What is ATAS Clearance?
Do I need an ATAS certificate?
Your offer letter from King's will confirm whether you need to obtain ATAS clearance as one of your offer conditions. Contact the Admissions team through the King's Apply portal if you are unsure.
If you are applying for a new visa (either in the UK or overseas) to continue a course you are currently studying, or to resume studies that you interrupted, it is likely that you will need to get new ATAS clearance.
How do I apply for ATAS?
ATAS clearance applications are made on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) webpages. You will need your offer letter and your CAH code (a code for classifying academic subjects), which will be stated in your offer letter.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office have provided some helpful guidance on completing the ATAS application.
When should I submit my application?
ATAS clearance is valid for 6 months, so if your course starts in September, you could make your ATAS application any time after April.
We would recommend applying as early as you can, to avoid delays in receiving your ATAS certificate. Please be advised that you will not be able to apply for your visa until you have received your ATAS certificate.
When will I receive my ATAS certificate?
ATAS applications take at least 20 working days to be processed. Between April and September applications can take over 30 days.
Each ATAS application is specific to the course you applied for. If you have applied for more than one course that requires ATAS, you would need to submit a separate ATAS application for each course.
What happens once I get my ATAS certificate?
Changes after you have received your ATAS certificate
You will also need a new ATAS clearance if:
- There are changes to the course content or research proposal (changes include changes other than minor changes to areas of research of the use of a new research technique)
- You apply for a visa extension to continue your course
- You want to start a new course that requires ATAS
- You move to another institution
- You need further permission to stay for writing up your thesis
Please see Page 22-23 of the Student Sponsor Guidance for more details.