If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you and your family can apply to the EUSettlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. If your application is successful, you’ll get either settled or pre-settled status.

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

You may be able to stay in the UK without applying – for example, if you’re an Irish citizen or have indefinite leave to remain.

Sign up for email updates about the scheme.

The EU Settlement Scheme is open. You can apply now if you meet the criteria.

The deadline for applying is 30 June 2021.

Which status you get may depend on when you apply.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal

You will need to be living in the UK before it leaves the EU to apply. The deadline for applying will be 31 December 2020.

It’s free to apply to the scheme.

Updated translations of this guide will be available in 26 European languages soon.

Except in a few cases, you need to apply if:

• you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
• you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, but your family member is

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

This means you need to apply even if you:

• were born in the UK but are not a British citizen – you can check if you’re a British citizen if you’re not sure
• have a UK ‘permanent residence document’
• are a family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who does not need to apply – including if they’re from Ireland
• are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen with a British citizen family member

You may be able to apply if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen but:

• you used to have an EU, EEA or Swiss family member living in the UK (but you’ve separated, or they’ve died)
• you’re the family member of a British citizen and you lived outside the UK in an EEA country together
• you’re the family member of a British citizen who also has EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship and who lived in the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen before getting British citizenship
• you’re the primary carer of a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
• you’re the child of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who used to live and work in the UK, or the child’s primary carer

Read guidance on how to apply if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.

You do not need to apply if you have:

• indefinite leave to enter the UK
• indefinite leave to remain in the UK
• British or Irish citizenship (including ‘dual citizenship’)

Settled or pre-settled status will mean you can:

– work in the UK

– use the NHS

– access public funds such as benefits and pensions, if you’re eligible for them

– bring family members to the UK after 31 December 2020 – they could also come here on a family visa

– travel in and out of the UK

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and you moved to the UK before it joined the EU

You only need to apply if you do not have indefinite leave to remain. If you do have indefinite leave to remain, you’ll usually have a stamp in your passport or a letter from the Home Office saying this.

If you work in the UK but do not live here (‘frontier worker’)

You do not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if you’re a ‘frontier worker’.

Read the guidance for frontier workers to find out:

• whether you qualify as a frontier worker
• what your rights will be
• what your family members need to do to stay in the UK

If you’re exempt from immigration control

You cannot apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. You do not need to do anything to continue living in the UK while you’re exempt from immigration control.

You’ll have been told if you’re exempt from immigration control, for example because you’re:

• a foreign diplomat posted in the UK
• a member of NATO

If you stop being exempt, for example if you change jobs, you will usually need to apply to the scheme within 90 days. You’ll be able to apply after the deadline of 30 June 2021, as long as you were living in the UK before 31 December 2020.

The rights and status of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens living in the UK will remain the same until 30 June 2021, if the UK leaves the EU with a deal.

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

If you apply to the EU Settlement Scheme successfully, you’ll be able to continue living and working in the UK after 30 June 2021.

You’ll be given either:

• settled status
• pre-settled status

You will not be asked to choose which you’re applying for. Which status you get depends on how long you’ve been living in the UK when you apply. Your rights will be different depending on which status you get.

You’ll usually get settled status if you’ve:

• started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 (or by the date the UK leaves the EU without a deal)
• lived in the UK for a continuous 5-year period (known as ‘continuous residence’)

Five years’ continuous residence means that for 5 years in a row you’ve been in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 6 months in any 12 month period. The exceptions are:

• one period of up to 12 months for an important reason (for example, childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training or an overseas work posting)
• compulsory military service of any length
• time you spent abroad as a Crown servant, or as the family member of a Crown servant
• time you spent abroad in the armed forces, or as the family member of someone in the armed forces

You can stay in the UK as long as you like if you get settled status. You’ll also be able to apply for British citizenship if you’re eligible.

If you do not have 5 years’ continuous residence when you apply, you’ll usually get pre-settled status. You must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 (or by the date the UK leaves the EU without a deal).

You can then apply to change this to settled status once you’ve got 5 years’ continuous residence.

