Travelling abroad

Many European embassies/consulates expect students to have a minimum of between three and six months' leave to remain in the UK beyond the term of their proposed trip and a passport which is valid for at least three months beyond the visa expiry date.

Students who are coming for short courses are advised to obtain a visa for the country they are considering visiting before they leave their home country for the UK.

You do not require any special visa dispensations for returning to your home country for holidays, and will be able to re-enter the UK for as long as your visa is valid here.

Travelling to Europe

A Schengen visa will be required by non-EEA students who intend to visit one of the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

An application for a Schengen visa should be made either at:

• The embassy or consulate of whichever of the Schengen countries you plan to spend all or most of your time in, or
• The embassy or consulate of the country you plan to travel to first.

Each embassy or consulate produces its own application form for the visa and you will need to contact the appropriate authority to ask them to send you a form.

Each country has its own immigration policy, which states how much leave to remain in the UK should be left on your student visa at the time your trip is due to end. Additionally, each country will produce a different list of standard information required from applicants. For example, some countries may require applicants of particular nationalities to make their applications in person rather than by post.

It is your responsibility to check on the relevant embassy website for up to date information about how and when to submit a Schengen visa application.