Visa information for EU/EEA and Swiss nationals

Important travel and visa advice

You must enter the UK holding the correct student visa if you are:

  • a new student starting a course which is longer than six months, and
  • not eligible to apply for a suitable visa within the UK.

We will check your ‘right to study’ at registration. If you do not have this, you will be asked to leave the UK and return only once your visa has been granted. Please ensure you have this as it can be costly and may cause you to miss the start of your course.

A student visa granted while you are present as a visitor will not meet right to study requirements until you re-enter the UK.

Visitor status will not allow you to:

  • join a course exceeding six months
  • apply for a student visa in the UK.

Follow these steps to apply for a student visa

  1. Step 1

    Further information on documents, eligibility and supporting evidence you will need to provide.

    Applying for visas

    Any concerns regarding your application, please contact an immigration adviser.

  2. Step 2

    You must have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) to apply for a student visa.

  3. Step 3

    You will have to create an account with UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) and complete an online application through GOV.UK. You will be asked to prove your identity using the smartphone app 'UK Immigration: ID check'.

  4. Step 4

    If you can use the app

    You will be able to use the app if you have both of the following:

    • A passport containing a biometric chip. The biometric chip symbol will appear on the front cover of your passport.
    • A smartphone which meets the technical specification. 

    The app will ask you to upload a photo of your passport and a photo of yourself. Once your identity is verified, you will return to your browser to complete the visa application. The application is not completed in the app.

    You will have the opportunity to upload supporting evidence on completion of the online form.

    If you cannot use the app

    You will still be allowed to complete the application. However, you will have to verify your identity in a different way. This will entail attending a Visa Application Centre in person to provide your biometric data.

    The private contractor who runs your Visa Application Centre will tell you how to submit your supporting evidence.

  5. Step 5

    At the end of the application you must pay a fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Further information is available on the reimbursement of IHS for holders of EHIC cards who do not work or intend to work in the UK. 

  6. Step 6

    Your visa will be issued electronically as an eVisa. Your passport will not be endorsed with a stamp or sticker. Your decision email or letter will tell you how to get access to your eVisa.

  7. Step 7

    On arrival in the UK, whether you speak to a Border Force Officer or use an eGate, your status will be checked against immigration records. You will be deemed to have entered using your eVisa if it is valid on the day you arrive.

    Once you are in the UK, if you need to demonstrate your immigration status (for example to meet right to rent, study or work requirements), you can do so by generating a share code using the view and prove service at GOV.UK, which allows a third party to check your status online. 

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