If you’ll reach 5 years’ continuous residence at some point before 30 December 2020, you can choose to wait to apply until you reach 5 years’ continuous residence. This means that if your application is successful, you’ll get settled status without having to apply for pre-settled status first.

You can stay in the UK for a further 5 years from the date you get pre-settled status.

You’ll be able to:

• work in the UK
• use the NHS
• enrol in education or continue studying
• access public funds such as benefits and pensions, if you’re eligible for them
• travel in and out of the UK

If you want to spend time outside the UK

If you have settled status, you can spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status.

If you’re a Swiss citizen, you and your family members can spend up to 4 years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status.

If you have pre-settled status, you can spend up to 2 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status. You will need to maintain your continuous residence if you want to qualify for settled status.

If you have children after applying

If you get settled status, any children born in the UK while you’re living here will automatically be British citizens.

If you get pre-settled status, any children born in the UK will be automatically eligible for pre-settled status. They will only be a British citizen if they qualify for it through their other parent.

Your close family members can join you in the UK before 31 December 2020 (or before 31 December 2025 if you’re a Swiss citizen). They’ll need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme once they’re here.

You may still be able to bring family members after 31 December 2020. It will depend on where you’re from, when your relationship with your family member started, and whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal.

If you cannot bring your family member under the EU Settlement Scheme, they may still be able to come here in a different way, for example on a family visa.

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal

If you’re a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, you’ll be able to bring close family members to the UK after 31 December 2020 if both of the following apply:

• your relationship with them began before 31 December 2020
• you are still in the relationship when they apply to join you

If you’re a Swiss citizen, you’ll be able to bring close family members to the UK after 31 December 2025 if both of the following apply:

• your relationship with them began before 31 December 2025
• you are still in the relationship when they apply to join you

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal

If you’re an EU citizen, the deadline for close family members joining you in the UK is 29 March 2022. You’ll only be able to bring them here if:

• your relationship with them began before the UK left the EU
• you are still in the relationship when they apply to join you

If you’re a citizen of Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you’ll be able to bring close family members after the UK leaves the EU if both the following apply:

• your relationship with them began before the UK left the EU
• you are still in the relationship when they apply to join you

If you’re not living in the UK by 31 December 2020, you’ll be able to apply to join your family member here after that date if both:

– your relationship began before 31 December 2020 and will continue when you come to the UK

– you’re a close family member, for example a spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, a dependent child or grandchild, or a dependent parent or grandparent

When you apply, you’ll need proof of:

• your identity
• your residence in the UK, unless you have a valid permanent residence document, or valid indefinite leave to remain in or enter the UK

Proof of identity

You need a valid passport or national identity card. You also need to provide a digital photo of your face.

If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you can use any of the following:

• valid passport
• biometric residence card
• biometric residence permit

If you do not have any of these you may be able to use other evidence in certain situations. Contact the EU Settlement Resolution Centre if you do not have an identity document.

When you apply, you can either:

• scan your document and upload your photo using the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app for Android
• send your document in the post and upload your photo using the online application (you can take this yourself)

Scan your document

You can only use the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app for Android to scan your document if you have one of the following:

• valid EU, EEA or Swiss passport or ID card, if its biometric
• UK-issued biometric residence card

Otherwise you’ll need to send your documents by post.

You can use someone else’s Android phone to prove your identity. You can also visit one of the organisations offering to scan your document for you. You’ll need to book an appointment and you may have to pay a fee.

The ‘ID Document Check’ app will be available for iPhone by the end of 2019.

Send your document by post

You must send your document by post if you have a:

• non-EU or EEA passport
• biometric residence permit
• non-biometric ID card

If you have any other identity document, you can send it in the post if you cannot use the ‘ID Document Check’ app.

You’ll get your document back as soon as it has been scanned. This could be before you get your decision.

Proof of continuous residence

To be eligible for settled status, you usually need to have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 6 months in any 12 month period for 5 years in a row. You need to provide proof of this when you apply.

If you’ve not lived here for 5 years in a row you may still be eligible for pre-settled status.

You can give your National Insurance number to allow an automated check of your residence based on tax and certain benefit records.

