Visa and Residency Permit Requirements for Non-European Students
**Note: We attempt to keep this information up to date, but it is not a substitute for contacting the embassy. We do not guarantee that the information here is current.**
Students from non-European countries will need a visa in order to enter Europe and start their first year of study. Despite the Schengen zone and general harmonisation of regulations regarding movement within the European Union, most visa issues are addressed by the country being travelled to. There are no single regulations and requirements. Please consult the European Union Immigration Portal to clarify whether you need a visa for Portugal and Poland.
Once you are admitted to the Global-Minds programme, you should start the procedures to obtain the necessary visa in your home country in the embassy/consulate of the respective European country (Poland or Portugal). You will receive the required admission letters from the Global-MINDS European Administrative Coordinator:
Official admission letter signed by the coordinator stating in which university you will start
A copy of your insurance contract
In case additional documents are needed they can be provided by the Global-MINDS European Administrative Coordinator
There will be additional documents that you will need to get the Visa, based on the country you will be studying in, including, but not limited to, the Visa application, photo identification, valid passport, travel tickets, and a criminal background check from country of origin.
Once in Europe you may need a residence permit or temporary residence permit (long-stay visa). You must apply separately for a residence permit in every country of your study unless your nationality exempts you from doing so. A residence permit can be a plastic card, a paper document, or a sticker in your passport.
You will most likely need a second visa when you move to the second host country (Ireland or Norway). However, each country has a list of countries that do not require a visa. All students travelling to Norway will need a residency permit. In Ireland, all students will need to register with the immigration service. Links to more information from each country are in the table below.
Again you will receive the required program documents from the European Administrative Coordinator. Please note that before you can apply for a visa (whether for your next study destination or for vacation), you may need the residence permit or long-stay visa of the first country.
Non-European nationals who are holders of a residence permit and/or long stay visa of a Schengen area country can travel to another Schengen area country for three months per six-month period. However, you must be able to:
- justify the purpose of your stay;
- have sufficient financial resources for your stay and return;
- not be considered a threat to public policy, public security or public health.
Note that to move from one Schengen area country to another for more than three months, requires a residence permit and/or long term visa for that country (keep this in mind when you look for an internship and agree on its duration).
This table gives a quick description of the needs in different countries:
Country
Ireland
Portugal
Norway
Poland
Visa requirements
List of countries required for: here (currently not necessary for students from USA, Canada, South Korea).
Required for non-EU/EEA for study for more than 3 months
List of countries not required for: here.
Required for non EU/EEA
Residency Requirements
Not Required
Required with residency visas, good for 1 year, renewable after 1 year.
Required
Not required
Notes
All Non- EU or European Economic Area (EEA), students must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) upon arrival in Ireland, even if you do not need a study visa. Cost: 300€ per year
Students with residency visas must have appointment with Immigration Services to get residency permit card. Cost of ~150€ for 1 year.
Residency permit can be obtained before arriving in Norway
Required Funds for Non-European Students
In Europe, a student must have sufficient means of subsistence to cover their living costs, healthcare, study and repatriation costs. The minimum amount which a student must have to cover their costs is fixed and indexed each year. Non-European students will usually need to prove that they have the minimum amount of funds required to cover their costs in order to obtain a long-term visa or residence permit. The required minimum amount per month for each Global-MINDS host country is listed below:
- Ireland: Student applicants must be able to show evidence that you have immediate access to a specified amount of funds for your time in Ireland to be granted a visa. Further details available here. Information provided by UL can be found here.
- Norway: Student applicants must be able to show evidence that you have immediate access to a specified amount of funds for your time in Ireland to be granted a visa. Information provided by UiO can be found here.
- Poland: Information provided by SWPS University can be found here.
- Portugal: Information provided by ISCTE-IUL can be found here.
Please note that these requirements may have been changed or recently updated, we therefore strongly recommend that you contact the relevant country’s embassy for further details.