— 26 Oct 2022 09:50:04 by Kate Moore
Now that we have left the EU, schools are enquiring about visa requirements for children who are 'third-country' nationals (non-UK/non-EU citizens) studying in Britain.
Though we are not qualified to give advice on French visa requirements, we have seen the guidance below from the French Consulate that states that children, who are non-EU/non-UK nationals, can travel visa-free to France on a school trip.
In accordance with Article 6(2), school pupils who are nationals of a third country listed in Annex I to the Regulation and who reside in a third country listed in Annex II to the Regulation and are travelling in the context of a school excursion as members of a group of school are exempted from an entry visa into France. To travel visa-free to France, the non-EU pupil must
To ease border crossing, it is advisable that the school provides the accompanying teachers with an official list (on headed paper) with details of the pupils who are concerned.
Also print off and take this guidance letter from the French Consulate.
You can find a country-by-country list of visa exemption schemes on the European Commission website (under “2 exemptions Article 6(2)”).
The visa rules for British citizens travelling to Europe are due to change in late 2023.
It is expected that school groups will need to apply online for a visa waiver to enter France on a school trip from late 2023. Read more about the requirements here.
Though we can share the experiences of other school groups, we are not able to give official advice on French visas. Ultimately, it is the party leader's responsibility to obtain the necessary paperwork needed for the group to visit. The decision to allow people to travel or not is made by the Border Police on the day of travel.