Visa requirements for academic visitors (doctoral students and faculty) to Oxford University
From 1 January 2021 all EU, EEA and Swiss nationals visiting a department/ faculty or college, that have not been resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, will need to enter the UK under the appropriate visitor route:
- Academic visitors who are non-visa nationals (Check UK visa and visa national list), visiting for less than 6 months (e.g. professors, postdocs, doctoral students) must show the Academic Visitor letter to a Border Control officer on arrival to get a visitor stamp in their passport. Please email your host department in the UK to request the letter.
- Academic visitors who are visa nationals or non-visa nationals (Check UK visa and visa national list), visiting for more than 6 months (e.g. professors, postdocs, doctoral students) can apply for the academic visitor visa (sub-category of the standard visitor visa) for up to 12 months. Please see Academic Visitor Visa section: (Types of Standard Visitor visas | Staff Immigration (ox.ac.uk)). Such visitors will also need the Academic Visitor letter before travelling to the UK. Please email your host department in the UK to request the letter.
Students will not be supported for visits of over 6 months.
- Student visitors who are non-visa nationals (Check UK visa and Visa national list), must show the Student Visitor letter to a Border Control officer on arrival to get a visitor stamp in their passport. Please email your host department in the UK to request the letter.
- Student visitors who are visa nationals (Check UK visa and Visa national list) will need a visa and the Student Visitor letter before travelling to the UK. Such students can apply for the Visitor Visa(for visits up to 6 months). The visa cannot be extended over 6 months or be changed into the student route. A letter can be provided by the Department to assist with the application. More information about these student visas can be found here: (Before you arrive | University of Oxford)
Note, all visitors will need to obtain additional medical insurance for all costs not covered by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Please consult the UK government website for details: Healthcare for visitors to the UK from the EU - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)