Do non-British students need a visa for school trips to France?

— 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.

School trip guidance from the French Consulate

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

Be a pupil at a general education school (up to sixth form) in the UK;
Be on an organised school trip with their own school;
Be accompanied by a teacher from the school;
Have their own valid passport;
Be resident in the UK

Border paperwork for third-country nationals travelling to France on a school trip

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.

Click here to download a copy of the French Consulate's guidance letter

Important notes:

Students of further education colleges or universities / Accompanying teachers / Youth organisations are not eligible;
Children must have their own passports and cannot travel on a parent’s passport;
Note that this, alike a visa, cannot completely guarantee entry into France.
The decision to allow people to travel or not is made by the Border Police on the day of travel.

What about school trips to other EU countries?

You can find a country-by-country list of visa exemption schemes on the European Commission website (under “2 exemptions Article 6(2)”).

Do UK students need a visa for a school trip to France from 2023?

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.