United Kingdom•Europe14-30 days
Free
Indefinite
Yes
Not Required
Not Specified
Available
Allowed
For EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members to continue living in the UK.
The EU Settlement Scheme lets EU, EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), and Swiss nationals — and their eligible family members — secure UK residency rights after Brexit. Applicants must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020. Free to apply — no language test or Life in the UK Test.
Settled status (equivalent to ILR) gives permanent residence; pre-settled status gives 5 years, automatically extended if not yet upgraded. Both grant immediate right to work. Settled status holders can apply for British citizenship and may be absent up to 5 consecutive years without losing status.
This visa is ideal for EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals — and their non-EU family members — who were living in the UK before January 2021 and want to protect their long-term residence rights.
| Standard (straightforward) | 2 weeks – 1 month |
| Additional documentation/checks | 1 month – 3 months |
| Complex (criminal record, paper application) | 3 months – 6 months |
| Status type | Permanent / indefinite |
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
PolandEU, EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), or Swiss national — OR family member of one
Started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 (primary applicants)
Family members of settled/pre-settled status holders may apply within 90 days of first UK arrival
Late applications require demonstrating 'reasonable grounds' (e.g. serious medical condition, domestic abuse, lack of mental capacity)
Must not be a British or Irish citizen (no application needed for these groups)
Education
none or higher
Valid passport or national identity card with biometric chip (EU/EEA/Swiss citizens)
Valid passport or UK-issued biometric residence card/permit for non-EU family members
Digital photo of face
National Insurance number (triggers automated residence check)
Proof of continuous UK residence if automated check is insufficient (payslips, bank statements, tenancy agreements, official letters)
Family relationship certificates (birth, marriage, civil partnership) for family member applications
Evidence of qualifying family member's settled/pre-settled status
Evidence of reasonable grounds for late application (if applicable)
| Online application at apply-to-visit-or-stay-in-the-uk.homeoffice.gov.uk/euss Online application via UKVI EU Settlement Scheme portal | Fill online |
| Paper application form available on request Paper application form (available on request from UKVI) | — |
| Application Steps | Check eligibility at gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families; Gather identity documents (passport… | gov.uk |
| Fee Breakdown | Application fee: 0 GBP | gov.uk |
| Fees | Free | gov.uk |
| Forms | Online application at apply-to-visit-or-stay-in-the-uk.homeoffice.gov.uk/euss; Paper application for… | gov.uk |
| Forms · 0 · description | Online application via UKVI EU Settlement Scheme portal | gov.uk |
| Forms · 0 · url | https://apply-to-visit-or-stay-in-the-uk.homeoffice.gov.uk/euss | gov.uk |
| Forms · 1 · description | Paper application form (available on request from UKVI) | gov.uk |
| Included Nationalities | AT; BE; BG; HR; CY; CZ; DK; EE; FI; FR; DE; GR; HU; IS; IE; IT; LV; LI; LT; LU; MT; NL; NO; PL; PT; … | gov.uk |
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