Travel during your stay

Schengen visa for travel to one or more countries in Europe

The Schengen area is made up of 29 countries in Europe who have agreed on common rules for border control. If you want to travel to Europe during your stay in the UK, you may be required to apply for a short stay Schengen visa before you travel. Visitors are allowed to be in the Schengen area for up to a maximum of 90 days in any 180 day period.

The countries that form the Schengen area are:

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

Depending on your nationality you may need a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen area. You can check if you need a Schengen visa on this list of nationalities that do or do not require a visa for a short stay. The Schengen visa allows visitors to obtain one visa for a short visit to any number of countries within the Schengen area, but you need to apply to the authorities of the country you are visiting. If you are going to more than one country during your visit, apply to the main country you will be visiting. If you are going to more than one country for equal periods of time apply to the country you are going to first. Note that the UK is not a Schengen country and a UK student visa doesn't allow access to any other country outside the Common Travel area. 

For information on whether you will need a Schengen visa and  how to apply for it including a list of official country websites, check the European Commission website.  

A Schengen visa may be single-entry, allowing you to enter the Schengen area once or multiple-entry, allowing several visits during the validity period.

Whether or not you require a Schengen visa, it is important to be careful not to exceed more than 90 days in any 180 day period in the Schengen area, and there is a Short-stay calculator to help you check.

Visa applications take between 15 and 45 days, you should apply as early as you can, but no earlier than 6 months before your intended travel date. The country you are travelling to may have specific requirements so you should read these carefully to find out what you need for the application.

What you usually need to apply (check requirements for the individual country you are visiting):

• Passport, issued within the last 10 years and which will be valid for at least 3 months after the end of your trip
• Visa permission for the UK which may need to be still valid for 3 to 6 months depending on the country you are travelling to.
• Medical insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation (including in the event of death)
• Supporting documents relating to the purpose of your stay, evidence of finances and accommodation during your stay
• Evidence of your student status, a student enrolment certificate might be enough, but check the requirements for the country you are visiting, and if more detailed information is needed ask your College for a support letter.

Re-entering the UK on your student visa permission after your trip

If you have a still-current Student visa permission and your circumstances haven’t changed since it was issued, you should be able to use it to re-enter the UK. Check that your eVisa is up to date and linked to your current passport when you travel and when you return. 

Note that if you get a new passport while you are away without changing any other personal details (only the passport number has changed) you can update your UKVI account.

If you change your nationality and get a new passport, or if other personal details on your passport are changed such as your

• name
• date of birth
• sex

then you’ll need to apply for a temporary visa to return to the UK and you will be able to update your UKVI account once you’re back in the UK.

Your current student visa permission will allow you to re-enter the UK even if you have completed your course, unless you completed earlier than expected and Oxford has needed to report this to the Home Office. For information on when Oxford makes an early completion report which could lead to your visa being cancelled, read our page, Now that you have completed your course.

On arrival, have with you in your hand luggage your CAS number on paper and a certificate of enrolment which you can print from Student Self-Service. Although your visa should be enough for re-entry to the UK, these could help if there is any concern about your status.

Border Control staff do have the power to refuse entry if they consider there has been a significant change of circumstance since your visa was granted.  Be prepared to explain for example that although you have finished your course, your purpose for returning is not incompatible with the reason your visa was granted, and that you do not plan to remain beyond your visa’s expiry date unless you are eligible and have applied for another visa. If you plan to apply for another visa, make sure you are eligible and ready to do so from within the UK and you are able to explain this. If you still have matters to attend to related to your course, for example a graduation ceremony before your visa expiry date, or you need to pack up belongings before leaving the UK, you could mention this and if you have already made travel arrangements this can help as evidence of your intention to leave.

If you have a student visa it is not necessary to, and you should not, apply for an ETA.

Travel if you are using Standard Visitor permission for study 

If you are using Standard Visitor permission for short-term study, there is a difference between having a visa in this capacity and travelling with an ETA. If you applied for standard visitor visa permission, this should be multi entry so you can use it to re-enter the UK during its period of validity. If you did not need to apply for a visa but travelled with an ETA and admitted as a were Standard visitor, this status will lapse when you leave the UK and when you return you will need to qualify again as a standard visitor, so have with you a recent ‘visitor support’ letter from your college or course organiser, and evidence of your finances and accommodation arrangements in the UK. 

Healthcare abroad

For a Schengen visa application, travel insurance is mandatory, check the requirements for the country you are applying to for your visa. Insurance must provide minimum health cost coverage of €30,000 and cover any possible costs for medical repatriation, and emergency and/or hospital treatment. The insurance must be valid throughout the Schengen area, and for the full duration of your stay.

Even if you don't need to apply for a Schengen visa it is strongly advisable to purchase comprehensive medical cover and insurance before you travel. You should also check if there are any health care arrangements between your home country and the country you wish to visit.

Safety during your trip

Whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings take particular care of your belongings including your passport. Before you travel, make a copy of your passport and keep it separately. The UK government's advice for travellers might be helpful, along with its information on individual countries and you can sign up for email country alerts. There is also advice for solo and independent travellers, women travellers and LGBT+ travellers. These UK government pages contain helpful information though some of the information on getting assistance from UK embassies and consulates will be relevant to UK nationals only, so check your own country's information as well.