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School trips abroad for children without British citizenship
School trips abroad are a great way for your child to learn about the world and experience new things. They are also a social opportunity, with your child being able to share their adventures with other children.
However, if the trip is abroad and you and your child are resident in the UK, but do not hold citizenship here, then you may be wondering what the rules around sending your child abroad are.
No one wants their child to feel left out of what could be important educational and life experiences, so read on to find out about sending your child on school trips abroad if they do not have British citizenship.
How to send your child on school trips abroad
The rules surrounding sending your child on school trips abroad when they do not have British citizenship will vary depending on the country that the school is planning to go to.
Some countries will require your child to get a visa to be able to enter the country for their school trip, just like any person entering the country.
However, some countries will allow your child to enter without a visa, as they are a pupil who is travelling as part of a school group. However, they will still need to have a valid passport to be able to travel and go on school trips abroad.
You should always check the rules of the individual country that your child is going to, to see if they will require your child to get a visa or not.
Visa free travel in the EU
One example of countries that may not require your child to get a visa for school trips abroad, are those that are a part of the Schengen Area of the EU: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. This is because of the UK’s deal with the EU, which allows for visa free travel. If you and your child are of an EU nationality, then you will not need to worry about travelling to the EU.
Children with British citizenship also do not require a visa to travel in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
For instance, France allows visa free travel for ‘third-party nationals’ that are studying in Britain, if they are:
- Resident in the UK
- A holder of a valid passport recognised by France
- In formal education at either primary school, secondary school, or sixth form
- Going on a trip arranged by their school
However, you should first check the rules of the individual EU member states to see what their rules may be around sending your child there.
Also, the rules around visa free travel are changing in 2025 with the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). This means that people outside the EU will have to pay a small fee to enter EU countries for a short-term visit, which may include school trips abroad.
Travelling to countries outside the EU
For going on school trips abroad to countries that are outside of the EU, you will likely have to arrange for your child to get a visa. However, the rules each country has, will depend on your own country of origin.
Please check the rules for the country your child is going to with their school, so that you can see what visa rules they have for people with your nationality.
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Getting British citizenship
Obtaining British citizenship will make it easier to plan for school trips abroad, as your child will have the same requirements as all the other children they go to school with, and so, will just have to meet those same requirements instead of potentially having to do something different.
For your child to get British citizenship, you as the parent will first need to become either settled in the UK through Indefinite Leave to Remain, or become a British citizen yourself. Please note that you can only normally get British citizenship if you have first been settled in the UK for a year.
Once you have citizenship, your child will then be able to apply if they were born outside the UK, or were born in the UK prior to you becoming a British citizen yourself.
There are other paths to citizenship for children, such as if you are a British citizen and have adopted a child from overseas, which you can read about on our website.
For information on other situations that can lead to a child gaining British citizenship, you can visit UK Visas and Immigration’s webpage on the Government’s website to learn more.
How we can help
By using our notary services under our Woodcock Notary Public brand, you will be able to get your child’s documents ready for school trips abroad. We may even be able to help you get a visa for the country your child is going to, depending on where the trip is.
So you do not have as much to worry about when you are planning on sending your child on school trips abroad, you should apply for ILR as soon as you possibly can. There are three routes to ILR, with them being the 3-year route, the 5-year route, and the 10-year route.
Once you have had ILR for 12 months, you will then be able to apply for citizenship.
We can assist you with applications for both ILR, and for citizenship. All you need to do is contact us by either calling us, emailing us, using our website chatbot, or by booking a free 10-minute assessment. This allows our expert team to see if they will be able to help you.
After your initial contact, you can then book a longer, paid consultation where you will receive guidance from either one of our immigration specialists, or our principal solicitor, Nathan Woodcock.
Get in touch with us today to see what we can do for you.
Ready for assistance?
If you have any questions, or want to book an appointment with one of our legal experts, contact Woodcock Law today. Call us on +44 (0)20 7712 1705 or email info@woodcocklaw.co.uk.
