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Brexit: EU students travelling to mainland Europe for the Christmas vacation

Posted on 16 December 2020

Existing EU students will not require a visa to re-enter the UK after 31 December 2020.

EU flag | Credit: Giampaolo Squarcina/Flickr-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0

Existing students from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, who are studying on campus and intend to return home to mainland Europe for the Christmas vacation:

If you travel back into the UK after 31 December 2020, when the transition period with the EU has ended, you will not require a visa. As you have already been resident in the UK, you have until 30 June 2021 to apply for pre-settlement or settlement under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) free of charge. EUSS gives you the same rights for living, studying and working in the UK as a British citizen.

Evidence

If you wish to carry evidence of your course of study to show to Border Force officials when re-entering the UK, you can order a confirmation of study letter using your e:Vision account.

If the port of entry has an eGate, you can use this to enter the UK and will not be required to show your passport at the border.

If you have any questions, including guidance on how to apply for EUSS, contact the International Student Support Team: international-support@york.ac.uk.

More information on EUSS is available on the Gov.UK website:

Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)