UK and Germany ease school trip rules under new friendship treaty

School trips between Britain and Germany became significantly simpler on 1 August as the first practical measures of the UK-Germany Friendship Treaty took effect. Signed in London last month and known as the Kensington Treaty, the agreement restores a group travel framework that had lapsed after Brexit, removing visa and electronic authorisation hurdles for qualifying pupil groups.

For German schools heading to the UK, the changes mean groups of five or more pupils aged 19 or under from recognised institutions no longer need visas or an Electronic Travel Authorisation. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens in those groups may use a national identity card instead of a passport, though officials note a passport can speed border checks. Dual nationals who hold British or Irish citizenship must still prove that status with a valid British or Irish passport, or a passport containing a certificate of entitlement, a German identity card alone will not suffice.

Reciprocal benefits for UK schools

The arrangement works both ways. UK schools taking pupils to Germany can now use a certified List of Travellers, an official school document naming every pupil and teacher in the party, to bypass individual Schengen visa applications for children who are not British, EU, EEA or Swiss nationals. To qualify, pupils must remain with the supervised group throughout the visit and hold a valid UK residence permit where the scheme requires it.

What schools need to do

Teachers organising trips should verify that their school meets the recognition criteria in each country and prepare the List of Travellers well in advance. The UK Home Office and the German Federal Foreign Office have published updated guidance, and both sides have indicated they will monitor take-up before considering further expansions, such as raising the group size threshold or extending the scheme to youth organisations beyond formal schools.

For now, the treaty delivers a tangible dividend from the diplomatic reset: less time on paperwork, more time in the classroom, or the museum, the theatre, or the language lab, for the next generation of British and German citizens.