Travelling in Europe

Visas for other European countries

If you want to to travel to other countries during your stay in the UK, you will need to check whether you need a visa to enter. Please contact the Embassy of the  country you want to travel to, in the UK, before you plan to travel. Details of Embassies in the UK can be found here.

You may experience difficulty obtaining a visa if you leave it towards the end of your studies before travelling, for example, many European embassies or consulates expect students to have a minimum of two to six months' leave (permission to stay in the UK) beyond the term of your proposed trip.

Schengen Visa

For certain European countries, a single visa can allow entry to any of 15 countries. This type of visa is known as a Schengen Visa and can be very useful for students making trips to Europe.

The countries in the scheme are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.  Each embassy or consultate produces its own application form for the visa.  In order to apply, you should contact the Embassy of the country which you will visit first.  Charges for the application may vary depending on which of the Schengen countries is issuing the visa.

The most common types of Schengen Visa are either single or multiple entry visas which allow the visa holder to visit any of the fifteen participating states during a period of 90 days. The Student Planning & Assessment (SPA) office can provide you with a letter to confirm that you are an enrolled student, whcih you will need fot your Schengen Visa application: verification.requests@durham.ac.uk  

The UKCISA website gives more information about Schengen visas.

Unfortunately, the Student Immigration & Financial Sipport Office (SIFSO) is unable to assist you with when making an application to visit another country or for a Schengen Visa.