ATAS Certificate Requirements

What is an ATAS certificate?

The ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) certificate is issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). It’s used to check that applicants studying certain sensitive subjects don’t pose a risk related to the spread of advanced knowledge (for example, in weapons or military-related technologies).

Who requires an ATAS certificate?

An applicant/student requires an ATAS certificate if:

• You are an international student (not from the UK, EU, EEA, or certain exempt countries)
• You are applying for a postgraduate course (Master’s or PhD) in specific subjects like:
  • • Engineering
    • Physics
    • Chemistry
    • Computer science (some areas)
    • Mathematics
• Or you are doing research in those fields

You cannot study or conduct research in the UK without an ATAS certificate if it is a condition or requirement of your visa.

When to apply for an ATAS certificate?

An ATAS certificate must be obtained:

• Before applying for a visa (i.e. Student Visa)
• Or before starting the course if you are a student who is already in the UK and switching courses
• It’s free to apply
• It usually takes a few weeks to process
• You will be made aware if you need to apply for an ATAS (it’ll be mentioned in your offer letter)

If your field of study has changed

If you are a student with an ATAS certificate requirement, you can only study within the field you applied for.

You must apply for a new ATAS certificate if:

• The content of your course changes
• Your primary supervisor changes
• Your end date changes (visa extensions)

Please contact the Student Visa Compliance and Advice team for further information on visa-enquiries@wlv.ac.uk. 

Find out how to apply: Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) - GOV.UK