Visas

For most destinations you will require a visa or study permit, unless you already have the right to study and/or work there, but there are different types of visa for different activities.  

Whether or not you need a visa, and what type, will depend on your own nationality, your activity (studies or work) and your destination, so it’s important you check the visa requirements that apply to your specific situation. 

The type of visa you'll need depends on the activity you will undertake during your exchange or placement (eg. attendance on courses, research, paid or unpaid work, short-term activity), your nationality, the duration of  your stay and whether you are travelling alone or with family members.

The table below provides a very rough guide to visa types, but it is not an exhaustive list. You should always check with the relevant embassy/consulate for the most accurate and up-to-date advice.

UK passport holders can check the immigration requirements of your host country on the FCDO Travel Advice webpages. If you are a non-UK passport holder you should make sure you follow visa regulations and procedures appropriate for your nationality.

View FCDO travel advice for your host country

If you hold an EU passport and wish to study or work in an EU country, or if you hold a passport for the country you are going to study or work abroad in, you should not be subject to any visa requirements. 

However, if you are currently based in the UK, you must ensure that you meet your host country's requirements for entry for travellers from the UK.

If you are studying in Edinburgh on a UK visa, please do not assume that this visa will be sufficient for your exchange. 

You will normally need a different visa for the country you're going to.  If you need advice on how going on exchange will affect your UK visa, please contact the University's dedicated Student Immigration Service. 

Visit the Student Immigration Service webpages

Be aware of any potential issues surrounding dual citizenship in your host country.

If you travel with two passports, you may be subject to increased questioning by immigration and security officials. For example, you could be questioned about missing entry or exit stamps, as well as your reason for having two travel documents.

You must also ensure you travel and apply for visas using the same passport which you used for your application to your host institution - any acceptance or visa-related documents supplied by your host will be linked to the passport you supplied during your application, you will therefore need to use this passport for your visa and travel.

If you plan to work in your host country during or after your exchange or placement period, check your eligibility to work and any related visa requirements with your host country’s consulate or embassy. 

Exchange students on a student visa will need to check eligibility for work during or after your exchange period.  Many countries don’t allow international students to work while on a student visa.

Placements students on a work visa will need to check eligibility to undertake any additional work you plan to undertake during (or most likely after) your placement. 

Don't assume that you’ll find work while abroad.  Working conditions and conventions in your host country may be different from those in the UK. Do some research to find out about the work culture:

• How many days a week can you work?
• How many hours per day?
• Do you get time off or holidays?  

Before making your visa application, you should complete the following checklist:

1. Check the validity of your passport. It should cover the full duration of your placement abroad, and most countries require you to have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months after your planned return date.  If it is due to expire during your time abroad check whether this could cause problems and renew it before you go if necessary.  If it's not problematic to renew it from your host country, make sure you know how to do so.
2. Read any visa instructions provided by your host institution carefully.
3. Check the website of the embassy/consulate of the country you're going to
4. Identify the type of visa you need using information from the above sources, (work visa, student visa, etc.) If you're not sure, ask for guidance from your host institution or the embassy/consulate
5. Identify where you can apply for your visa. This could be through the nearest embassy/consulate, or sometimes in the UK you need to travel to London or even Belfast. If you’re from outside the UK, you might need to apply in your home country. If you need to book a visa appointment, you should do so as soon as you receive the necessary paperwork from your host university.
6. Check the application process for your visa and what documents you'll need. Procedures can vary from one consulate to the other so you should carefully check the website of the consulate where you are going to apply, to be fully informed about all the relevant documents you need to provide and start gathering these as soon as possible. Depending on the process for your destination, you may need to: You should also check the timeline for the visa application and the estimated processing times to ensure you apply for your visa in plenty time.
   • fill in an application form,
   • pay any visa processing fees required by the consulate,
   • submit various supporting documents and pieces of evidence.
7. Your formal acceptance letter from your host institution/organisation will be needed for your visa application. Once you receive this you should complete your visa application as soon as possible and book a visa appointment if required. You may also be sent other documents by your host that you need for your visa application.

