Visas & Letters of Invitation

The information below is intended to assist conference attendees with their travel arrangements. Please carefully review all of the information on this page before submitting a request for a Letter of Invitation.

Please consult the gov.uk website to establish whether you need to obtain a visa to enter the UK or contact the British Embassy in your home country to receive guidance on the application process and necessary documents. To attend and/or present at the Symposium, a Standard Visitor Visa should suffice.

Please note that if you are a US citizen, you do not need a Visa to enter the UK. Only your passport is required.

Make sure you allow enough time for the application. You can find out how long it takes to process a visa in your home country on the website.

As part of the visa application process, you may be required to submit a Letter of Invitation from the Oxford Symposium on Women's Studies (OSWS) Coordinator.

A Letter of Invitation is a formal document acknowledging the payment of registration fees and inviting the recipient to attend and participate in the upcoming Symposium. Essentially, it serves as an official justification for the individual's presence in the UK.

Your university may request this document for administrative purposes, and if you are from a country without a visa exemption agreement with the UK, it is likely to be a necessary component of the visa application process.

To access the letter, you MUST pay the registration fee and then fill out the form below.

The information you provide in the Letter of Invitation Request Form will be used in your letter, so please ensure its accuracy. 

Once you have completed the steps above our Letter of Invitation will be sent to you by email as a PDF attachment in 1-4 business days.

For inquiries about your visa status, please contact the British immigration authorities or the British Embassy in your home country.

Should your visa application be declined, it's important to understand that the Oxford Women's Leadership Symposium (OSWS) cannot influence the decision made by the British immigration authorities. Furthermore, the OSWS will not participate in discussions or correspondences with the British immigration authorities or the British Embassy on behalf of the applicant.*

If your Visa application is denied, please see our cancellation policy for information regarding refunds.

Additionally, please be aware that if you register late and subsequently apply for a visa late, resulting in a delay or rejection of your visa, you may not be eligible for a refund if the refund deadline has passed. By registering late and delaying your visa application, you acknowledge the potential risk of not receiving a refund.

The refund deadline is set two weeks before the final registration deadline. We do not assume responsibility for communicating the potential ineligibility for a refund, and you are expected to assume full responsibility in such circumstances.

*The OSWS is not authorised to assist with the visa process beyond providing a Letter of Invitation.