Practical Information
Documents and Money
Bringing this is a no-brainer.Your most important documents will include:
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Passport (which should include a visa for entry into Britain, if you need one);
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National identity card, if you are a citizen of the European Union;
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Travel tickets;
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All correspondence from the University, especially the letters containing your confirmed offer of admission and details of your accommodation in Oxford;
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Evidence of funding for your course of study at Oxford (e.g. bank statement);
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Contact details of your college and any family or friends in Britain;
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Any medical records, vaccination certificates and x-ray reports, as advised by the British embassy or consulate in your home country;
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Any insurance documents; and
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Any other documents, which your local British embassy or consulate has instructed or advised you to carry with you.
You should carry these in your hand luggage when travelling. This is because you will be required to show some or all of these documents to the immigration officer at the airport upon your arrival in Britain. Once you clear all immigration and customs controls and arrive in Oxford, you should keep them in a safe place.
It is important to make photocopies of all your important documents and details (such as the serial numbers of any travellers' cheques, any credit card details and the like). Two sets of photocopies are advisable. Leave one copy with your family at home and keep another with you, but separate from the originals.
There is no limit to the amount of money you can bring into Britain. However, you should check if there is a limit to how much money you can take out from your home country. A number of countries have strict foreign exchange controls. Your bank in your home country should be able to advise you. In addition, if you are coming from a country outside the European Union, you will need to declare any sum of cash of 10,000 euros or more (or the equivalent in another currency) at the airport. According to HM Revenue & Customs, the term ‘cash’ includes currency notes and coins, bankers' drafts and cheques of any kind, including travellers' cheques. This is particularly important for you to know because you may be considering bringing a large sum of money with you to pay for your fees and living costs. It is worth finding out from your bank in your home country about the possibility of transferring funds to a bank in the UK (with whom it might have an arrangement); whether there are any restrictions on such transfers; how long they take; and how much they will cost you.
How much money you decide to bring with you and how much you decide to transfer later on will, therefore, vary, but it is essential you have enough on hand to cover your expenses for the first few weeks. In some cases, it can take up to four weeks or more to open a bank account in Britain and we cannot emphasize enough how important it is to plan your finances before leaving your home country.
In fact, it is a good idea to begin thinking about opening a bank account in Britain while you are still at home. A number of big banks (such as, Barclays, Lloyds TSB, NatWest and HSBC) sometimes allow students to start the application process online, as early as 30 days before they arrive in Britain. This could save you a lot of time and effort! For more advice on bringing money into Britain and planning your finances before you leave home, visit the relevant part of the website of the International Student Advisory Service. We also suggest reading the Finance and Funding section of this Handbook.
Like visa regulations, customs regulations are always subject to change. To find out the most up-to-date information about what you can and cannot bring into Britain, you should check the HM Revenue & Customs website. Similarly, to ensure that you are carrying all the documents you need for entry into Britain, you should check with the British embassy or consulate in your home country before beginning your journey. Both are very important things to remember.
Planning what to bring
Don't forget that you will be dealing with these.Most of you will be coming to Britain for a year or more. Deciding what clothes and personal items to bring with you may seem like a daunting task. It will be tempting, but try not to bring everything you need with you. Not least of all because you will have to carry your suitcases and bags! You will be able to buy most things here. What you should bring with you are things that will remind you of home, such as photographs, books, your favourite CDs and/or DVDs, recipes for your favourite dishes and other personal knick-knacks.
In addition to your documents and money, you should carry any medicines in your hand baggage. These should be clearly labelled. If they have been prescribed by a doctor, then you should also bring the prescription with you. Because luggage can always get lost, we also suggest carrying one change of clothes in your hand baggage. This should include something warm to wear, not only because it can get quite cold during the flight but also because the average temperature in Britain in October is 12°C.
Electrical equipment
The standard voltage in Britain is 240V and plugs typically have three square pins. Most people will recommend that you do not bring electrical equipment with you, unless it is absolutely necessary (such as the battery charger for your digital camera, if you have one). Personal laptop computers are an exception to this general rule, because they can be expensive to buy in Britain.