Athletes, coaches, officials and accredited media

These pages explain what you need to do if you want to visit the UK to participate in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games with accreditation as an athlete, coach, official or media representative.

(If you have accreditation in category codes OCOG, S or X, the information on this page is not for you. See the Other accredited people page to find out how you can come to the UK.)

Athletes, coaches, officials and accredited media for the Games (also known as 'Games family members') are selectively accredited by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

As part of the accreditation process, the UK Border Agency will run security checks on all applicants. You can find more information about the accreditation process at the bottom of this page.

Your accreditation card will allow you to access Olympic and Paralympic venues. In most cases, it will also act as a 'visa waiver' - this means that you will not need a visa if you come to the UK between 30 March and 8 November. See the Olympic and Paralympic Games family member visitors section if you will be coming to the UK between those dates.

If you want to come to the UK before 30 March 2012 to take part in an activity related to the Games, the Olympic/Paralympic Games visitors section tells you what you need to do.

Your accreditation card will not act as a visa for any countries other than the UK. The UK is not a signatory to the Schengen Treaty, which allows borderless passage through signatory countries of the EU. As a result, members of the Games Family travelling to the UK via other countries, including direct airside transit (including via EU/Schengen airports), must check the visa requirements of transit countries and obtain any necessary visas/permissions before travel.

Key dates

Date	Activity
Before 30 March 2012	Accreditation cards will not act as visa waivers, but LOCOG-approved Games family members can apply for an Olympic/Paralympic Games visit visa which will allow entry to the UK before and during the Games.
30 March 2012	Games family members can start applying for permission to enter or remain in the UK as Olympic and Paralympic Games family member visitors or child visitors. They can start using their accreditiation card as a visa waiver.
30 March to 8 May 2012	Olympic or Paralympic Games family member visitors and child visitors can visit the UK for up to 6 months.
9 May 2012 onwards	Olympic or Paralympic Games family member visitors and child visitors can visit the UK until 8 November 2012.
27 July to 12 August 2012	Olympic Games.
13 August to 8 November 2012	Olympic Games family members using their accreditation card as a visa waiver, and/or seeking entry as Olympic or Paralympic Games family member visitors and child visitors, must prove that they had permission to enter or stay in the UK at some point between 30 March and 12 August 2012.
29 August to 9 September 2012	Paralympic Games.
10 September to 8 November 2012	Paralympic Games family members using their accreditation card as a visa waiver, and/or seeking entry as Olympic or Paralympic Games family member visitors and child visitors, must prove that they had permission to enter or stay in the UK at some point between 30 March and 9 September 2012.
8 November 2012	All Olympic or Paralympic Games family member visitors and child visitors should depart the UK if they have not already done so.
9 November 2012	All permission to enter and stay in the UK as an Olympic or Paralympic Games family member visitor or child visitor expires, if it has not already done so.

How can you become accredited for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

Accreditation identifies people and their roles at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) outline the accreditation categories (such as 'athlete' and 'media') and set quotas for each accreditation category.

National organising committees and other responsible organisations nominate people for each accreditation category, and pass their biographical details to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). LOCOG passes each person's biographical details to the Home Office, which will recommend whether they should be accredited for the Games.

After considering this recommendation, LOCOG decides on behalf of the IOC and IPC whether to accredit them for the 2012 Olympic or Paralympic Games. If LOCOG decides to accredit them, it sends an Olympic Identity & Accreditation Card or a Paralympic Identity & Accreditation Card to the responsible organisation who nominated the person. The responsible organisation then provides the card to them.