The Erasmus Pre-Departure Checklist: What to Do After Nomination and Before You Leave
A chronological Erasmus+ checklist for the weeks after nomination, with clear owners, applicability and proof for every essential task.
You have been nominated for Erasmus+, and now the question is what happens next. This Erasmus pre-departure checklist puts the work in order, so you know what to do, who owns each step and what counts as done.
The short answer: After your home university nominates you for Erasmus+, first check whether the host university still requires a separate application or acceptance. Then put every home and host deadline in one tracker, complete your Learning Agreement and grant steps, confirm the language-assessment requirement, check your travel and residence rules, arrange health cover and accommodation, and prepare your arrival documents. Your own universities' instructions come first, because deadlines and systems differ.
Reviewed by the HeyStudent Editorial Team · Last reviewed 12 October 2026 · Sources are listed at the end.
Start with these three actions today:
Save your nomination email, and note whether host acceptance is still pending.
Create one deadline tracker using both universities' instructions.
Write down the contacts for your sending Erasmus office, the host international office and your academic coordinator.
How to read this checklist. Every important task has four labels: Owner (who does it), Applies to (who it concerns), Proof (the email, signed document, policy or confirmation that means it is done) and Verify with (the official person or page that settles any doubt).
This guide is for first-time Erasmus+ study-exchange students, roughly one to four months before departure. We label the few places where traineeships differ. Treat it as an order of work, not a replacement for your university's instructions.
Your Erasmus pre-departure timeline at a glance
Stage | When | Main goal |
|---|---|---|
1. Immediately after nomination | First days | Confirm what is still pending, build your tracker and contact list |
2. When the host university sends instructions | As instructions arrive | Host application, Learning Agreement, grant agreement, language assessment |
3. One to three months before departure | Roughly 1–3 months out | Entry and residence route, health cover, accommodation, money plan |
4. The final 30 days | Last month | Document copies, reconfirmations, first payments, medication |
5. The final 48 hours and travel day | Last two days | Hand-luggage documents, offline copies, arrival details |
6. The first days after arrival | First week | Check-in, proof of arrival, residence or reporting steps, room condition |
1. Immediately after nomination
Does Erasmus nomination mean the host university has accepted me?
Not necessarily. Your home university's nomination may be followed by a host application or acceptance step, so check the host instructions. Where a separate host application is required, the host university may still need to make the final acceptance decision.
Check whether host acceptance is still pending.
Owner: you and the host international office.
Applies to: study exchange where the host approves separately.
Proof: a host acceptance email or instructions telling you what to do next.
Verify with: the host international office.
Build one deadline tracker. List every home and host deadline with its date, the person to contact and the status.
Owner: you.
Applies to: everyone.
Proof: a single tracker (a spreadsheet or notes file) holding both universities' dates.
Verify with: your sending Erasmus office and the host international office.
Save the right contacts. Keep the sending Erasmus office, the host international office and your academic coordinators at home and abroad.
Owner: you.
Applies to: everyone.
Proof: names, emails and office hours saved in your tracker.
Verify with: your sending university's outgoing-student page.
Check that your travel document is valid. Compare the expiry date of your passport or national ID card with your travel dates. Requirements depend on your nationality, route and destination, so there is no single rule.
Owner: you.
Applies to: everyone; the rules differ for EU and non-EU travellers (see stage 3).
Proof: a travel document that is valid for your route on the day you travel.
Verify with: the authority that issued your document, and the destination's official entry information.
Ask early about inclusion support if you may need it. Additional support may be available for students with physical, mental or health-related conditions. Ask your Erasmus coordinator about the procedure and evidence needed. Eligibility and amount are assessed, so assume neither.
Owner: sending university or national agency.
Applies to: students with relevant needs.
Proof: an application and a decision.
Verify with: your sending university's Erasmus coordinator.
2. When your host university sends instructions
What do I need to complete after the host university contacts me?
Host universities contact nominated students on different schedules. If the published timeframe has passed, check your spam folder and sending-office guidance before following up.
Complete the host application and get acceptance, where required.
Owner: you and the host office.
Applies to: study exchange where a host application is separate.
Proof: an acceptance email or letter from the host.
Verify with: the host international office.
Build and complete your Learning Agreement. For a study mobility, the Learning Agreement is established and signed by you, your sending institution and your receiving institution before you leave (Erasmus Without Paper, updated 24 March 2026).
Owner: you, with the academic coordinators at both universities.
Applies to: study exchange.
Proof: all three approvals or signatures recorded.
Verify with: your academic coordinators at home and abroad.
