The deadline to apply was 30 June 2021. 

Some people might still be able to apply if: 

• They started living in the UK before 31 December 2020 and have a good and provable reason for submitting a late application;
• They upgrade from pre-settled to settled status and are eligible for it;
• They want to join a family member with pre-settled or settled status in the UK;
• They have a valid biometric residence permit or visa – other than indefinite leave to remain.

Some categories have their own deadline: 

• Family members joining a resident EU citizen in the UK can apply at any time if they reside outside the UK. Once they move to the UK, they have 90 days from their arrival to make an application for status under the EUSS;
• Children born or adopted in the UK have 90 days from when they were born or adopted;
• A person exempt from immigration control can apply at any time. Once they stop being exempt, they have 90 days from the date on which they cease to be exempt;
• Those with limited leave to enter or remain in the UK (for example, work or study visa) which expires after 30 June 2021, must apply before the leave expires.

• EU nationals, nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and their family members (of any nationality) who started to reside in the UK before 31-12-2020;
• Permanent Residence document holders;
• Biometric Residence Permit or Card holders;
• Children. Each child must have their own application.

So, who does not have to apply?

• Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) holders do not have to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme, but they may wish to exchange the indefinite leave to enter or remain for the settled status, to benefit from the more generous absence allowance.
• Irish nationals or dual Irish nationals do not have to apply, as they will continue to enjoy a right of residence which is not dependent on EU legislation. However, their family members can apply under the EUSS.
• Dual British nationals cannot apply, as they will already have a right to reside in the UK because of their British nationality.

For most people, the deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021. However, you can still submit a late application if you started to reside in the United Kingdom before 31 December 2020 and you have good reasons for applying late.

Get in contact with us if you do not have a status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

The Home Office gives examples of reasonable grounds which are likely to be accepted, such as: 

• Lack of physical or mental capacity and/or care or support needs, including for older people;
• Serious medical conditions;
• Children under 18 where a parent or a carer has failed to apply to the EUSS by the relevant deadline;
• Abusive or controlling relationship.

Settled status (indefinite leave to remain), allows you to live in the UK indefinitely. Settled status automatically expires if you leave the UK for 5 consecutive years (without returning not even for a weekend). 

If you lose your settled status because of a 5-year absence, you may be able to apply for a returning resident visa. Please note that this might not be reflected in your digital status: you may still be able to see your settled status even if you have lost it due to a 5-year absence. 

You are eligible for settled status if:

• You have a valid pre-settled status (e.g. not expired because of 2-year absence) or if you have a good reason for applying late;
• You started to reside in the UK before 31-12-2020 (unless you joined as a family member);
• You have lived in the UK for at least 5 years continuously;
• At the date of the application, you have not been absent from the UK for more than 5 consecutive years;
• You are not subject to an exclusion, removal or deportation order;
• You meet other suitability requirements (e.g. criminal convictions).

The 5-year period starts from the date you started to reside in the UK. If you have pre-settled status, you can apply for settled status as soon as you reach 5 years of residence in the UK, provided that you have not broken your continuous residence. See below section for more information on continous residence.

If you are eligible to apply for settled status but have not done so, you may still be eligible for a late application. See above section for more information on late applications.

Pre-settled status (limited leave to remain), allows you to live in the UK for 5 years, counted from the date it was granted. After that, you need to apply for settled status to continue living in the UK (in most cases, this does not happen automatically). 

As soon as you reach 5 years of continuous residence, you should apply for settled status. Do not wait until your pre-settled status expires!

Pre-settled status expires automatically if you are absent from the UK for 2 consecutive years (without returning not even for a weekend). Please note that this might not be reflected in your digital status: you may still be able to see your pre-settled status even if you have lost it due to a 2-year absence. 

You will be eligible for pre-settled status if you are applying as a joining family member or have your own deadline. You still need to meet the suitability requirements (e.g. not subject to exclusion, removal or deportation order or unspent criminal convictions).

Important! If you started to reside in the UK before 31 December 2020, have lived in the UK for less than 5 years and have not yet applied, you need to have important and verifiable reasons for submitting a late application. You also need to provide evidence that you have not broken your continuous residence by being absent from the UK for 6 months or more, without a valid reason.

