How we can help you

Our services
Feedback and improvement
Comments and Complaints
Contacting the British Council Customer Service UK

How to apply

Apply Online

Online Application FAQs

List of travellers

General Information

We issue the List of Travellers form in the UK, for school trips to countries in the European Union (EU) for pupils on the trip who are of a non-EU nationality. The List of Travellers form allows the pupils to go on the trip without getting a visa. You may also hear it referred to as a ‘Visa Waiver Form’. If the pupils on a trip are all from the UK or EU countries then the form isn’t needed.

When was the form established?
The List of Travellers scheme started in 1994, following an agreement between all the EU member states at that time. These member states were Austria, Belguim, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

On May 1st 2004 another 10 countries officially joined the EU. These countries were Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

When they joined the EU these 10 countries agreed to EU laws, including the List of Travellers agreement. However, not all the countries have given us official confirmation of their acceptance of the scheme.

Which countries accept the forms
The use of the List of Travellers form has been officially accepted by the following EU Member States:

Austria  Belgium  Cyprus  Czech Republic 
Denmark  Finland  France  Germany 
Greece  Hungary  Ireland  Italy 
Latvia  Luxembourg  Poland  Portugal 
Spain  Sweden  The Netherlands  Romania 

In addition the List of Travellers form can now be used for trips to:

Iceland  Norway  Switzerland 

We have obtained supporting letters from the embassies of these countries. We will provide you with copies to support the actual List of Travellers forms.

If you are entering a country not listed you will need to contact the appropriate embassy to find out what is needed to enter that country.

A directory of Foreign Embassies in the UK is available at: http://www.fco.gov.uk

Please note that the form cannot completely guarantee entry into a country. It is used instead of a visa but even a visa does not completely guarantee entry into a country.

Immigration officials have the power to turn away visa holders. We also cannot guarantee that every immigration official will be aware of the scheme. It is the responsibility of each country’s immigration authorities to ensure their officials are fully trained and aware of any schemes such as this. However, we cannot guarantee that this has been done.

Very few trips experience problems, but if you are concerned then you can contact the appropriate embassies and speak to the immigration authorities at the ports you will be travelling through.

Who can use the form?
The form cannot be used as a visa waiver by anyone other than school children, and cannot be used for any trips other than those organised and lead by a general education school or sixth form. This would include non-EU teachers accompanying the trip who should contact the relevant embassy in order to secure a visa.

To use the List of Travellers any non-EU pupil must:

Be a pupil at a general education school or Sixth Form College. Please note, Further Education (FE) colleges are not eligible to use the form
Be on an organised school trip with their own school
Be accompanied by a teacher from their school
Have their own valid passport (in their own name). A pupil cannot travel on their parent’s passport unless they are accompanied by their parent, who would be required a visa from the relevant embassy.
Be legally resident in the UK. There should be evidence in their passport of leave to remain in the UK (for example, their UK visa or residence permit, or a stamp from the home office or immigration official).

Important notes:

Students at FE colleges or universities are not eligible to use the form.
Children cannot use the form to go on trips with other schools or with youth organisations.
Children cannot travel using a parent’s passport.
The form can only be used in conjunction with a passport or other valid travel document. Although the LOT form secures visa exemption, it cannot be used as a travel document.
The group must be accompanied by a teacher from the school in question who is able to present the List of Travellers form detailing the pupils he or she is accompanying.
The forms can only be sent to schools and cannot be sent to private addresses.
Normally only the pupils who require a visa to travel would need to be listed. *Please note, if you are travelling to or through Germany then you need to follow a slightly different procedure, see below.

If there is any doubt as to what constitutes a valid travel document, the visa or consular section of the relevant embassy should be contacted. A directory of Foreign Embassies in the UK is available at: http://www.fco.gov.uk.

How do I apply for the form?

You can now apply for the form online at http://www.britishcouncil.org/listoftravellers

To find out about other ways to apply please. Read more information about how to apply.

DCSIMG