Review and sign your grant agreement. The Erasmus grant is a contribution to your travel and daily living costs. It is not a promise to cover everything (Erasmus+ — Studying abroad, updated 18 December 2025).
Owner: you and the sending institution.
Applies to: grant recipients.
Proof: a signed participant grant agreement.
Verify with: the sending Erasmus office.
Ask when your grant will be paid. The Erasmus Student Charter sets timing conditions for pre-financing. Those conditions refer to the signed grant agreement, the mobility start date and, in some cases, confirmation of arrival. Check how they apply in your agreement, ask your sending office for the planned date in writing and do not budget around an assumed date.
Owner: sending institution.
Applies to: grant recipients.
Proof: your signed agreement plus a planned payment date confirmed in writing.
Verify with: the sending Erasmus office.
Check whether you need the OLS language assessment. For higher-education mobility of at least 14 days, taking the Online Language Support (OLS) assessment in the language of your mobility is a pre-departure prerequisite, except for native speakers or duly justified cases. The result does not prevent you from taking part. Language courses on the platform are an optional extra, not the test (Erasmus+ Online Language Support, updated 5 October 2026). If the language of your mobility is not covered by OLS, your sending or receiving organisation may provide linguistic support another way.
Owner: you; the sending organisation gives access.
Applies to: eligible higher-education participants.
Proof: your assessment status, or a documented exception.
Verify with: the sending Erasmus office.
3. One to three months before departure
Do I need a visa or residence registration for Erasmus?
It depends on who you are and where you are going. Erasmus status alone does not give one answer.
If you are an EU national studying in another EU country: the host country cannot require residence registration during your first three months, although reporting-presence rules can differ. After three months it may require registration and evidence of enrolment, health cover and sufficient resources (Your Europe — student residence rights, last checked 30 September 2026).
Owner: you and the local authority.
Applies to: EU nationals studying in another EU country.
Proof: a note of the destination's rule and, if required, your registration evidence.
Verify with: the host university and the destination's official residence authority.
If you are not an EU national: check the rule for your nationality, your current permit, your destination and your length of stay. An existing visa or permit does not give one universal answer. Students covered by an EU programme or a university agreement may have a mobility route, sometimes with a notification step (EU Immigration Portal).
Owner: you, the host university and the destination authority.
Applies to: non-EU nationals.
Proof: written confirmation, visa, permit or notification, as applicable.
Verify with: the destination country's immigration authority and the host international office. We cannot tell you which rule applies to your case.
How should I arrange health cover?
Make sure you are covered. The Erasmus Student Charter says you should ensure that you have health insurance coverage for your stay.
Understand what the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is. The EHIC gives eligible people access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay, under local conditions and costs. It is not travel insurance. It does not cover private care, return flights or lost property, and care is not guaranteed to be free (European Commission — EHIC). Eligibility depends on your national insurance status. Confirm with your national insurer that your destination is covered.
Owner: you and your national health insurer.
Applies to: insured students eligible for an EHIC in covered countries.
Proof: a valid EHIC or provisional replacement certificate, plus documentation of any additional policy you choose or are required to hold.
Verify with: your national health insurer.
Traineeships only: also confirm liability and accident insurance with your host organisation.
Owner: you and the traineeship host.
Applies to: Erasmus+ trainees.
Proof: a policy or certificate showing the period and cover.
Verify with: the host organisation and your sending office.
How early should I sort out accommodation?
Accommodation deadlines and availability depend on the host, city, provider and season. Start researching early; commit only when your acceptance, dates and cancellation terms give you enough certainty. Before you pay, run the readiness checks below. For scams and red flags, read our guide on how to find student accommodation abroad safely.
Accommodation-readiness checklist
Check that the tenancy dates match your mobility dates.
Read the contract and the cancellation terms before you pay.
Confirm the total due before arrival, what bills are included, and whether a deposit or guarantor applies.
Confirm the address, the move-in time and how you collect the keys.
Ask what the room includes, so you can pack accurately.
Keep the contract, payment receipt and provider contact details offline.
Owner: you and the accommodation provider. Applies to: everyone. Proof: a written contract and payment receipt. Verify with: the accommodation provider, in writing.
Once your destination and dates are confirmed, browse student accommodation on HeyStudent.
How do I plan my money?
This is HeyStudent practical guidance, not an official Erasmus rule. Plan your cash flow for the first month, rent, any deposit and travel. Do not assume the grant will cover every expense or arrive on a set date.
Owner: you.
Applies to: everyone.
