From 1st August, pupils with a valid UK residence permit and a school-certified List of Travellers can visit Germany without a Schengen visa, as a landmark German-British friendship treaty comes into force.
Reacting to the news, the School Travel Forum said it was “great news” and added: “This will make planning easier for schools and travel providers, while supporting valuable cross-border learning experiences.
“We welcome these measures that support safe, well-organised educational travel and make cross-border learning opportunities more accessible for schools.”
Last year it was announced that the UK had relaxed school group travel rules for those coming over from Germany, mirroring similar arrangements in place for France.
The aim of the latest set of changes is to boost opportunities for linguistic, cultural and academic experiences, and increase school exchanges between the two countries.
The new rules apply exclusively to:
- groups of pupils who are enrolled at a general or vocational school in Britain.
- who are travelling as a group and are accompanied by one or more teachers throughout the whole trip.
- who are included on a List of Travellers. The List of Travellers form can be accessed here.
They do NOT apply to:
- pupils who leave the group for an extended period of time, for example for solo visits to relatives or their own travel activities following the group trip.
- pupils who do not arrive or return with the group.
A guide has been published for teachers and school trip organisers which runs through all the steps needed for trips to Germany.
These include: asking pupils about their nationalities, ensuring that each traveller has a valid travel document, adding a cover letter on a school letterhead and ensuring that the pupils take completed consent forms with them.
For more information about the agreement, click here.
