Visitor visas and Electronic Travel Authorisations

You can study at Royal Holloway on a Visit visa if you are 

• Studying a course that is 6 months or less in duration 
• Undertaking a period of research that is 6 months or less in duration 
• Coming as part of an exchange or study abroad programme that is 6 month or less in duration
• Undertaking a distance learning programme that requires you to come to the UK for a short period of time

There may be other reasons that current students need to use a Visit visa to re-enter the UK. Please see our guidance here. 

Whether you need to apply for the Visitor visa before you travel or whether you can be granted it when you arrive in the UK depends on your nationality. 

To check whether you need to apply before you travel or whether you will be granted immigration permission when you arrive at the border follow these step on the government website.

• Select your nationality
• Select 'study'
• Select '6 months or less'

You will be given one of two outcomes 

I’ve been told I do not need a visa to come to the UK

You will be granted a Visitor visa for 6 months when you reach the UK. 

We recommend that your passport has at least 6 months validity remaining before you travel. 

We also recommend that you travel with documentation confirming your reasons for coming to the UK i.e. an offer or acceptance letter (you may be asked for this letter when you arrive in the UK).

You may need to apply for and be granted an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before you travel to the UK - see the section below for further details. 

I’ve been told I’ll need a visa to study in the UK

You’ll need to apply for the visa and wait for a decision before you travel to the UK

It costs £100 to apply for a Visitor visa.

To apply you'll need to

• Submit your online application form
• Book an appointment at a Visa Application Centre
• Attend your appointment
• Submit your documents (see below) 
• Give your fingerprints and photograph

Application times can vary according to where you live and the time of year, so make sure that you apply as early as possible to avoid any delays. You can apply for a Visitor visa up to three months before you need to come to the UK, but no earlier.

If you need to apply for a Visitor visa then we recommend that you prepare the following documents and submit them with your application. 

• A valid passport with at least 6 months remaining and at least one blank page
• A letter from the University confirming your reasons for coming to the UK including the dates that you are required to be on campus
• Evidence of where you will be staying while in the UK
• Evidence that you can support yourself financially while in the UK – please note that there is no explicit amount for how much money an applicant needs to show but we advise that you show you have income or savings of £1,334 per month for every month you need to stay in the UK
• If your course previously required you to obtain ATAS clearance then you will need to apply for new clearance
• If you are under the age of 18 you will require a letter from your parents or guardians giving you consent to travel for the purposes of study
• Evidence of your home address in the country you are normally resident in
• Evidence of any family members who still live in the country you are normally resident in
• Evidence of any assets (houses, property, etc.) that you or your family members own in the country you are normally resident in

Please note that the Visit visa has the following conditions:

• You will not be eligible to work while in the UK, this includes paid or unpaid positions and any placement that is a part of your course
• You will not be eligible for free medical treatment under the NHS and therefore you should consider taking out health insurance
• The Visit visa cannot be extended nor can you switch to another visa type from within the UK.

If you feel that any of the above conditions may affect your plans while at studying at Royal Holloway, then please contact us to discuss your options. 

Who needs to apply for an ETA? 

If you are a national of a location that is not mentioned in the list of countries and territories below that require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) then you are not eligible for an ETA. You must apply for a UK visa before visiting the UK (see guidance above).

You do not need to apply for an ETA if you've already been granted one in the last 2 years and you are still using the same passport that the last ETA was granted against. 

Students of the following nationalities must apply for and be granted an ETA before travelling to the UK

• Qatar
• Bahrain
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Oman
• Saudi Arabia 
• UAE

If you are arriving in the UK from 8 January 2025 onwards and you are one of the following nationalities then you must be granted  an ETA before travelling to the UK 

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including British National (Overseas)), Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao Special Administrative Region, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall, Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan (only those who hold a passport issued by Taiwan that includes in it the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan), The Bahamas, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United States, Uruguay;

If you are arriving in the UK from 2 April 2025 onwards and you are one of the following nationalities then you must be granted  an ETA before travelling to the UK 

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City.

When should I apply for an ETA?

You should apply for an ETA at least 3 working days before you plan to travel. We advise that you aim to apply 2 weeks before you plan to travel to the UK

How do I apply for an ETA? 

You can apply via a smartphone app or online. The cost of the application is £10.