Travel outside of the UK on a Student visa

All students with a Student visa should ensure that they have the following documents in order to travel to the UK:

• A valid passport
• A valid Student visa

If you have been issued with an Entry Clearance visa vignette in your passport, you should not travel to the UK before this is valid (see section on travelling to the UK before your course).

If you have been issued with an eVisa only, you should not travel to the UK before this is valid (valid from date).

If you were issued with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card which expired on 31 December 2024 but your actual immigration permission continues beyond that date, you can still use the BRP for travel to the UK until 1 June 2025.

Students with an e-visa must ensure that the e-visa is linked to their current, valid passport in order to be able to enter or re-enter the UK.

If you have been issued with an eVisa, we would advise that you generate a share-code and also download/print a copy of your eVisa details in case you need to refer to them at the UK border or before boarding your flight.

Please see our eVisas pages for more information on registering for an e-visa and for updating your information (including checking and updating your passport details).

You can also read important and useful tips on preparing to travel with your e-visa on the Gov.uk website.

You must keep evidence of your travel to the UK (for example, a UK border stamp if issued with one, your flight tickets and boarding pass). You will need to provide this evidence to the university upon enrolment.

The UK Government website has a section which explains the requirements for travelling to the UK and also what to expect at the UK border.

You should ensure that you have your valid passport with you as you travel and ensure that your visa (eVisa) is valid for your stay in the UK.

It is advisable to have access to your CAS and a Confirmation of Enrolment letter (if you are already enrolled) in case you need to refer to them at the UK border.

Please see our website pages on 'What to bring' for additional documents to have available to you in case you need to refer to them at the UK border.

The Gov.uk guide to faster travel through the UK border provides information about who can use the electronic border gates (e-gates) as well as other advice on making your entry at the UK border faster.

You should not travel to the UK while you have an application for a Student visa awaiting a decision. You must wait until the Student visa has been issued.

You should not travel to the UK before the start date of your Student visa. The start date (or valid from date) of your student visa will be indicated on visa (eVisa and your entry clearance visa sticker in your passport if you have been issued with one) and also in your visa decision notification.

Travelling to the UK before the start date of your student visa could result in the UK Border Force refusing entry to the UK. Even if you are allowed entry to the UK before your Student visa is valid, you will need to leave the Common Travel Area (UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) and re-enter the UK after the valid from date of your Student visa.

Student visas should normally be granted with a valid from date in relation to your course start date as stated on your CAS:

• One month before your course start date – If your course is longer than six months or if you are studying a Pre Sessional English course
• Seven days before your course start date – If your course is less than six months

Intended travel dates may also impact on the start date of your Student visa, if for example, your student visa is issued less than one month before the course start date.

Please see our website pages on 'What to bring' for additional documents to have available to you in case you need to refer to them at the UK border. 

You should not miss any classes because of travel. Your attendance is monitored, and absences may affect your Student visa. The CAS you were given to apply for a Student visa will describe to the Home Office (UKVI) your course start date and end date.

During this time, (the start and end dates of your course as stated in your CAS), you are expected to be in the UK and attending this course with the exception of short trips during the weekends and travel outside term time (during official vacations).

Term time is described on our Term dates page. 

The University will monitor attendance during term time. Term time is different for different groups.

UKVI require that students attending their course are in the UK with a student visa and there is not an option to take a course online from outside the UK.

If you want to retain your student visa, you should not leave the UK for extended periods during term-time and until the end date of your studies as stated on your CAS,  (this includes the dissertation and thesis write up periods).

You should also be aware that absences from the UK during term-time may affect eligibility for the Graduate Route visa which has a ‘Study in the UK’ requirement.

Undergraduate students

Undergraduate students will have a vacation during Christmas, Easter and Summer. The vacation dates are indicated in the academic calendar (Term dates).

Postgraduate students

Master’s students will normally have a vacation during Christmas and Easter, but not during the Summer. 

Dissertation write up periods are an important part of a course and students with a Student visa that covers the dissertation write up period are still in term time. A Student visa is issued to cover the initial dissertation period. 

Doctoral students

PhD students will have a vacation during Christmas and Easter as well as a period of 35 days when on a formally agreed vacation as described in the Graduate handbook.

If you want to travel outside the UK for extended periods during your dissertation period, then you may want to consider completing remotely and without a student visa. The University can report that you have left the UK and this will lead to a cancellation of your student visa (you would not be eligible for the Graduate Route Visa if your student visa is cancelled). 

You should always check you are able to complete your course remotely with your Registry via the Student Centre before deciding that you do not want to continue your course with a student visa. 

Unavoidable term-time travel

If you need to travel urgently during term time, please speak to your personal tutor, and the Visa Compliance team, about the absence.

The Visa Compliance Team can approve an absence from your course where this absence is unavoidable.

