18+ Student Oyster photocard
Who it's for
You can apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard if:
- You're 18 or over
- Live in a London borough during term time
- Enrolled at a school, college or university registered on the TfL scheme or on a mandatory work placement in London
What you get
- Save 30% on adult-rate Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets
- If you get a 16-25 Railcard or 26-30 Railcard, you'll save 1/3 on pay as you go off-peak fares and daily caps by adding the Railcard discount to your 18+ photocard to travel on the Tube, London Overground, Elizabeth line and most National Rail services in London
Who can apply
You must also be one of the following:
- Enrolled on a full-time course with at least 15 tuition-led or structured learning hours a week. You must attend classes Monday to Friday only (not including evening classes) that span a minimum of 14 weeks on the same course (shorter courses repeated over 14 or more weeks aren't eligible)
- Receiving an NHS Bursary as a full-time student. You must give your school, college or university evidence of your sponsorship so they can validate your application
- Full-time postgraduate student, studying or writing up to more than 15 hours a week
- Full-time student registered and studying on a higher education course at a school, college or university not registered with the TfL scheme but on mandatory work placement in London for at least 14 weeks
- Sabbatical officer
- Enrolled on a part-time course for at least 14 weeks and:
- Receiving an NHS Bursary
- A postgraduate student receiving financial help from your education establishment's hardship fund
If your school, college or university is outside Greater London but you live in a London borough during term time and travel regularly, ask your school, college or university if they're registered on the 18+ Student Oyster photocard scheme.
If you were 18 on 31 August and live in a London borough, you may still be eligible for a 16+ Zip Oyster photocard.
Before you apply
Once you've enrolled with your school, college or university, you'll need:
- Active email address
- Student enrolment ID from your school, college or university
- London borough address
- Digital photo which must be a .jpg, .bmp or .gif file and less than 6MB
- A debit or credit card to pay the £20 administration fee
Once you're enrolled on a mandatory work placement in London, you'll need:
- Active email address
- Student enrolment ID from your school, college or university
- Your work placement start and end date
- Digital photo which must be a .jpg, .bmp or .gif file and less than 6MB
- A debit or credit card to pay the £20 administration fee
Apply online
The first step is to set up a photocard web account.
Use a different email address if you already have an online account for another Oyster card.
After you apply
School, college or university course
- You can get a photocard valid for up to 3 years of your course
- We'll normally post your 18+ Student Oyster photocard to you once your school, college or university has approved your application
Work placement
Once you've applied online, you need to send us a letter confirming your work placement status from your school, college or university.
Send the letter to:
Transport for London
Admail 4121
London SW1P 1AT
It can take up to 2 weeks to process your application once we've received your letter.
- To check your application status, sign in to your photocard web account
- If you gave us your mobile number when you applied, we'll text you when your photocard is on its way
- Once you get it, you can use it straight away
- Make sure you always touch in at the start of your journey and touch out at the end on yellow card readers. You only need to touch in on buses and trams
- To manage your card, sign in to your photocard web account. You can also report a lost, stolen or damaged Oyster photocard
When it expires
Your 18+ Student Oyster photocard expires when your course or work placement ends.
Your school, college or university will tell us if you're no longer eligible or your course end date has changed. Your photocard will then be stopped.
Where to buy Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass tickets
Once you get your 18+ Student Oyster photocard, sign in to your photocard web account to:
- Buy discounted Travelcards
- Buy discounted Bus & Tram Pass season tickets
- Add pay as you go credit - you don't get discounted pay as you go fares
You can also buy discounted Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets at Oyster Ticket Stops, Tube, Elizabeth line, and London Overground stations.
How to register schools, colleges and universities
Schools, colleges and universities must register on the TfL scheme so their students can apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard. The registration fee is £25 (non-refundable).
If your location is outside London, but your students regularly commute from a London borough, you may be eligible to register.
Check if you're eligible to register
Register on the TfL scheme
Call 0343 222 1234 (call charges may apply) to register.
Support
Schools, colleges and universities already registered on the scheme which need support with their account should contact establishmentregistration@novacroft.com