Enrolment for new students

UK citizens

• British passport (photo ID page)
• Only for British citizens who do not hold a passport: please upload Driving licence and birth certificate-long form or birth certificate-long form and form of photo ID (ie, college/school photo ID). Additional documentation may be required as per GOV.UK to prove your British citizenship. If you do not have the above, contact records@soas.ac.uk
• Certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British citizen

Irish citizens

Your passport (photo ID page); or Passport card. 

EU nationals and eligible family members with European Settlement Scheme (EUSS) or Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man’s settlement schemes status

• Your passport (photo ID page); 
• A ‘share code’/ EUSS reference number which you can obtain from the UKVI's View and Prove your immigration status, or 
• Certificate of Application confirming that you have applied under the EUSS or equivalent (if applicable)-PDF or Sharecode
• Please make sure you are generating a share code for 'any other reason' (not right to work or right to rent). Your share code should begin with the letter 'S'

Student route (previously Tier 4) visa holders

• Passport (photo ID page)
• Your stamped 90-day visa vignette/permission to enter sticker in your passport showing the date you entered the UK with your student visa. If you entered the UK via the e-gates and your vignette is unstamped, you must also provide a copy of your boarding pass or flight details as evidence of your arrival date in the UK. See Gov.uk's guidance for travel through the UK border to see if you are eligible; OR
• Your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) front and back -if available; and 
• The UKVI decision letter/email confirming the grant of your Student visa (if available); or  
• If you were issued an e-visa/digital immigration status, please provide us with a ‘share code’ and copy of your grant/decision notification email which you would have received from the Home Office/UKVI. You can obtain the ‘share code’ via the UKVI's View and Prove your immigration status service. Please make sure you are generating a share code for 'any other reason' (not right to work or right to rent). Your share code should begin with the letter 'S'. You also need to provide a copy of your boarding pass or flight itinerary displaying your entry into the UK; OR
• If you have submitted a valid in-country application for permission to stay, provide us with a copy of your previous visa and the full PDF of your submitted visa application. This must include the date your application was submitted. If you have applied for a Student visa, we’ll need to see the section showing your CAS number and our sponsorship license number. You will be enrolled on the basis of your application but must update SOAS as soon as a decision has been made on your application. 

Please note we cannot enrol students who are switching from a graduate route visa to Student visa until their Student route application is approved. 

Important reminders for Student visa holders 

• Please do not enter the UK before the start date stated on your 90-day Student visa vignette/permission to enter sticker or Student e-visa/digital immigration status. If you enter the UK before the start date your Student visa status will not be activated, and you may need to leave the UK and re-enter to activate your Student visa statusEnsure you arrive in the UK in time for the start of classes and you must attend all required course events as part of the conditions of your Student visaYou must collect your BRP from the designated Post Office selected on your application/UKVI decision letter/email within 10 days of arriving in the UK. Failure to do so could result in a civil penalty and/or fine. For further information on collecting your BRP please read our Arriving in the UK webpages. Student route visa holders enrolling at SOAS are expected to adhere to the responsibilities and conditions attached to their Student visa

All other visa types/immigration status

ID page of your passport and share code to enable us to view your e-visa/digital immigration status. Visit the UK gov website to generate the share code  OR colour copy of both sides of your BRP/immigration status document OR If you have submitted a valid in-country application for permission to stay, provide us with a copy of your previous visa and the full PDF of your submitted visa application. 

This must include the date your application was submitted. You will be enrolled on the basis of your application but must update SOAS as soon as a decision has been made on your application. 

Please note we cannot enrol students who hold a Graduate route visa until their Student route visa application has been approved.

BRP cards with 31/12/2024 expiry

If you have been issued a BRP that expires on 31 December 2024, but your visa decision letter or email confirms that your immigration permission extends beyond this date, this is not an error. During 2024, the UK government is replacing physical immigration documents such as BRP cards with digital proof of immigration status called an eVisa. This is an ongoing process which they hope to complete by 2025. 

Please see the gov.uk webpages regarding e-visas/digital immigration status for the latest updates in the process. Our website will be updated as and when we receive further information from UK Visas and Immigration about the e-visa/digital immigration status transition process. You can also visit the govUK website for more information about the e-visa roll out.