Visitor Info

There are several ways of visiting the theory group:

  • As a short-term visitor, for up to three months. You should note the rules(*) below before applying. TH takes 4-6 weeks to review applications, so please apply sufficiently in advance of your visit.
  • As a scientific associate or a corresponding associate, for visits of between three months and a year (max 6 months for corresponding associates). Many people use this as part of a sabbatical leave from their home institution. There are two deadlines each year, typically in September and March, and we recommend that applications be sent at least a year in advance. The main CERN pages about scientific associates and corresponding associates give detailed eligibility conditions and links to the application forms. All applications should reach us no later than Sep 2nd, 2024 at midnight (23:59 CET).  for both scientific associates and corresponding associates.
  • In the context of a workshop or Institute. In this case you should directly contact the workshop or institute organizers. Offices are usually not provided for workshop participants.

Further details on short term visits

Physicists wishing to spend a short amount of time (usually from one week to three months) should apply for a short-term visit. All applications are submitted to the Visitor Committee.

We welcome many visitors in TH and have the following guidelines to help ensure the smooth running of the visitor programme:

All applications for short-term visits must be made exclusively via the web application form.

  • Please note that applications MUST be made in good time prior to the starting date of your visit in order to allow for correct processing and approval by the visitor committee. The committee's decision is communicated within 4 to 6 weeks of the application. If you need a visa, please allow an extra 8-10 weeks.
  • Requests for visits made less than 4 weeks before the proposed arrival date will not be accepted; visitors who 'invite themselves' and turn up without having contacted us previously will not be given office space. Such self-invited visitors are free to use desks in the library and public PC's.
  • Visits requested without financial support from CERN are NOT automatically accepted, and must also be approved by the TH visitor committee.
  • These rules apply also to Ph.D. students intending to visit their supervisors while at CERN.  Further information about visits by students can be found on the Students page.

In urgent cases of a visit at short notice, an endorsement of a staff member is required. However, an office cannot be guaranteed if the request is made less than a month ahead of time.

(*) Short Term Visitors Restrictions

If you have previously held a CERN contract as Staff Member or Scientific Associate (SASS), and are requesting financial support for a short-term visit, some restrictions may apply, as follows:

  • If you have held a Staff contract: you may not receive any financial support for a period of 12 months following the end of the contract.
  • If you have held a SASS/CASS contract: you may not receive any financial support for a period equivalent to half of the length of the contract (e.g., if you had a SASS contract for 6 months, you have to wait 3 months before receiving any allowance).

Affiliation: please note that all visitors to TH are required to be affiliated (i.e. hold a contract of employment) with, be enrolled as a student at, or be an emeritus member of, a recognized academic or research institution. Visit requests from candidates with no formal links to an institution unfortunately cannot be accepted.

Health insurance

Short term visitors should come with their own health insurance.

Visas

Please check here for details.