Scholarships
You are also eligible for the Erasmus+ scholarship if you go on exchange to the UK. However, you will then be entitled to a scholarship for a maximum of 100 days. You may go on exchange for longer than 100 days (up to a maximum of 1 year), but will then no longer receive scholarship funds for day 101 and beyond. This applies to both study and internship exchanges.
Required travel documents
If you are travelling to the UK to study or to do an internship, there are a number of travel documents that you will need to have. The Immigration Service can request these at any time, either when you enter the UK or during your stay.
The one document that is required for travel to the UK is a valid passport. Dutch identity cards are no longer accepted as a valid travel document. You will also need to apply for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) if you are travelling to the UK on or after 2 April 2025.
Please note: if you have a non-European identity, you will already need an ETA for travel to the UK from 8 January 2025 onwards.
In addition to this, the following proof or documents may be requested:
- A Letter of Acceptance/Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your host institution, for example, an acceptance letter on official letterhead that includes the name of the course, as well as the duration and cost of the course.
- A letter from your own educational institution, which explains the relevance of why you plan to spend time studying abroad. For example, think about your grant letter and your Learning Agreement from Radboud University.
- Proof that you will be able to support yourself financially during your trip (or proof that someone else will provide the necessary financial support). For example, think about your Grant Agreement from Radboud University.
- Proof that you will be able to pay for your return or onward journey (or that this will be financed by someone else).
- Proof that you have arranged accommodation for your stay.
- Proof that you will be leaving the UK at the end of your visit.
Insurance
If you go to the UK to study, you must continue to be insured in the Netherlands. Your registration with a Dutch municipality is inconsequential. You may also continue to receive healthcare benefits.
This situation will change if you have a part-time job in the UK in addition to your studies or if you are doing an internship. For more information, go to Zorgverzekeringslijn and WilWeg.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is currently still valid in the UK, but this may change in the future. The EHIC ensures that you will be reimbursed in accordance with the healthcare package that applies in the UK. This may mean that you will not be reimbursed for the same costs that you are accustomed to in the Netherlands. In other words, the EHIC will not automatically cover all costs; your EHIC will not provide sufficient cover. This means that you will need to make sure that you have the proper travel insurance before you leave! Read more about this in: Healthcare for visitors to the UK from the EU - Travel Insurance.
When it comes to international students who are studying in the Netherlands and who wish go on a student exchange to the UK, the coverage will depend on the laws and regulations of the student’s home country and the student’s nationality, and whether they are from a country in the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) or from a non-EU country.
Visa
Whether you require a visa, and which visa this should be, will depend very much on the situation. You can carry out an online check to see if you need to apply for this visa. Additional information on the procedures can also be found below.
I am going on a student exchange that will last less than six months
If your student exchange is for less than six months, you probably won’t have to apply for a study visa.
Under the new points system, a study programme of up to six months is permitted under the standard visitor regulations, via the so-called Standard Visitor Route. One condition is that you must complete your study programme at a recognised institution. This is obviously the case with all of our partners. What is important to know is that this route stipulates that you are not allowed to work in the UK during your stay!
Please note: If you have a non-European nationality, you may still have to apply for a visa if you wish to stay for less than six months. Click here to see a list of all the nationalities that must apply for a visa. You can submit your application online. If your nationality is not listed, you will not need to apply for a visa and you will simply be able travel to the UK.
In accordance with the Visitor Route, short-stay visitors will not get a stamp in their passport. However, you will definitely not be allowed to stay in the UK for more than six months. This means that you will need to make a note of the date that you arrived in the UK (and the date by which you will actually need to have left the country)!
UK Immigration Services may still ask you for the valid travel documents that are required for a short student exchange (see also the information above under ‘Required travel documents’). You will therefore need to take this into account.
I am going on a student exchange that will last longer than six months
If your student exchange is for longer than six months, you will need to apply for a Student Visa.
