Visas and passports
Most Asian countries require a visa for long-term stay, including studying.
Visas for Asian countries in general
- These pages contain only general guidelines if you haven’t applied for a visa before. When applying for a visa, please first contact your local embassy of the country you’re heading to. They’ll provide you with more up-to-date information about the application procedure.
- Check the embassy opening hours. Embassies are open according to the public and religious holidays of the country they represent and the holidays of the country they are located in.
- Please note that visa procedures vary from country to country. Take care of all visa-related issues before departure, and update the visa at the destination if needed and once you’re familiar with the procedure.
- The embassies can usually help you either in your own language or in English.
- Check the latest updates on applying for a visa and the opening hours of the embassy from the embassy websites or by calling the embassy directly.
- Please note that a student visa is only meant for studying. This often means that you have to complete a certain number of study credits during your stay, and you’re not allowed to work simultaneously. If you don’t fulfill the requirements for the student visa, you can either be denied the visa, be charged a fine, or both.
- Some countries don’t accept visa applications by mail. If you cannot visit the embassy in person, you can usually assign a third party to do it for you, for instance, a travel agency or a relative.
Passports
You must have a valid passport to study at our partner universities and in their respective countries. For most destinations, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your semester abroad is over. If you discover that your passport does not have enough time left on it, renew it as soon as possible. It could take up to 6 weeks to obtain a new passport, depending on your home city office.
If you’re short on time, you can get your passport quicker by using a more express service, where available. This service is usually more costly. For example, the UK’s urgent service allows you to get your passport in 1 week instead of 3+ weeks.
Please note that express passports might have some limitations normal passports don’t have.
Please check your country’s passport delivery conditions by contacting the local delivering authorities or by visiting the government’s website for more information.
COUNTRY-BASED STUDENT VISA APPLICATION
| CHINA VISA | VIETNAM VISA |
| INDONESIA VISA | EUROPE VISA |
| MALAYSIA VISA | COSTA RICA VISA |
| THAILAND VISA | CUBA VISA |
| SOUTH KOREA VISA | MEXICO VISA |
| TAIWAN VISA |