If this check is successful, you’ll not need to provide any documents as proof of residence. You’ll only need to provide documents if you have been here for 5 years in a row but there is not enough data to confirm this.

The Home Office will tell you immediately after you apply if you need to provide any documents. You should submit photos or scans of your documents through the online application form, rather than sending them by post.

Read what documents you can provide to the Home Office if you’re asked to provide more evidence.

If you have criminal convictions

If you’re 18 or over, the Home Office will check you have not committed serious or repeated crimes, and that you do not pose a security threat.

You’ll be asked to declare convictions that appear in your criminal record in the UK or overseas.

You do not need to declare any of the following:

• convictions that do not need to be disclosed (‘spent convictions’)
• warnings (‘cautions’)
• alternatives to prosecution, for example speeding fines

You’ll also be checked against the UK’s crime databases.

You’ll still be eligible for settled or pre-settled status if you’ve only been convicted of a minor crime.

You may still get settled or pre-settled status even if you have other convictions. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

If you’ve been to prison, you usually need 5 years’ continuous residence from the day you were released to be considered for settled status.

If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen

You’ll usually need to provide proof of your relationship to your family member from the EU, EEA or Switzerland.

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

The scheme is open – you can apply now if you’re eligible.

You can also choose to apply later depending on your circumstances.

The deadline for applying will be 30 June 2021, or 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

You can apply using any device, for example, a laptop, Android device or iPhone.

Check what you’ll need before you apply.

Start now

The Home Office will use the personal information you provide to decide whether to grant your application. Find out how the Home Office will process your personal information.

Continue your application

If you’ve already started to apply, you can continue your application.

You cannot use the online service to apply to the scheme if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and you’re applying as:

• the family member of a British citizen you lived with in Switzerland or an EUor EEA country that is not the UK
• the family member of a British citizen who also has EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship and who lived in the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen before getting British citizenship
• the primary carer of a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
• the child of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who used to live and work in the UK, and you’re in education – or you’re the child’s primary carer

Call the EU Settlement Resolution Centre to find out how to apply. You’ll be asked a few questions over the phone before you’re sent the application form.

Fees

It’s free to apply to the scheme.

If you paid a fee when you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll get a refund.

You can get help with your application on the phone or online. The phone number is different if you’re from a local council or another organisation helping others to apply.

If you’re inside the UK
Telephone: 0300 123 7379
Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm
Find out about call charges

If you’re outside the UK
Telephone: +44 (0)203 080 0010
Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm

If you’re from an organisation helping others to apply
Telephone: 0300 790 0566
Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm
Find out about call charges

Use the EU Settlement Scheme contact form to get help online.

You can get support over the phone or in person if you need help doing things online.

You may be able to apply if:

• you’re a family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
• you’re the family member of a British citizen and you lived outside the UK in an EEA country together
• you’re the family member of a British citizen who also has EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship and who lived in the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen before getting British citizenship
• you used to have an EU, EEA or Swiss family member living in the UK
• you’re the primary carer of a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
• you’re the child of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who used to live and work in the UK, or the child’s primary carer

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

You can apply if you’re in a relationship with an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen as their spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner.

You can also apply if you’re related to an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, their spouse or civil partner as their:

• child, grandchild or great-grandchild under 21 years old
• dependent child over the age of 21
• dependent parent, grandparent or great-grandparent
• dependent relative

Your EU, EEA or Swiss family member will usually need to apply as well.

You can apply if you’re the family member of an Irish citizen, even though they do not need to.

If you’re eligible because you’re the family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you can apply using the online service.

You may be eligible if you lived outside the UK in an EU or EEA country (or Switzerland) with your family member, and you’re:

• married to or in a civil partnership with them
• under 21 years old, and are their child or grandchild
• 21 years or older, and are their dependent child or grandchild
• their dependent parent or grandparent

The country that you lived in together must have been your main residence. Your British family member must also have been working, studying or self-sufficient in the country while there.

You cannot use the online service to apply if this is how you qualify for the scheme.