Proof: a written first-month plan using only confirmed amounts and dates.
Verify with: the sending Erasmus office for grant details.
When should I book travel?
This is also HeyStudent practical guidance. Book only when your dates and acceptance are sufficiently confirmed. If either is pending, check the change and cancellation conditions before paying.
Owner: you.
Applies to: everyone.
Proof: a booking confirmation and saved change and cancellation conditions.
Verify with: the host office for your dates, and the carrier for fare conditions.
4. Your final 30-day Erasmus checklist
What should I complete in the last month before Erasmus?
Copy your document pack, online and offline. Include your ID or passport, acceptance, signed Learning Agreement, grant agreement, insurance details and accommodation contract.
Reconfirm travel and accommodation. Check your dates, the move-in time and the key-collection process.
Confirm the first payment, deposit and receipts.
Check your phone, bank card and authentication access abroad.
Sort out medication. A prescription from one EU country can generally be recognised in another, but the medicine may have a different name or may be unavailable (Your Europe — medicine abroad, last checked 26 August 2026). Talk to your clinician or pharmacist before you travel and check the destination's rules, which vary, especially for controlled medicines.
Save your emergency and key contacts. In the EU, you can call 112 free from fixed and mobile phones for emergency services (Your Europe — emergencies, last checked 22 June 2026). Also save your university and accommodation contacts.
Pack for the first 48 hours first. Check what the room includes, instead of following an oversized generic packing list.
Owner: you. Applies to: everyone. Proof: each item ticked in your tracker. Verify with: the accommodation provider for contract, payment and keys; your sending Erasmus office for grant papers; your clinician or pharmacist for medication; your bank for card access abroad.
5. The final 48 hours and travel day
Recheck your travel status and any route-specific documents. EU nationals travelling within the EU/EEA/Switzerland should carry a valid passport or national ID card, valid on the day of travel (Your Europe — travel documents, last checked 16 June 2026). Other travellers should check the destination and re-entry requirements.
Put your identity document, acceptance, insurance and accommodation proof in your hand luggage.
Download offline copies, the address and directions.
Reconfirm key collection and late-arrival instructions.
Keep payment methods and emergency contacts easy to reach.
Owner: you. Applies to: everyone. Proof: documents in your hand luggage and offline copies saved. Verify with: your carrier for travel, the accommodation provider for keys and late arrival, and the host international office for arrival instructions.
6. Your first days after arrival
Follow the host university's check-in and orientation instructions.
Get proof of arrival if your institution requires it.
Complete any residence or reporting steps that apply to you.
Photograph the condition of your room and report any problems promptly, in writing.
If your courses change, request Learning Agreement changes through the correct parties at both universities.
Owner: you, the host office and your academic coordinators. Applies to: everyone, with local variations. Proof: arrival confirmation and approved changes. Verify with: the host international office for check-in and arrival proof, your academic coordinators for course changes, and the local authority for residence steps.
Who should you contact if you are stuck?
If your question is about | Contact first |
|---|---|
Host application, acceptance or arrival instructions | The receiving (host) international office |
Grant agreement, payment date, OLS access or inclusion support | The sending (home) Erasmus office |
Course choice, credit recognition or Learning Agreement approval | The academic coordinators at your home and host universities |
Visa, residence or entry requirement | The destination country's public authority, with guidance from the host office |
Health-card (EHIC) eligibility | Your national health insurer |
Contract, bills, deposit, cancellation or keys | The accommodation provider, landlord or platform, in writing |
Final word
A task is only done when you have its proof: the email, the signed document, the policy or the written confirmation.
Sources and review
Last reviewed 12 October 2026 by the HeyStudent Editorial Team. Official pages can change, so check each source for the latest wording, and follow your universities' instructions where they differ.
Erasmus Without Paper — how it works (updated 24 March 2026)
Erasmus+ — Studying abroad (updated 18 December 2025)
Erasmus Student Charter (accessed 12 October 2026)
Erasmus+ Online Language Support (updated 5 October 2026)
European Commission — European Health Insurance Card (accessed 12 October 2026)
Your Europe — student residence rights (last checked 30 September 2026)
EU Immigration Portal — what category do I fit (accessed 12 October 2026)
Erasmus+ — students and staff with physical, mental or health-related conditions (updated 16 September 2026)
Your Europe — emergencies (last checked 22 June 2026)
Your Europe — travel documents for EU nationals (last checked 16 June 2026)
Your Europe — medicine abroad (last checked 26 August 2026)
University of Eastern Finland — outgoing exchange checklist (accessed 12 October 2026)
