Students
Studying abroad: the paperwork in order, with its deadlines
Enrolment, visa, housing and healthcare, and none of them waits for the others. The order to do them in and what can be left until last.
Tomás Berruezo 6 min Photo by Sergei Gussev on Unsplash The academic side of going abroad to study is well explained by the university. The administrative side much less so, and that is the one that can leave you without a place or without somewhere to live over a single deadline.
The real order
- Acceptance from the host institution, because almost everything else asks for it as a document.
- Visa or residence permit if your nationality needs one, and that is what takes longest.
- Housing, which in university towns runs out before the places do.
- Healthcare: a travel health card or private insurance, depending on the destination.
- Bank and local number, once you are there and have an address.
- And registering your address with the local authority, if the country requires it.
Steps five and six chase their own tail in a lot of countries: to open an account they want an address, and to rent they want an account. It resolves with temporary housing for the first few weeks and some patience.
The documents you will be asked for more than once
- A valid passport with plenty of margin.
- Acceptance letter and proof of enrolment.
- Proof of funds, on many student visas.
- Health insurance covering that country.
- A criminal record certificate and sometimes a medical certificate.
Scan them all before you leave and keep them in your email. You will need them in places where you have neither a printer nor the will to find one.
The step that delays an academic year most is not the academic one: it is the visa applied for too late.
The timings people underestimate
Consular appointments in peak season, sworn translation of qualifications, apostilles on documents, and the time a foreign bank takes to activate an account. None of them can be sped up and all of them can be started sooner.
How to check which permit applies to you is in how to know if you need a visa.
Frequently asked questions
Which step do I do first?
Acceptance from the host institution, because almost all the others ask for it as a document. Then the visa, which takes longest.
When do I look for housing?
As early as you can: in university towns it runs out before the places do, and a lot of paperwork asks for an address.
What documents will I be asked for?
Passport, acceptance letter, proof of funds, health insurance and sometimes a criminal record and medical certificate.
Which timings get underestimated?
Consular appointments, sworn translations, apostilles and getting a foreign bank account activated.
