Students Guide

Before departure

At arrival


Before Departure

Visa Application

To enter, stay in or transit through the whole of the Schengen area (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Iceland and Norway), third-countries citizens must be in possession of a passport or another travel document recognized as valid for the purposes of crossing the borders by all the Schengen States.

No visa shall be apposed on a travel document that has expired. The period of validity of a travel document must be greater than that of the visa. The expiry date of the validity must be more than three months from the date of the visa.

It is also necessary to prove to have sufficient financial resources available to guarantee maintenance throughout the planned visit, by showing liquid cash, bank guarantees, insurance policy guarantees or equivalent credit instruments.

Authority to issue visas is vested in Ministries of Foreign Affairs and their network of accredited diplomatic and consular officers. The visa is  issued by the diplomatic or consular mission with territorial jurisdiction over the place of residence of the third-country applicant.
The long stay entry visa (more than 90 days) only gives access to the state that issues the visa, and the possibility of transit through other Schengen countries to enter that country, in which case it is known as are "National Visa" (NV).

The EuMAS Consortium will assit students during the process of applying for a visa.

Students which have been granted an Erasmus Mundus scholarship will receive:

-Welcome letter from European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture, DG EAC)
-An extended admission letter (Certificate from European Commission + EuMAS acceptance letter)
-An admission letter from the first Hosting Institution

Students which have not been granted an Erasmus Mundus scholarship will receive:

-EuMAS acceptance letter

-An admission letter from the first Hosting Institution

EU embassies/consulates in third countries will also be contacted by our Office in order to facilitate the procedure. We advise our students to apply for a Type-D Student Visa for the EU entry country. Procedures for the next visa will be started once in Europe.

Intra-European mobility

EuMAS students are required to study in two different European countries. They apply for the first visa in their country of origin. They apply for the second visa while they are in Europe with the assistance of the EuMAS staff.

Documents validation

After a student is selected to attend EuMAS, he/she is requested to collect a number of documents and to send them to the the EuMAS Office. Procedures are different from one Institutions to the other but usually the documents have to be validated by the representative authorities of the hosting european country in the student's country od origin.

Insurance scheme

EU students should ask in their home country for the specific card showing that they are covered by the national health service of their own country, if this is the case. This allows students to register with a local doctor and provides free medical assistance in EU member States.

Non-European students attending the course, or relatives who may come to stay, will have to make their own private health insurance arrangements; the local EuMAS staff will provide assistance to carry out the necessary procedures.

If you also have private health insurance in your home country you must bring the appropriate documentation with you. You must also bring a declaration from the european consulate of your home city or region stating that the insurance policy you have is valid in Europe.

A group of first-cycle EuMAS students in Pisa, November 2005 

At arrival

Performing bureaucratic matters

During their very first days in Europe, at their first destination, students have to perform a number of mandatory bareaucratic procedures such as:

  1. get enrolled at University
  2. register at local authorities
  3. request a resedence permit

They will receive instructions on how to do this in due time and will be assited from the EuMAS staff.

Opening a bank account

In order to ease money transfers, we advise you to open a local bank account. This will you us to receive money from abroad, to provide landlords with credit guarantee, directly pay rents, and easily obtain money from cash machines. EuMAS local offices will suggest which local banks are most helpful to international students, and what documents they require to open an account.

Finding an accomodation

Not all partner Universities are able to offer accomodation in Residence Halls to all students. In such cases, to arrange permanent accommodation for the whole period of their stay (usually one year), students have to visit private rooms and negotiate with landlords personally before signing a contract. Addresses of vacant rooms will be available for consultation at the EuMAS Offices.

Students will be provided with assistance from the EuMAS office and the Hosting Universities in finding a suitable accomodation.

Language courses

The students will also have access to language courses, lectures and seminars delivered in the local language of the hosting University.

Erasmus Mundus Alumni Association

The Erasmus Mundus Alumni Association (EMA) is up and running, offering a series of services to Erasmus Mundus students and alumni. Students are strongly encouraged to register for EMA upon their arrival in Europe via the EMA website.