For International Exchanges (outside of Europe) a lot of your visa documents may be included as part of the application to your host e.g. proof of finances, forms etc. The Study and Work Away (SWAY) team will support you in collating those documents and submitting them to the host.

It may take weeks or in some cases even months to go through the process of applying for and obtaining your visa. Therefore, if you need a visa, it’s best to apply as early as you can once your exchange or placement is officially confirmed by your host. 

You must meet all visa requirements and in plenty of time.  

This will vary from country to country. Besides the cost of the visa, you should take into account visa-related costs such as processing fees and travel to any interviews. Be aware that applying for a visa for some countries may require you to attend an interview in London, which you should factor into your budgeting and summer plans.

These will come at your own expense.  Unfortunately, the Study and Work Away Service cannot offer financial support for visa and visa-related costs.  

What you are required to provide and when you are required to provide it will depend on which country you intend to study in. Remember to keep a copy of your supporting documents for your records.

Common documents that you may need to provide include:

Acceptance letter, or certificate proving your student status at the university/organisation abroad: this will usually be posted or emailed to you by your host institution/organisation in good time for you to submit your visa application. You should not book a visa appointment (if applicable) without this.

Proof of accommodation letter:  Most embassies and consulates around the world will ask you to submit proof of accommodation alongside the other documents, especially if you are applying to visit one of the European countries. 

Find out how to submit proof of accommodation

Police certificate: You can place an online order for your police certificate for immigration purposes, showing your UK police record. There is a charge for this service.

Place an online order for your police certificate

Medical certificate: some countries require you to complete specific medical checks, or to submit a letter confirming your general good health. You should expect to pay for any certificates or letters, even if they are completed by your own GP. Certain health checks, e.g. chest X-rays, can be quite expensive. GP surgeries can quote long turnaround times for completing certificates and letters, so request these well in advance.

Evidence of your UK student status: You can print a 'Confirmation of Status' Letter from your Mobility-Online workflow to confirm that your study abroad is a recognised part of your Edinburgh degree.

Legalising documents: sometimes referred to as the ‘Hague Apostille’, you may find you need to have your UK-produced documents 'legalised' to confirm their authenticity. There is a charge for this service. If your document also needs translated you do not normally need the Hague Apostille translated. The translation doesn't need an additional Hague Apostille.

Get your documents legalised

Evidence of your finances: you will usually have to prove you have access to sufficient funds to last you for the duration of your study abroad period.

Evidence of insurance cover:  after you have completed your pre-departure risk assessment process and are covered by University of Edinburgh insurance, you can obtain a letter confirming cover through the insurer's online portal. Full information will be provided to you on how to do this once your travel risk assessment has been approved.

If you need any supporting evidence from the University of Edinburgh, your host institution or employer, remember to request the documents with plenty of notice.​​​​​

Certain destinations (including the USA) require you to prove in advance that you have access to sufficient funds to support yourself for the duration of your exchange. This is a visa and immigration requirement and you will not be issued a student visa without displaying proof of funds prior to your exchange.  

The most straightforward way to evidence your finances is to provide an original bank statement in your own name, showing access to the required amount of funding.  Most students will be relying on sponsors to provide proof of funding - it is important to speak with potential sponsors e.g. your parents, in advance. 

Points to bear in mind, and to check with your host university immigration adviser if applicable, are:

• You may be able to show statements from multiple bank accounts to meet the total required (e.g. current account, savings account, ISA, etc.).
• You may be able to use bank statements in other peoples’ names (e.g. parent, relative), but these may need to be accompanied by evidence of your relationship and/or a letter from the account holder confirming that they will make these funds available to you.
• Bank accounts must usually be ‘instant access’ and statements must usually be originals.
• Online statements are sometimes accepted, but they must be full statements with the account number, account holder's name, bank logo, and the date. A simple screenshot of transactions is not normally acceptable.
• Bank statements will usually need to be less than three months old at the time of your application. If your bank only issues annual or quarterly statements, you may need to request additional statements or letters from them. Make sure to leave enough time for your request to be processed (this can sometimes be a week or two) before any deadlines you are given.
• Sometimes the funds must have been in your account for a specified length of time. Check instructions on this topic carefully.

