Advice for students travelling outside the UK

If you want to travel outside the UK during your vacation periods, we recommend following our advice to stay safe.

Ensure you always keep your passport and BRP (biometric residence permit) safe. For advice on what to do if your passport or BRP are lost or stolen, go to our official guidance page.

Before you leave

Find out the contact details of your national embassy before you travel.
Check that your eVisa details are correct and linked to your current passport.
Create a share code for your eVisa and keep a copy of it when you travel.
Take copies of your passport and visa – leave a copy in your student accommodation and take another with you when you travel.
Take a photograph of your current passport and visa with your mobile phone so you have a copy to hand.
If you have an expired BRP, carry it with you when you travel back to the UK.
Email the photographs to yourself so you have an electronic record.
Tell your friends and family members about your travel plans, including dates, destination and accommodation address.
Take as few valuable possessions with you as possible.
Take out comprehensive travel insurance before your trip.
Contact your bank before you leave to let them know of your travel plans to ensure you can use your debit/credit card while you are away.
Put your contact details inside your luggage.
Read the UK Border Force travel checklist before you leave the UK.

While you are travelling

Avoid travelling alone.
Never leave your bags unattended.
If your current visa is in the form of a BRP (biometric residence permit) card, store it in a safe where you are staying.
If you need to carry your passport, keep it safe at all times.
Be vigilant about your belongings.
Read the UKCISA travel advice which gives useful tips and advice to stay safe when travelling.

If your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) expired on 31/12/2024

If your BRP expired on 31 December 2024, then you need to create a UKVI account to access your eVisa to prove your UK immigration status.

An eVisa is a digital immigration status that you can access online through UKVI's View and Prove service.

If you use your BRP to create your UKVI account, then you will need to link your passport to your UKVI account separately using the Update your UKVI account details service.

If the passport you use for travel is not linked to your UKVI account before you travel, this may result in unnecessary delays when coming back to the UK.

Find more information about how to get access to your eVisa.

Advice for students with eVisas

If you already have access to a UKVI account and an eVisa, then you should check that the information in your account is correct before you travel.

You should use the UKVI View and Prove service to check the details of your immigration status.

Report any errors on the UK government website.

This includes making sure that the passport or other travel document that you use for travel is linked to your UKVI account before you travel.

We recommend that you download a screenshot of your immigration status information from the View and Prove service and create a share code before you travel. You can keep copies of these with you when you travel.

If you have a UKVI account, you should make sure that your current passport has been linked to your account before you travel. You can check that your travel document is linked to your account using the Update your UKVI account details service.

If the passport you use for travel is not linked to your UKVI account before you travel, this may result in unnecessary delays when coming back to the UK.

If you have an expired BRP card, you should carry this with you when you travel as well. The UK Government has confirmed that airlines and other carriers can accepted BRPs that expire on or after 31 December 2024 as evidence of permission to travel to the UK until at least the end of March 2025, if your underlying UK immigration status is still valid.

If your carrier wrongly denies you boarding, then you should ask your airline to contact the dedicated UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub. If you experience any issues in proving to your carrier that you have permission to travel to the UK, you can also call the UK government's dedicated 24/7 passenger support helpline on 0800 876 6921 (free) or on +44 203 337 0927 (charges may apply).

Find out more about how to check your eVisa is correct before you travel .

You can also watch a video from UKVI explaining how to travel with your eVisa.

If your personal details have changed and no longer match your eVisa

You must check that the personal details (name, nationality, date of birth) on your eVisa matches the information on the passport or travel document that you are travelling with and the information that you have provided to your airline or other carrier.

If your personal details have changed and you aren’t able to update your UKVI account before you travel, then you may need to apply for a temporary visa before you can re-enter the UK. You will then be able to update your UKVI account once you are back in the UK. The application for this temporary visa costs £154 and you will need to provide your biometrics at a visa application centre to complete the application. The temporary visa application is usually processed within three weeks but it may be possible to pay an additional fee for priority processing. This temporary visa will be valid for only one journey to the UK. Find more information about applying for this temporary visa.

Advice for students on Visitor visas

If you’re studying at the University of Leeds as a Visitor, UK Border Force may ask to see proof that you are enrolled on a course at the University and have the money in place to support yourself during your studies.

Make sure you have relevant documentation that you can use as evidence of your right to stay in the UK and be prepared to show this at border control.

If you will be travelling to the UK as a Visitor without a visa, you should check if you will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before you travel.

In 2025, the list of nationalities that need an ETA to come to the UK is being expanded. Soon, all non-British and non-Irish nationals that can visit the UK for up to six months without a visa will need to apply for an ETA before travelling.

If you will be travelling to the UK without a visa, please check your entry requirements and find out whether you will need an ETA before you travel

Find more information about applying for an Electronic Travel Authorisation.