You need to call the EU Settlement Resolution Centre to find out how to apply. You’ll be asked a few questions over the phone before you’re sent the application form.

You may be able to apply if you used to have a family member living in the UK. This is called a ‘retained right of residence’.

If you’re eligible because you have retained rights of residence, you can apply using the online service.

If you’re in education in the UK

You can apply if you’re in education in the UK and one of the following is true:

• you’re the child of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who has left the UK or died
• one of your parents is the spouse or civil partner of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who has left the UK or died
• one of your parents was previously the spouse or civil partner of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who has left the UK or died

If you qualify through any of these circumstances, your parent is also eligible, providing they have custody of you.

If your family member has died

You can also apply if your family member has died, and you lived continuously in the UK as their family member for at least one year immediately before their death.

If you were previously married or in a civil partnership

You can also apply if your marriage or civil partnership to an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen ended with a divorce, annulment or dissolution, and you lived in the UK when it ended.

One of the following must also apply:

• the marriage or civil partnership lasted for at least 3 years and you’d both been living in the UK for at least one year during that time
• you have custody of the EU, EEA or Swiss citizen’s child
• you have been given right of access in the UK to the EU, EEA or Swiss citizen’s child – the child must be under 18
• you have the right to live in the UK because you were the victim of domestic abuse in the marriage or civil partnership

You may be able to apply if you’re the primary carer of a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living in the UK. Any dependent children you have may also be able to apply.

To be someone’s primary carer, you must be both:

• responsible for their day to day care, including making decisions about their education, health, and finances
• a family member or their legal guardian

You can share these responsibilities with someone else.

You cannot use the online service to apply if this is how you qualify for the scheme.

You need to call the EU Settlement Resolution Centre to find out how to apply. You’ll be asked a few questions over the phone before you’re sent the application form.

If you’re the primary carer of an adult

You can apply if you’re the primary carer of a dependent adult who is a British citizen.

If you’re the primary carer of a child

You can apply if you’re the primary carer of a British child, or an EU, EEA or Swiss child who is financially independent.

You can also apply if you’re the primary carer of an EU, EEA or Swiss child who:

• is in education in the UK
• has an EU, EEA or Swiss parent who has worked in the UK when the child has lived in the UK
• has an EU, EEA or Swiss parent who has lived in the UK when the child has been in education
• has an EU, EEA or Swiss parent who has stopped working in the UK, or left the UK

You’ll need to provide proof of your relationship to your EU, EEA or Swiss citizen family member – for example, a birth, marriage or civil partnership certificate, or a residence card. You can scan and submit this through the online application form.

If you apply before your family member, you’ll also need to provide evidence of their identity and residence.

You do not need to provide any evidence if you have a valid ‘UK permanent residence document’.

If you do not have a biometric residence card, you’ll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS)service point to provide your biometric information (your fingerprints and a photo, or a photo if you’re under 5) when you apply.

When you need to provide more evidence

In some cases, you’ll also need to provide the same documents as you would for a residence card application.

Check which documents you’d provide for a residence card application if:

• your family member is a British citizen and you lived together in an EU or EEA country that is not the UK, or in Switzerland – known as a ‘Surinder Singh’ application
• your family member is both a British citizen and an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, and lived in the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen before getting British citizenship
• you used to have an EU, EEA or Swiss family member living in the UK – known as a ‘retained rights of residence’ application
• you’re the primary carer of a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
• you’re the child of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who used to live and work in the UK, or their primary carer

The scheme is open now. The deadline for applying is 30 June 2021, except for in a few cases.

You’ll probably get a decision more quickly if you apply at the same time or after your family member applies.

Your family member will be given an application number when they apply. You can use this to ‘link’ your application to theirs, so that your applications are considered together.

If you’re the family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who has died

You might be eligible for settled status before you’ve been living in the UK for 5 years.