You will be expected to explain the reasons for this absence. Each absence request will be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Where an absence will impact your progression on your course, you may need to consider formally interrupting your studies.

Advice for travel during term time

You should generate a share code before re-entering the UK so that you can access your eVisa at the UK border. Make sure that the passport that you’re travelling with is linked to your UKVI account.

We recommend that you carry a copy of your CAS, a recent Confirmation of Enrolment letter and current evidence of funding for your studies (for eg. recent bank statements or receipts for tuition or rent payments) in case you need to refer to them at the UK border.

Additionally, we advise that you carry evidence of the reason for travel (eg. for field work, research, important family life events).

If you will be travelling out of the UK after your course has ended, you will be travelling in the period at the end of your Student visa known as your post-study or wrap-up period. 

Most students on a degree course that lasts longer than 12 months will have a Student visa which expires four months after their course end date. 

Your official course end date will have been given in your Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) when you applied for your Student visa. 

The Student Visa caseworker guidance explains that “Students are able to travel outside of, and re-enter, the UK whilst they hold valid permission as a Student, including in the period after they have completed their course and still hold permission under the route.” 

However, you must be aware that if you do travel during your post-study period, on your return to the UK Border Force Officers may ask you questions about what you will be doing in the UK and how long you will remain in the UK. 

If you are questioned, you should explain the reasons for your return to the UK, for example, to complete one of the following activities as detailed in the policy guidance:

• Continued study on your course (eg resit exams)
• Study-related activities, including attending your graduation ceremony
• Apply to remain in the UK under an appropriate alternative route (eg Graduate Immigration Route, or Skilled Worker route) 

You should be prepared to show evidence of your reasons for returning to the UK (for example, Graduation Ceremony invite) and that you either intend to leave the UK before your Student visa expires or apply for another relevant type of visa in the UK.  

If you will be applying for another visa, you may be asked to provide appropriate documentation which demonstrates that you are able to apply for this visa. 

If not applying for another visa, you should also carry evidence that you will be leaving the UK before your Student visa expires (eg a plane ticket), if you have it. 

The Border Force officer should allow you to return to the UK whilst you have a valid Student visa but can refuse entry if they believe that you may overstay your Student visa or that you may breach the conditions of your student visa 

If you intend to apply for the Graduate Route visa, you should be aware of the ‘Study in the UK’ rules. Periods outside the UK can affect eligibility for the Graduate Route visa.  

Learn more about Eligibility for the Graduate Route visa and the Study in the UK rules on our Graduate route page. 

Please note that if you have completed your course early and that has been reported to UKVI, your Student visa may lapse upon leaving the UK, and you will not be able to re-enter for with the Student visa.  

If you are a non-visa national, you may be allowed to enter as a standard visitor, subject to meeting the requirements for entry as a visitor. 

If you are a visa national and wish to re-enter the UK after completing your course early, you will have to apply for new immigration permission to return (normally as a Standard visitor). 

In either case, this may impact eligibility for the Graduate Route visa. 

If you are taking a work placement or a Study Abroad period outside the UK which is an assessed part of your course, then the rules are different, and the University will report your period outside the UK to the UKVI. This type of absence from the UK is organised via the GoAbroad Department or Work placement Team.

If you need to travel to any other country, you should always check the requirements (including whether a visa or prior travel authorisation is necessary). You can search for the embassy/consulate website for the country you plan to visit, where you can usually find information on the entry/visa requirements for that country.

You may need a Schengen visa to visit other countries in Europe. A Schengen visa is a single visa which is valid for travel to 29 European Countries. Read more about Schengen visas.

You can also obtain a Schengen visa letter to support your application for this visa through 'My Self-Service'.

Please take very great care of your passport. Each year many students are pick-pocketed or lose their passport when travelling. You will not be able to travel back to the UK until you have a replacement passport which you must link to your eVisa. Meanwhile you will be stuck outside the UK and this may affect your course attendance.

See the UKCISA website for more information on travelling in Europe.

If you have a visit visa, your visa will normally be issued with a multiple entry permission for a duration of up to 6 months. You should be able to travel in and out of the UK for the duration of the visit visa but you must ensure that you meet the requirements of your visit visa upon each re-entry to the UK.

If you are a non-visa national (not required to obtain a visa for visits to the UK of less than 6 months), you should ensure that you hold a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for the duration of your stay in the UK.

As a non-visa national each time you exit the UK, your permission in the UK lapses and upon your return to the UK a new period of permission is granted (or deemed). You should ensure that you do not spend more than 6 months in the UK in a single stay.

As a non-visa national, you must also meet the Visitor requirements each time you enter the UK which includes the requirement that you do not use visitor permission to make frequent and successive visits to the UK and making the UK your main home for study or work.

Information about Frequent and Successive Visits to the UK can be found in the Visitor guidance on Gov.uk (page 22).

More information on Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and Visit Visas can be found on our webpages on Standard Visitor.