School trip and Educational travel information on Passports and Visas
PASSPORTS AND VISAS
All passengers are themselves responsible for ensuring that they have a valid passport, appropriate visas & confirm to the health regulations regarding vaccinations. Please note that some countries require passports to be valid for up to 6 months after the date of return to the U.K.
For travel to the United States all nationals and citizens of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries (inc the UK) are required by law to obtain travel authorization prior to travelling to the USA. Passengers can register on-line up to 72 hours before departure but we strongly urge you and your students to register early. Travellers who do not receive authorization may be denied entry! For more details and to register please visit www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/esta.html
UPDATE: 01/03/10
Visitors to the US will have to pay a fee of at least $10 following the passing of the Travel Promotion Act by the US Senate.
The act, which is expected to become law within 10 days. It is thought the charge could be as much as $17, taking into account the cost of setting up the transactional website and credit card fees.
COLLECTIVE PASSPORTS
A collective passport is issued to approved groups of students, scouts, guides or other recognised youth organisations who plan to travel together on a trip overseas. There can be between five and 50 children and young person’s on a collective passport. Everyone on the collective passport must be under 18 years old upon return to the United Kingdom and must also be a British national, which means one of the following:
- British citizen*
- British overseas territories citizen
- British overseas citizen
- British subject
- British protected persons
- British national (overseas).
*Note: Children born in the UK on or after 31 December 1982 may not have British nationality
For more information or to check nationality or for any exceptions to the above please contact the 24-hour Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000 (see terms and conditions).
Each group must have a named adult Group Leader to accompany them when they travel. We also recommend that groups name a Deputy Leader who could take over should the Leader become ill, for example, and was unable to travel*. This would avoid delays while the name of a new Leader was added to the collective passport.
*Note: The collective passport would become invalid if the Leader was unable to travel and a Deputy Leader had not been appointed.
Group Leaders and Deputy Leaders must be over 21 years old and hold a valid 10-year British passport.
A collective passport costs £39.00. Please ensure that you apply in plenty of time (at least 6 weeks before departure). For detailed information, including details on how to apply, supporting information required etc please visit the Home Office web-site www.ips.gov.uk/passport/collective.asp
VISA REQUIREMENTS
Please ensure that any of your passenger that requiring a visa applies in good time. We recommend that you do not confirm a passenger on the trip until you are satisfied that he/she has the relevant documents to travel.
Here you will find links to the individual countries embassies and consulates but we recommend that you contact the embassy direct.
SPAIN FRANCE NETHERLANDS GERMANY
CZECH REPUBLIC HUNGARY BELGIUM IRELAND