Your family member must have been working or self-employed in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man at the time of their death. You must also have been living with them just before their death and either:

• they lived continuously in the UK the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 2 years before their death
• their death was the result of an accident at work or an occupational disease

If you’re overseas and a family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living in the UK

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal and you’re not living in the UK by 31 December 2020, you’ll be able to apply to join your family member here after that date if all of the following apply:

• your family member has either settled or pre-settled status
• your relationship began before 31 December 2020
• you remain a close family member, for example a spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, a dependent child or grandchild, or a dependent parent or grandparent

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal the deadline for you to join your family member in the UK is 29 March 2022.

The scheme will open fully by March 2019.

The deadline for applying will be 30 June 2021. You may be able to apply after this date if you’re joining a family member with settled status in the UK.

The application form will be online. You’ll be able to get support over the phone or in person if you need help doing things online.

When you apply, you’ll need proof of:

– your identity

– your residence in the UK, unless you have a valid permanent residence document or valid indefinite leave to remain

– your relationship to a family member from the EU living in the UK, if you’re from outside the EU

Proof of identity

You’ll need a valid passport or national identity card. If you’re from outside the EU, you can use a valid passport or biometric residence card.

When you apply, you’ll be able to either:

– scan your identity document using an Android mobile phone or tablet

– send your document by post

You’ll also need to upload a recent digital photo of your face.

Proof of continuous residence

If you’ve paid tax through work or received benefits, you can use your National Insurance number to help confirm when you’ve been resident in the UK.

You’ll be told if you need to give any further evidence to prove your continuous residence, for example:

– P60s or P45s
– payslips
– bank statements
– utility bills
– annual business accounts
– employer contracts or letters confirming employment
– letters, invoices or certificates from accredited educational organisations
– passport stamps confirming entry at the UK border
– airline or train tickets confirming travel into the UK

You’ll be able to submit scans of these documents through the online application form.

You will not need to provide evidence of your entire residence in the UK, only for the period that proves you’re eligible for settled or pre-settled status.

If you have criminal convictions

If you’re over 18 you’ll be asked about your criminal history in the UK and overseas. You’ll also be checked against the UK’s crime databases.

If you’ve only been convicted of a minor crime, for example you’ve had a speeding fine, you’ll still be eligible for settled or pre-settled status.

You may still get settled or pre-settled status even if you have other convictions. This will be judged on a case-by-case basis.

If you’ve been to prison, you’ll usually need at least 5 years’ continuous residence from the day you were released to be considered for settled status.

If you’re from outside the EU

You’ll need to provide proof of your relationship to your EU citizen family member (for example, a birth, marriage or civil partnership certificate). You’ll be able to scan and submit this through the online application form. You’ll also need to provide evidence of your family member’s identity and residence.

You’ll need to provide your fingerprints and a photo of your face at an application centre in the UK. You will not need to do this if you already have a biometric residence card.

If you’re the parent of an adopted child

You’ll need to provide a legal adoption document recognised in the UK.

If you’ve not been living in the UK for 5 years

When you should apply depends on when you’ll qualify for ‘continuous residence’. This means the date you’ll have been in the UK for at least 6 months of each of the last 5 years.

If you’ll qualify for continuous residence before 30 June 2021, you should apply on or after the date that you qualify for it. You should then only need to apply once.

If you will not qualify for continuous residence before 30 June 2021, you must apply to get pre-settled status. You’ll then need to apply for settled status once you qualify for continuous residence.

If you’re applying as a family member of an EU citizen

Your application for status will be considered along with your family member’s application.

You’ll probably get a decision more quickly if you apply at the same time as your family member.

The process of applying to the EU Settlement Scheme is different if you have a permanent residence document or indefinite leave to enter or remain.

If you have a valid ‘UK permanent residence document’

If you have a valid UK permanent residence document, you’ll have one of the following:

• a certificate inside your blue ‘residence documentation’ booklet (or pink if you’re a Swiss national)
• a certificate inside your passport
• a biometric residence card confirming permanent residence (only if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen)

Your document is not a permanent residence document if it has ‘registration certificate’ written on it.

If you’re from the EU, EEA or Switzerland your permanent residence document will say ‘Document Certifying Permanent Residence’.

If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, your biometric residence card will say ‘Permanent Residence Status’.

