PASSPORTS & VISAS

Passports & Visas

At the directive of the tour party leader passengers may be travelling on group collective passport OR may be required to travel with their own individual passports. Please make sure you are clear regarding the schools requirements.

Individual Passports

Where schools require that students travel with individual passports ALL passengers must be in possession of their own valid, standard 10yr passport.
We advise that passengers check well in advance of the tour that all travel documents are valid. To assist with preparation of this please consider the following:

• The passport office recommendations state that the expiry date on the passport is at least 6 months after the return date into the United Kingdom.
• Passengers who are not British Nationals should consult with their embassy for advice with respect to any visa requirements for travel to from and within the country of their destination.
• For assistance with visa requirements for your destination refer to the website of the Foreign Commonwealth office at www.fco.gov.uk
• Non EU nationals are required by officials to be identified at entry and exit ports.
• Please allow at least 4 to 6 weeks if applying for a new individual passport.
• Premium 1 day services are NOT available for NEW passport applications and the fast track service requires a week to deliver the passport after the date of submission and can be costly.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAVEL INSURANCE

Ultima Tours/Ski Astons travel insurance is included as standard on Ultima Tours/Ski Astons tours.
Our insurance has been tailor-made to match the activities provided by Ultima Tours/Ski Astons and to provide additional cover and protection for schools and groups.

ARRANGING YOUR OWN TRAVEL INSURANCE

Whilst Ultima Tours/Ski Astons travel insurance is included in the cost of the trip it is not compulsory, and you are welcome to make your own arrangements. If you do decide to make your own arrangements, the cost of the trip will not change, and we ask that you check the cover carefully to ensure that it meets your needs.
Whatever you decide, you must let us know, and provide us with a copy of the policy. You should also take a copy of the policy on expedition with you, and make sure that you are aware of who you need to contact in the case of a medical emergency. It is a good idea to put the emergency telephone numbers shown in the policy into your mobile phone.

INSURANCE POLICY DOCUMENTS

As with any insurance, it is important that you read the policy document to check it is suitable for all members of your group. We recommend you include links to the insurance documents in any letters to parents or pre-booking presentations, so that parents, other teachers and Party Leaders travelling can also ensure the cover is correct for their child and themselves.

MEDICAL SCREENINGS

If you have an existing medical condition, it is important that you obtain the right cover for your condition at a reasonable price.
If you have an existing medical condition, you must call our insurers on 0203 829 6556 (9am – 6pm Monday to Friday) and declare any existing medical conditions.
Our insurers cover hundreds of medical conditions as standard, however if the condition is serious, they may require you to pay an additional premium or apply an additional medical excess to your policy. If an additional premium is required, you should pay this directly to the insurers.
If you feel the price you are quoted is too high, or our insurers are unable to provide cover, we want to let you know that you can access a number of specialist providers on a directory provided by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS)