current passport and BRP (if a BRP has been issued).  In general, it can also be reassuring to travel with recent documents to confirm your ongoing student status or intentions. To confirm your ongoing studies, you can obtain a student status letter from the Student Self-Service portal or request other letters from Student Records, London Student Services or the Doctoral College Office as appropriate.  If you are intending to extend or switch visa it may help to have evidence of that to hand e.g. recent CAS or Graduate Route eligibility email.

The UK is part of a ‘Common Travel Area’ that also includes the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. If you travel within the Common Travel Area you can return to the UK using the remainder of your UK Student permission. Although your UK Student permission remains valid while you are in the Common Travel Area you must check the immigration requirements of the other parts of the CTA before you travel.