VISAs, Immigration and Travel Insurance
VISAs
Please be advised that the Global Opportunities cannot give visa advice, but we can give guidance. The best team to speak to are the Advice team in Student Support – advice@lincoln.ac.uk or the VISA team at your host university.
Each country has its own immigration rules, and you will need to research the requirements for where you want to travel. There may be different rules depending on how long you are planning to stay and the reason you are going, you will need to identify the visa requirements and you may need to be able to demonstrate that you are able to financially support yourself whilst studying abroad.
We advise that students apply for their visa as soon as possible once they have been formally accepted by their host university.
VISA top tips
- You may be able to apply for your visa online, you can check the relevant information with the country’s consulate/embassy for full details and the host university may be to send you some additional information.
- The cost of the visa will vary by country, and you may need to provide proof of finances are part of the application process and some countries may require you to pay a mandatory health surcharge or take out an additional medical policy.
- Make sure you apply as soon as you can, as visa applications can take time, and it is not possible to speed them up.
- Check your passport is valid for the entire duration of your stay. Most countries require 6 months beyond the expected return date to the UK.
- Don’t travel on the standard visitor visa (unless informed otherwise).
Travel insurance
The University of Lincoln provides travel insurance for the period of your study, which is administered by U. M. Association Ltd (UMAL) for the dates you are required to be enrolled at the host university. You do not need to apply for this insurance; this is automatically applied if you are studying abroad, and the travel has been approved and adequately risk assessed by your Study Abroad Adviser.
What does the policy cover you for?
- Emergency medical expenses (this is not private medical insurance. You are not covered for routine, non-emergency treatment, any elective treatment or anything that can reasonably wait until your return home).
- Personal belongings and money
- Disruption/cancellations (any reasonable cause out of your control).
- Personal liability.
- Political evacuation.
- Legal expenses.
What are you not covered for?
You will not be covered for personal travel of more than 7 days (in total) away from your main place of residence. For travel outside your host city, and for activities unrelated to your study abroad (such as sports, general sight-seeing, or dangerous activities) we strongly recommend you take out your own travel insurance to cover the whole period of your travel, not just your study abroad. Your host university may provide this or require you to take out their mandatory health insurance (please check this).
Finding Travel Insurance
Although we are unable to recommend individual providers, searching “study abroad travel insurance” will bring up some results. Make sure to read the terms of any policy before purchasing it.
If you have any questions relating to your UMAL insurance cover, you can contact the University Insurance team on insurance@lincoln.ac.uk. Or, if you need to make a claim, you will find UMAL’s contact details on the insurance policy document.
Health insurance
We recommend that students going on Study Abroad or an international opportunity apply for one of the below:
Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)
If you are a Lincoln student from the UK studying in an EU country you must ensure you have a GHIC (UK Global Health Insurance Card) before your travel.
The GHIC provides you with the right to access state-provided healthcare during your time in the EU [including Switzerland] based on your course dates. You will only be able to use the GHIC in the country that you are studying in so it’s important that you also make sure you have the correct level of travel insurance.
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) EHIC
If you have an existing EHIC, it will remain valid until the expiry date on the card.
You can apply for the EHIC card if you’re a national of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein who has legally resided in the UK since before 1 January 2021 and are covered under the Withdrawal Agreement; you may not be covered if you‘re also a UK national or if you were born in the UK.
Your EHIC or GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance and medical emergencies. It may not cover all health costs and never covers repatriation costs. Make sure you have travel insurance.
Health Insurance outside of Europe
Countries outside of Europe will have their own health insurance policy that is mandatory for students to join for the duration of their study abroad, which students can pay for monthly. If you are studying outside of Europe, it is important that you check the details of your cover and obtain the appropriate cover for your study abroad.