{"id":7022507,"date":"2026-02-26T11:02:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T10:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/?p=7022507"},"modified":"2026-02-26T11:02:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T10:02:45","slug":"school-trip-to-the-united-kingdom-the-visa-free-border-crossing-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/blog\/voyage-scolaire-au-royaume-uni-le-guide-pour-franchir-la-frontiere-sans-visa\/","title":{"rendered":"School trips to the UK: A guide to crossing the border without a visa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Organizing school trips to the UK, and in particular gaining entry to the country, is a procedure that many French schools need to be aware of, especially for students from non-EU countries. The good news is that the French and British governments have set up a <strong>simplified procedure<\/strong>. No more costly visas and endless individual procedures for minors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Here's everything teachers, principals and parents need to know to cross the British border with peace of mind.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"710\" height=\"407\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Sans-titre-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7022510\" style=\"width:788px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Sans-titre-10.jpg 710w, https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Sans-titre-10-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Sans-titre-10-18x10.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 710px) 100vw, 710px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Official website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/visit-the-uk-as-part-of-a-french-school-trip\">GOV.UK<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the France-UK school trip form?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u201cFrance-UK school trip travel information form\u201d is a <strong>free official document<\/strong> allowing a group of students to travel from France to the UK without having to apply for an individual visa for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/media\/679a182bdc6d75ae3ddc7b6e\/France-UK_school_trip_travel_information_form.pdf\">The form can be downloaded online<\/a>, This can then be completed and printed out for presentation at a UK border post on arrival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Eligibility requirements :<\/strong><br>- The group must include at least <strong>5 children<\/strong> (aged 18 or under).<br>- The school must be registered with the <strong>French Ministry of Education<\/strong>.<br>- The form must list <em>absolutely all<\/em> participants (students and accompanying adults).<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What documents do students need? (Visa and ETA exemption)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the agreement's flagship measure: <strong>No visa or ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) is required for any child included in this school trip, regardless of nationality.<\/strong> However, the identity documents required vary according to the student's citizenship. This measure applies to students and nationals of the\u2019<strong>European Union, European Economic Area, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland<\/strong>. Here is the list of documents required to be eligible : <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A <strong>national identity card<\/strong> (CNI) <strong>OR<\/strong> a passport. <em>A passport is strongly recommended to use the automatic gates and speed up customs clearance.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>L'<strong>AST<\/strong> (Autorisation de Sortie du Territoire) completed and signed by the legal representative.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>copy of ID<\/strong> the parent\/guardian who signed the AST.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What about students from non-EU countries?<\/strong> This is where the advantage of the form comes into its own. A Moroccan, Chinese or Senegalese student studying in France does not need a British visa. All they need is :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A <strong>valid passport<\/strong> (the French identity card or residence permit is not sufficient to cross the British border).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>L'<strong>AST<\/strong> (Autorisation de Sortie du Territoire) signed by the legal representative.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>copy of ID<\/strong> of the signing parent\/guardian.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the rules for accompanying adults?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The flexibility granted to minors <strong>does not apply to adults<\/strong>. Teachers and accompanying parents remain subject to standard British immigration rules.<br>All adults must travel with a <strong>valid passport<\/strong>. Identity cards are formally refused for adults. Depending on their nationality, adults must :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>To be exempted from preliminary procedures<\/strong> (e.g. British or Irish citizens).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Apply for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation)<\/strong> Mandatory for EU citizens (including French citizens) and other visa-exempt countries. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/blog\/leta-becomes-compulsory-for-travel-to-the-united-kingdom-from-february-25-2026\/\">Since February 25, 2026, this process has been mandatory.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Obtaining a Standard Visitor Visa<\/strong> Required for accompanying persons of nationalities subject to visa requirements (third countries not eligible for ETA).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step-by-step procedure <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Document management must be rigorous. Here is the administrative schedule imposed by the authorities:<br>\u2013<strong>Fill in the form :<\/strong> The head teacher downloads the document (11-page PDF) from the UK government website (GOV.UK). If the group is large, several copies need to be printed to list all the names.<br><strong>-Collecting documents :<\/strong> Gather all original ASTs and copies of parental IDs for each child.<br>\u2013<strong>Sending to the Prefecture :<\/strong> The complete file (form + AST + parent ID copies) must be sent to the appropriate prefecture. <strong>at least 15 days before departure date<\/strong>.<br>\u2013<strong>Validation :<\/strong> The prefecture checks the documents, stamps them and returns the validated file to the head of the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>D-Day: Crossing the British border (Border Force)<br>When it comes to clearing customs (whether at the airport, the port of Calais or the Eurostar station), the group leader needs to be perfectly organized.<br>You will need to present the <em>UK Border Force<\/em> :<br>\u2013<strong>2 physical copies<\/strong> of the form validated by the prefecture (the British officer will keep one of the two copies).<br>-Passports\/NICs for each participant.<br>-Proof of visas or ETAs for adults subject to them.<br>The immigration officer will carry out a head count and a nominal identity check before authorizing the group's entry into the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Our agency, which specializes in helping you obtain an ETA, can assist you with the formalities, especially for accompanying adults with a valid passport whose nationality is visa-exempt. <\/em>Visit our online form:<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/form.visamundi.app\/apply\/gb\/\">https:\/\/form.visamundi.app\/apply\/gb\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Organizing school trips to the UK, and in particular gaining entry to the country, is a complicated procedure for many French schools, especially for students from non-EU countries. The good news is that the French and British governments have introduced a simplified procedure. No more costly and time-consuming visa ... <a title=\"School trips to the UK: A guide to crossing the border without a visa\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/blog\/voyage-scolaire-au-royaume-uni-le-guide-pour-franchir-la-frontiere-sans-visa\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about School trips to the UK: A guide to crossing the border without a visa\">Read the article<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7022508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-7022507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-royaume-uni"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7022507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7022507"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7022507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7022517,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7022507\/revisions\/7022517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7022508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7022507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7022507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7022507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}