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

What you must do

To continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021 you must either:

• apply to the EU Settlement Scheme – you will not have to prove you have 5 years’ continuous residence
• apply for citizenship before 30 June 2021 (or 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal)

Indefinite leave to enter or remain (ILR) are types of immigration status.

You’ll usually have applied for indefinite leave to enter or remain. You’ll have a stamp in your passport or a letter from the Home Office. You could also have a ‘vignette’ (sticker) or a biometric residence permit.

You can continue to live in the UK without applying to the EU Settlement Scheme if you have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK. However, if you choose to apply (and meet all the other conditions), you’ll get ‘indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme’ – also known as settled status.

This means you should be able to spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status (instead of 2 years with the indefinite leave to enter or remain you have now).

If you’re a Swiss citizen, you and your family members can spend up to 4 years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status.

You will not have to prove you have 5 years’ continuous residence.

If you moved to the UK before it joined the EU on 1 January 1973

You may have been given ILR automatically if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who lived in the UK before 1973. If you were, you will not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to stay in the UK after June 2021.

If you do not have a document confirming your ILR status, you can either:

• apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to get settled or pre-settled status
• apply to the Windrush scheme to get proof of your ILR status

If you’re from Malta or Cyprus, you could also apply for British citizenship through the Windrush scheme.

Applications for either scheme are free of charge.

The process of applying to the EU Settlement Scheme is different if you have a permanent residence document or indefinite leave to enter or remain.

If you have a valid UK permanent residence document, you’ll have one of the following:

• a certificate inside your blue ‘residence documentation’ booklet (or pink if you’re a Swiss national)
• a certificate inside your passport
• a biometric residence card confirming permanent residence (only if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen)

Your document is not a permanent residence document if it has ‘registration certificate’ written on it.

If you’re from the EU, EEA or Switzerland your permanent residence document will say ‘Document Certifying Permanent Residence’.

If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, your biometric residence card will say ‘Permanent Residence Status’.

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

What you must do

To continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021 you must either:

• apply to the EU Settlement Scheme – you will not have to prove you have 5 years’ continuous residence
• apply for citizenship before 30 June 2021 (or 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal)

If you have a valid UK permanent residence document, you’ll have one of the following:

• a certificate inside your blue ‘residence documentation’ booklet (or pink if you’re a Swiss national)
• a certificate inside your passport
• a biometric residence card confirming permanent residence (only if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen)

Your document is not a permanent residence document if it has ‘registration certificate’ written on it.

If you’re from the EU, EEA or Switzerland your permanent residence document will say ‘Document Certifying Permanent Residence’.

If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, your biometric residence card will say ‘Permanent Residence Status’.

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

What you must do

To continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021 you must either:

• apply to the EU Settlement Scheme – you will not have to prove you have 5 years’ continuous residence
• apply for citizenship before 30 June 2021 (or 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal)

Indefinite leave to enter or remain (ILR) are types of immigration status.

You’ll usually have applied for indefinite leave to enter or remain. You’ll have a stamp in your passport or a letter from the Home Office. You could also have a ‘vignette’ (sticker) or a biometric residence permit.

You can continue to live in the UK without applying to the EU Settlement Scheme if you have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK. However, if you choose to apply (and meet all the other conditions), you’ll get ‘indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme’ – also known as settled status.

This means you should be able to spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status (instead of 2 years with the indefinite leave to enter or remain you have now).

If you’re a Swiss citizen, you and your family members can spend up to 4 years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status.

You will not have to prove you have 5 years’ continuous residence.

If you moved to the UK before it joined the EU on 1 January 1973

You may have been given ILR automatically if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who lived in the UK before 1973. If you were, you will not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to stay in the UK after June 2021.

If you do not have a document confirming your ILR status, you can either:

• apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to get settled or pre-settled status
• apply to the Windrush scheme to get proof of your ILR status

If you’re from Malta or Cyprus, you could also apply for British citizenship through the Windrush scheme.

Applications for either scheme are free of charge.

You can apply for settled or pre-settled status for your child if they’re under 21 and either:

• they’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
• they are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, but you are – or your spouse or civil partner is

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Your child can also apply for themselves.

