THE ESSENTIAL DOCUMENT LIST FOR STUDYING ABROAD
Each year, lakhs of International students apply for graduate or post-graduate courses Universities across the US. In addition to better infrastructure and high-quality education, US also offer job opportunities to International students, especially Indian students. Over the years, numerous scholarships, supportive government policies and low interest Student loan schemes like
SC Marvel, SC Excel and SC Crown have made studying in the U.S. a lot affordable for Indian students.
While going to the U.S., students must carry certain documents with them without fail. The following is the Student Cover’s list of such essential documents.
PASSPORT WITH A VALID STUDENT VISA
Passport is the most important document that you need to carry when going abroad. A student should carry the passport not only during journey but also while traveling to different regions in that country. There are many instances of students being unable to produce passport at immigration counter because they packed it in their check-in luggage.
Students should keep their passport safely and under no circumstance, give it to strangers. Remember, it is not only your proof of identity and nationality but also your return ticket to your home country. Students should also keep photocopy of the Passport so as to be able to retrieve a duplicate copy from consulate it in case of loss or theft.
While passport lets you exit your homeland, visa lets you enter the foreign land. Different countries have different rules and categories for visa. Students going to the United States for higher studies need F-1 Visa. An F-1 visa comes attached with the passport so one need not worry about carrying an extra document to the US immigration counter. However, if a student is traveling inland, it would be prudent to carry a photocopy of the F-1 visa so that the proof of visa can be shown when required.
DRIVER’S LICENSE
Within US, if one is hesitant about carrying his or her passport all the time, one can carry the driver’s license as proof of Identity, address and age. A driver’s license is also useful for those who wish to drive their personal vehicles. However, one must first check the local rules and regulations governing driving in the host country before getting into the driver’s seat.
HEALTH INSURANCE CARD
Nowadays, US universities have made it mandatory for students to produce health insurance certificate. Students are advised to check with their respective universities what type of health insurance documents they are required to produce. Health insurance card comes in handy in the event of any student needing urgent medical attention.
Many US universities these days require students to purchase insurance from US based insurance companies only. Student Cover has partnered with American insurance companies to provide a wide range of well-featured and cost-effective health insurance options to Indian students. Health Insurance cards given by partner companies of Student Cover have been made mandatory by some universities for getting waiver from university health insurance. They are also accepted all across United States.
CONTACT INFORMATION
It is strongly advised that the students carry some documents which have information about their emergency contact persons and local address in the foreign country. Most universities issue identity cards to students which have the information about the student’s local contacts. In case, one doesn’t have such card, one should at least write the name, address and telephone number of his or her local contact person.
PROOF OF REQUIRED MEDICATIONS AND DESIRED VACCINATIONS
In countries like the US, students coming from different parts of the world are required to carry:
- A letter from a doctor as a proof of medications as countries like US may not allow you to enter without the same.
- Proof of Vaccinations as required under F-1 and J-1 visa requirements. US Department of State has listed a number of diseases such as Hepatitis B, measles, mumps etc against which students have to either show proof of vaccination or lab report confirming immunity. Hence, students traveling to the US must not forget to carry either of the two.
Alternatively, students can also get themselves immunized in the US free of cost by taking Student Cover’s Elite and Plus plan which cover vaccinations and lab tests costs.
COPIES OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
To be on a safer side, ensure that you carry photocopies of all your travel documents in case, you lose the originals during travel or in case of an emergency.
A better way to preserve the important documents is to scan or click photos of them and save in your laptop just in case you lose them or it gets stolen.
We hope after reading the blog, you know what all documents you need to carry with you when traveling abroad to study. It is also suggested that you check our other blogs to know about the list of the documents required by the college and the embassy of the country you are studying in.
