Travellers must seek permission from the appropriate Budget Holder and their Group Leader to go on LTA. Many projects are set up to use the UK-PP Travel System (designed by Steve Lloyd). If your project is not set up for this, you should contact us. We would ask that:
- LTAs are requested in advance of their starting.
- LTAs are for one year at a time.
- Ideally, requests start on 1 Apr and finish on 31 Mar, as appropriate. Obviously, if an LTA starts mid-year, that is fine; but we prefer that requests do not extend over the financial year boundary.
- Short but meaningful justifications for the LTA are given.
Once a Visit Notice has been approved, the Traveller will receive an email notification generated by the site. For further information, check 
The new 2023 guidelines - outline of financial support for University & PPD Staff on LTA (NOT Students)
VISAS and PASSPORTS:
Regarding Visa and Immigration regulations, visitors should decide in advance of their visit, whether they will live in France or Switzerland. If you decide to live in Switzerland no action is necessary as there is no visa requirement in Switzerland for UK nationals who are CERN personnel. If you decide to live in France you will need to obtain a D-type visa. You will need to contact your experiment Secretariat at least 4 weeks in advance of your arrival at CERN for them to start the process.
For Switzerland and France, if anyone is accompanying you who is a UK national and is not married to you or in a Civil Partnership with you, they will be subject to the entry regulations and procedures of whichever country you chose to reside in. You must be in possession of a valid passport which has more than 6 months of validity. You are responsible for checking that you have the necessary documents to live and work in Switzerland and/or France. You will find more on the CERN Users' Office site, please follow this link.
Convention d'accueil document is required in all cases for non-EU citizens as it serves as a short-term work permit until you receive your French and Swiss cards. Please apply for this document from your experiment secretariats.
HEALTHCARE:
Regarding medical insurance, CERN requires all visitors to have medical insurance coverage for both France and Switzerland irrespective of which country they will be staying in. You should clarify your cover with your institute.
Please see the CERN health insurance requirements
You can find more information about travelling as a UK citizen here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-residents-visiting-the-eueea-and-switzerland-healthcare.
IMPORTATION OF PERSONAL EFFECTS:
Please refer to the Guidelines, found on this page under Long-term attachment, Useful Information for specifics concerning removals at part of your LTA.
For Budget Holder-approved removals, as the Traveller, please gather three quotes and forward them to the UKLO Team, with a copy to your experiment PI. The UK Liaison Office will advise which quote is accepted. Generally, the Traveller must claim reimbursement of the removal charges.
ACCOMMODATION:
The majority of the UK research staff at CERN are happy to find their own accommodation. Please remember that if you decide to live in France you will need to apply for a D type Visa.
However, if you need support with the accommodation, we may be able to help as STFC holds leases for several properties in the region. All our accommodation is found in residential buildings located in Meyrin/Geneva, Switzerland. Please inform us in advance if you would like us to help.
Last updated 19/06/2024