You can only apply for this Student Visa if you plan to study at an institution that is recognised as a licensed sponsor. Virtually all higher education institutions are licensed sponsors. A summary of these sponsors can be found here: Register of licensed sponsors: Students).
In order to qualify for this visa, you will need to satisfy several criteria, which may include a letter of admission from the host university and proof of sufficient financial means.
The fee for this visa is £348. You may also have to pay an immigration health surcharge (IHS) that will allow you to use the NHS, which is Britain’s healthcare service. You can calculate these costs by using the Immigration Health Surcharge Calculator. If you are in possession of a valid EHIC card, you can request a refund for this health surcharge.
Please note: Your host institution will contact you and guide you through this visa process. When in doubt, you should contact your host university to ask about how and when you can start the visa process.
Please note: Once you arrive, UK Customs (Immigration Control) will give you permission to enter the country, which means that they will probably stamp your passport; this will denote the start date of your six-month period. You WILL NOT get this stamp if you enter the UK via Ireland! Without this proof, you won’t have permission to study in the UK. This means that you will need to make sure that you fly straight to the UK.
Specific Brexit information for internships
The regulations that govern internship exchanges to the UK continue to change regularly, especially when it comes to visa applications. You will therefore need to keep a close eye on the official channels and, if possible, you may need to seek advice from your internship institution about how to apply for your visa, if applicable. They may have more information for you.
Visa
Whether you will need a visa at all depends on the type of internship that you will be doing, as well as your internship location and the duration of your internship.
Research internship at a host university
If you are planning to do a research internship at a university for less than six months, you may possibly be able to go to the UK via the Standard Visitor Visa Route. In such cases, you will not need to apply for a visa. However, the host university will then need to recognise the research internship as ‘research as study’, and not as ‘research for work’. In the latter case, the Tier 5 (T5) visa will need to be requested. This also applies to research internships that are longer than six months, even if they are seen as ‘research as study’.
All other types of internships
You will need to apply for the Tier 5 Government Exchange visa, regardless of the purpose of your internship. This also applies to research internships that have been deemed ‘research for work’ by the host institution. The Tier 5 visa allows you to work in the UK or do an internship in the UK for the period in which you want to do your internship, plus 14 extra days. The Tier 5 visa application involves several steps and is quite time consuming: the application process (which includes the Certificate of Sponsorship and Biometric Residence Permit) can take up to three or four months. You will therefore need to make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time to complete the application process!
Costs
The fee for this visa is £244. Certain nationalities, including Dutch residents, are eligible for a discount of £55. You may also have to pay an immigration health surcharge (IHS) that will allow you to use the NHS, which is Britain’s healthcare service. You can calculate these costs by using the Immigration Health Surcharge Calculator.
How does applying for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) work?
You will need to apply for a CoS number before you can apply for a visa. It may take up to ten weeks before you receive an outcome on your CoS application. You will therefore need to make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time to complete the process.
The first thing that you will need to do is to check whether the institution where you will be doing your internship is able to apply for a CoS. If your internship institution is listed here, they will be able to submit your CoS application as a recognised sponsor. If this is not the case, your faculty's International Office (IO) will be able to request this.
Once you have received your CoS number, you can apply for a Tier 5 visa. You will usually have to wait two to three weeks to receive the outcome of your application. For more information, click here.
If you are planning to do an internship after May 2023, you will need to do it at an organisation that is a government-recognised sponsor. For a list of approved sponsors, please visit the UK Government website.
Biometric residence permit
Part of your Tier 5 visa application also requires you to provide your biometrics (fingerprints and passport photo) at a Visa Application Centre. The UK Visa Application Centre for the Netherlands is located in Amsterdam. If you stay in the UK for more than six months, you will also be issued with a biometric residence permit (BRP). You will need to collect this card in the UK within ten days of the arrival date that was indicated in the application form. The details of the location where this can be collected can be found in the grant letter that you will receive following successful allocation. This card will not be issued for shorter stays, but you will still need to give your biometrics as part of your visa application.