You’ll be able to ‘link’ your child’s application to yours, using the application number you got when you applied for yourself.

You can do this at any time after you’ve applied – you do not need to wait for a decision.

You can use your own email address in the application if your child does not have one.

If your own application is successful, your child will get the same status as you.

You will need to do this for each child you want to apply for.

What proof you need

You’ll need to provide proof of your relationship to your child when you apply.

You will not need to provide proof of your child’s residence in the UK with their application. However the Home Office may ask you for proof of residence before making a decision.

If you are eligible for the scheme, it may be easier to make your own application before you apply for your child.

Otherwise you’ll need to provide proof that your child has 5 years’ continuous residence in the UK to be eligible for settled status – or your child will need to if they apply for themselves.

If they have not lived in the UK for a continuous 5-year period, they may be eligible for pre-settled status.

If you are not eligible for the scheme but your child is, for example, because they live in the UK and you do not, you can still apply for them. You’ll need to provide proof of their UK residence.

You do not need to apply for settled or pre-settled status if you’re an Irish citizen.

However, if you’re an Irish citizen and your child is not a British citizen, they’ll be eligible for either:

• the same status that you could get, based on how long you’ve lived in the UK
• settled or pre-settled status, based on their own residence

You and your family members can get settled status with less than 5 years’ continuous residence in certain situations.

If you have to stop working

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you may be able to get settled status if you have to stop working or being self-employed because of an accident or illness (known as ‘permanent incapacity’).

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

You may be able to get settled status if either:

• you have lived continuously in the UK for the 2 years immediately beforehand
• the permanent incapacity was the result of an accident at work or an occupational disease that entitles you to a pension from a UK institution

You can also get settled status if you’re married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen.

If you’re the family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen at the time they stopped working you may also be eligible for settled status.

If you reach State Pension age or retire early

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you may be able to get settled status if you reach State Pension age or retire early.

If you’re the family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen at the time they reach State Pension age or retire early you may also be eligible for settled status.

If you reach State Pension age

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you can get settled status if you stopped working when you reached State Pension age and either:

• you worked continuously or were self employed for 1 year beforehand and have lived continuously in the UK for 3 years
• your spouse or civil partner is a British citizen

If you retire early

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you can get settled status if you retire early and either:

• you worked continuously (for someone other than yourself) for 1 year beforehand and have lived continuously in the UK for 3 years
• your spouse or civil partner is a British citizen

If you start work or self-employment in another EU country

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you can get settled status if you start work or self-employment in another EU country and you both:

• have lived and worked or been self-employed in the UK continuously for 3 years beforehand
• usually return to your UK home once a week

If you’re the family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen at the time they start work or self-employment in another EU country you may also be eligible for settled status.

After you’ve applied

If your application is successful, a letter will be emailed to you confirming your settled or pre-settled status.

Find out what rights you get for each status.

Viewing and proving your status

The letter you get from the Home Office which confirms your status will include a link to an online service. You can use this service to view and prove your status.

You cannot use the letter itself to prove your status.

You will not get a physical document unless both of the following apply:

• you’re from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland
• you do not already have a biometric residence card

You can read more information about how to view and prove your status.

You can still prove your rights in the UK until 31 December 2020 with your passport or national identity card (if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen), or with your biometric residence document.

Updating your details

You must keep your details up to date, for example if you get a new passport.

Applying for citizenship

You’ll usually be able to apply for citizenship 12 months after you’ve got settled status.

If the Home Office finds a mistake in your application

The Home Office will contact you before making a decision on your application, so you can correct the error.

They’ll also tell you if you need to provide more evidence before they can make a decision.

If your application is unsuccessful

You may be able to apply for an administrative review of the decision.

You cannot currently appeal the decision.

You can apply again at any time until 30 June 2021, or until 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

If you already have an outstanding immigration application

In most cases, your outstanding immigration application will not be considered if you apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. You’ll get a refund for your outstanding application.

Contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to find out how your outstanding immigration application will be affected.

More detailed guidance is available.

GOV – Settled and pre-settled status for EU citizens and their families

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