- Before you apply
- Documents you may need
- Proving your identity
- If you need a UKVCAS appointment
- Travelling after submitting your application
- Definitions on this page
If you are unsure how to answer a question on your online visa application, contact the Student Immigration Team (Advice) and include a screenshot of the question.
Before you apply
You can watch the GOV.UK video on how to apply for a Student visa. The current video was published in April 2026.
When you are ready to apply:
- Start your Student visa application on GOV.UK.
- Complete your application online.
- Prove your identity in the way you are instructed during the application.
- Pay the Student visa application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge.
Student visa extension applications must be made online. You must apply before your current visa expires and within six months of receiving your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Documents you may need
Have the relevant documents and information ready before starting your application.
These may include:
- your passport
- your new Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
- financial evidence, where required
- academic qualifications and transcripts listed on your CAS
- your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), if applicable
- your national identity card, if applicable
- your UK National Insurance number, if applicable
- your UK driving licence, if applicable.
If you have been in the UK with a valid visa for less than 12 months, GOV.UK states that you will need to prove you have enough money to support yourself in the UK.
Proving your identity
As part of your application, you will need to prove your identity.
You will be told whether you need to:
- use the UK Immigration: ID Check app, or
- attend a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to provide your fingerprints and photograph.
If you are instructed to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app, you must start your application and create your UKVI account online before using the app.
If you need a UKVCAS appointment
If you are required to attend a UKVCAS appointment to provide your biometric information:
- upload your supporting documents as instructed during the application process
- check your document checklist so you know which documents you need
- follow the instructions provided with your UKVCAS appointment
- bring your passport and any documents you have been instructed to bring.
If the ID Check app cannot read your identity document, GOV.UK states that you can choose to confirm your identity another way and may need to book an appointment at a UKVCAS service point.
Travelling after submitting your application
Do not book travel abroad while you are waiting for a decision on your Student visa application.
If you are extending your Student visa from inside the UK, you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you receive a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.
If your application is successful, you will receive an eVisa, which is a digital record of your identity and immigration status. Your decision email or letter will tell you how to access it.
Before travelling, access and check your eVisa.
Definitions on this page
- BRP: Biometric Residence Permit
- CAS: Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
- Enrol your biometrics: provide your fingerprints, photo and digital signature for a UK visa application
- UKVCAS: UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services
- UKVI: UK Visas and Immigration
- eVisa: an online record of your immigration status and the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK