When You Arrive

All students should find the following information useful:

• Term dates
• Registration and Welcome Week
• Students’ Union
• Local amenities
• How to get to Trinity Laban
• Travel in London

International students should also read the following:

• Arriving at the UK border
• Police registration
• Opening a UK bank account

Students’ Union

The Students’ Union (SU) organises social events during induction and throughout the academic year.

You can follow the SU on social media or visit our website:

Local amenities

If you are moving away from home, you will probably want to scope out the area for local amenities when you arrive.

Here is a local area guide for Greenwich and Deptford. If you are not living in these areas, Time Out London also has some handy neighbourhood guides.

How to get here

You might want to work out the best route to your place of study before registration. All of our teaching sites are easily accessible via public transport.

Travel in London

Trinity Laban’s teaching sites are in zones 2-3 – only 15/20 minutes from central London via public transport.

For travelling around the city, many students find Transport for London (TFL) services easy and convenient. TFL services include tube, DLR, overground, rail and bus routes. Popular apps to help you plan your journey include Citymapper and London Bus Checker.

If you are over the age of 18 we recommend that you apply for a Student Oyster Card, which gives eligible students 30% off travel within London.

Arriving at the UK border

Here are some tips from the UK Visas and Immigration that will help you pass through the UK border smoothly when you arrive at the airport:

1. Have you passport ready

2. Ensure you complete a landing card (if required)

3. Show the short-term visa-vignette in your passport to border control

4. Keep any medical documentation, recent bank statement and details of where you are staying in your hand luggage, as border control may ask to see this information

5. Do not bring any meat or dairy products

6. There are also restrictions on other food products such as fish, eggs and honey, as well as some fruit, vegetables and plants (e.g. bulbs, seeds, cut flowers and tree bark)

7. There are also restrictions on the amount of tobacco, alcohol and gifts you can bring in the UK. If you exceed your duty free allowance and do not declare them, all of your items could be taken away from you

8. Never bring in counterfeit goods, illegal drugs, offensive weapons or indecent or obscene material. Some items are restricted and will require a licence or permit

9. You must declare any sums of cash of €10,000 or more (or the equivalent in another country) if you are travelling from a country outside the European Union

10. Never give false or misleading information (including forged or counterfeit documents)

11. Once you’ve arrived you will need to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) at the Post Office indicated in your letter within 10 days of your arrival. We can help you with this if you have any concerns

Police registration

Police Registration was abolished on 5 August 2022, and new students are no longer required to register with the Police on arrival, even if it was stated on their visa. Detailed information can be found here: UK visas and registering with the police – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Opening a UK bank account

We highly recommend opening a UK bank account when you are here. This will help you save money and is much more convenient for everyday expenses.

To open a UK bank account, you will need the following:

• Your passport and national ID card
• A letter from us stating the length of your course, your home address and address in London

The letter is available upon request from the Registry – you will need to fill out a letter request form which you can find at the Registry office or on Moodle. Please allow at least five working days.

The vast majority of shops and services in the UK will accept payment in UK currency only. When arriving at the UK, we recommend bringing £100 in cash for your immediate needs (e.g. train fare, meals).

You can change currency and travellers’ cheques at Bureau de Change offices.

For further information about opening a bank account, visit the UKCISA website.