You may also be able to evidence your finances with the following supporting documents:

Letter from your bank: letters must be on headed paper, with a logo and stamp if possible. If you are providing a bank letter, it is usually acceptable for the bank to include an indemnifying clause to indicate that they can't guarantee the funds beyond the date the letter is written. 

Student loan statement: some countries will accept your student loan statement as evidence of your funds for your study abroad year. If using your loan statement, you should ensure it is for the correct academic year, i.e. the year you will be abroad. We therefore recommend that you re-apply for your student loan as soon as the application becomes available, usually in early March. This will ensure you have a loan statement in good time ready for your visa application.

Please note that if applying to the USA, Hong Kong, or some Japanese universities, you may not be able to use a student loan statement as evidence of your funding. This is because these universities will require evidence of your funds before student finance has processed your application and sent out your student loan statement for the academic year during which you’ll study abroad.

Some countries or regions may require you to register for a full course or credit load while on exchange, as a condition of your visa, even if this is not a requirement of your Edinburgh degree programme. 

If you are not required to pass a full academic course or credit load while on exchange, please be aware that you may still need to sign up to take a full course load for visa purposes. (eg, language students at Edinburgh may only need to return 30 ECTS per academic year to satisfy their school's degree requirements, but may need to register for 60 ECTS to meet their visa requirements). 

Visa and enrolment requirements are often determined by local authorities and may vary not only from country to country but also between regions within the same country. Some regions may require a higher minimum credit load to meet visa or local enrolment regulations, so it’s important to confirm these details before finalising your course selection.

Also note that if you study two languages and will be spending your year abroad in two different countries, it may not be possible to get a visa for your second exchange or placement while in your first host country. Check with your local Consulate and follow their guidance.

The issuing of visas is at the discretion of the immigration services of the country you are travelling to. While most visas will be granted without problem and in good time, this is not guaranteed.  Unfortunately, delayed or declined visas are outwith the control of SWAY and until you receive your visa, your exchange/placement is not guaranteed. 

If you encounter delays when applying for your visa, you should contact the relevant embassy or consulate, in the first instance, to confirm their current turnaround times. Guidance about the process and timeline may differ from embassy to embassy and according to which region of the UK you are applying from, so you should always liaise with the embassy you requested your visa from.

If it transpires that you might not receive your visa in time for the start of your exchange, please contact your host institution to inform them of the delay and to ask if there is a latest date by which you should arrive in country. They are likely to allow some flexibility on this if you are only delayed for a short time.

However, please be aware that you should not travel if your host institution is unable to accept a late arrival.  

If you will struggle to obtain your visa and arrive in country by your host institution’s latest arrival date, you must get in touch with SWAY as soon as possible, so we can discuss alternative options. 

If you have any concerns, or have reason to believe there is a chance of you not being granted a visa, please let us know as soon as possible. 

Find SWAY contacts here

Immigration law is complex - it changes often, and is different for every country. Although the Study and Work Away (SWAY) team are here to support you as much as we can, we are not experts in visa regulations for all of the countries our students visit, and so we are unable to provide you with specific visa advice. We also cannot apply for a visa on your behalf.  The following contacts and resources should provide additional guidance and support:

Host institution/organisation

In the first instance you can research requirements yourself via your host institution/organisation's website.  If you are going on exchange, you may be able to find their visa information through our Partner Guidance Notes. 

View our Partner Guidance Notes

Embassies and consulates

If you have specific questions about the process and requirements of applying for your visa which are not addressed by your host institution or organisation on their webpages, you should contact the appropriate embassy or consulate directly:

List of embassies and High Commissions in the UK

UUKi guidance

You may find the following resource, created by Universities UK International (UUKi), helpful in understanding more about visas, including key things to be aware of, the steps you are likely to encounter as you proceed through your application, common terminology used, and signposting to other useful resources:

Introduction to visa/permit guidance