Royaume-Uni: the recent visa requirement complicates school trips for French students

IN BRIEF

  • Agreement of December 2023 allowing French students to travel with an identity card.
  • Starting from April 2025, a passport and a visa will be mandatory to enter the United Kingdom.
  • Students will need to complete an online registration and pay a fee of 12 euros for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
  • A step backward that complicates the organization of school trips to the United Kingdom.
  • Reductions in school trips due to Brexit and the pandemic.
  • Schools are considering turning to other destinations, such as Ireland.
  • Negative impact anticipated on travel bookings for spring 2025.
  • Concerns from industry stakeholders regarding administrative hassles.
  • More than 75% of French teachers are worried about the new regulations.

The landscape of school travel for French students is being disrupted by the new visa requirement imposed by the United Kingdom. Starting in April 2025, students will need to present not only an identity card, but also a passport and register online before their departure. This situation calls into question the fluidity of exchanges between France and the United Kingdom, making school trips more complex and expensive.

The new administrative obligations

As of April 2, 2025, an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will be required for all European tourists wishing to enter the United Kingdom. This change will involve a cost of 12 euros for each application and will be mandatory even for children traveling in groups. The necessity of having a passport for these young travelers significantly complicates the preparations for school trips.

Families and teachers will now need to anticipate these administrative procedures months in advance, which could quickly become a real headache. This return to a more stringent entry system recalls the challenges faced before the December 2023 agreement, which had allowed French students to travel with just an identity card.

The consequences of Brexit and the pandemic

The reform of entry conditions to the United Kingdom is set against a backdrop where Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic had already caused a significant decline in the number of school stays in Great Britain. These events led schools to explore other destinations, such as Ireland, to avoid the complications arising from the passport requirement. School trips had seen a considerable drop, prompting schools to turn towards less restrictive alternatives.

Concerns from education sector stakeholders

The recent announcement regarding the visa requirement raises concerns among education professionals. The president of the Travel Companies, Valérie Boned, expressed her worries about the potential impact of this decision on bookings for school trips. Her call for clarification of the situation highlights the urgency for a response from British authorities, as many teachers are already considering trips for the upcoming spring.

A survey conducted among 300 French teachers revealed that 75% of them would be discouraged from organizing a school trip due to these new conditions. The uncertainty surrounding this issue therefore poses a risk of significantly reducing the number of students traveling to Great Britain.

Franco-British ties at risk

The consequences of this development on relations between France and the United Kingdom are also concerning. French government officials have expressed their fears regarding the potential impact of this visa requirement on the December 2023 agreements, which had allowed progress in strengthening ties between the two nations. These exchanges fostered cooperation and mutual enrichment between students and schools.

In conclusion, the introduction of this new visa requirement is likely to make school trips more difficult for French students, creating a barrier to education and cultural exchange. The challenge is significant for both families and educational institutions, which must already prepare for a more complex administrative reality. Discussions between the governments of the two countries will be crucial to maintain effective cooperation in this educational field.