To qualify for settled status, you must have lived in the UK continuously for 5 years, meaning that:

• You started your continuous residence in the UK before 31 December 2020;
• You have resided in the UK for at least 5 years at the time of the application;
• During these 5 years, you have not been absent from the UK for more than 6 months in total in any 12-month period. 

However, you are allowed: 

• One single absence from the UK longer than 6 months but shorter than 12 months for an important reason, such as Covid-19, serious illness, pregnancy, work and study;
• A second absence if one is Covid-related, in some cases even longer than 12 months if Covid means you were prevented from returning to the UK earlier.

If you hold pre-settled status and break your continuous residence, you may not be able to apply for settled status after your pre-settled status expires.

Read more about absences in the sections below and seek legal advice if you have broken your continuous residence.

When you apply for settled status and enter your NINo, the system performs an automatic check. However, in some cases, you need to upload evidence of residence manually. You can use documents to cover longer or shorter periods. 

Documents must be dated and show your name and address.

Documents should be dated and have your name on them, such as: 

• Bank statements showing transactions in the UK (e.g. Tesco purchase, TFL Travel). Direct debit or online payments are not accepted;
• Council tax or utility bills (e.g. gas, electricity, water, TV licence, etc.);
• Rental agreement and evidence of payment;
• Pay slips, contracts of employment, signed employer letter, P45 or P60;
• Letter from a government department or public service (e.g. HMRC, DWP, etc.);
• Letter from school, university or other accredited educational or training organisation
• Letter or medical report from NHS, GP, hospital, care home, etc.;
• Used travel ticket confirming you entered the UK (e.g. boarding pass);
• Any other evidence to prove your presence in the UK

You can upload a maximum of 10 documents (max. 6MB) to show evidence of UK residence each time. If you sign back in later, you can upload more documents. 

If you need to provide additional evidence, the Home Office will contact you via email. 

However, at the end of the application, click on “View the years you need to provide evidence for” to find the list of years you need to prove. Don’t worry if you see years before when you moved, you only need to prove the years when you were in the UK. If you cannot find evidence of your residence in the UK, seek legal advice.

See how to upload a document to your application in the Making an application (Procedure) sub-section .

A single absence from the UK of more than 6 months but not more than 12 months.

A single absence or absences of more than 6 months but not more than 12 months in total in any 5-year continuous qualifying period interrupts that continuous qualifying period unless there was an important reason for the absence:

• a single period of absence of more than 6 months but which does not exceed 12 months is permitted, where this is for an important reason, such as Covid-19, pregnancy, childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training or an overseas 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 a family member of someone in the armed forces.

Evidence to support an absence as a result of pregnancy, childbirth or serious illness might take the form of a letter or other records from a qualified medical professional.

Absences are calculated over a 12-month period starting from the first day you were absent. If you are unsure about the count, ask for advice.

You are only permitted a single absence exceeding 6 months (but not exceeding 12 months) for an important reason in your 5-year continuous qualifying period. More than one such absence, or an absence from the UK of more than 12 months will always interrupt your continuous qualifying period regardless of the reason for it.

Absences due to Covid-19

Other than the ones set out above, restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic can be considered an  “important reason” for your absences. See “Coronavirus (COVID-19): EU Settlement Scheme – guidance for applicants” for more details. 

An ‘important reason’ also includes (but is not limited to) where you can show that: 

• You or a family member you cared for were ill by coronavirus;
• You were in quarantine, self-isolating or shielding following local public health guidance;
• You were prevented from returning earlier to the UK due to travel disruptions;
• Your university course was moved to remote learning and you were advised to return to your home country to study remotely;
• You were advised by your university or employer not to return to the UK, and to continue studying or working remotely from your home country;
• You were absent from the UK for another reason relating to Covid, for example, you left or remained outside the UK because there were fewer coronavirus restrictions elsewhere; or you would have been unemployed in the UK and preferred to rely on support from family or friends overseas.

Absences exceeding 12 months

Where, after an absence of 12 months for an ‘important reason’, coronavirus meant you were prevented from, or advised against, returning to the UK within 12 months, you will be treated as not having broken your continuous qualifying period of residence.

The period of absence exceeding 12 months will not be counted towards your continuous qualifying period of residence under the EU Settlement Scheme. Your continuous qualifying period will be paused from the point your absence reaches 12 months and will resume from the point you return to the UK.

Where you hold pre-settled status, and this is due to expire before you can complete the continuous qualifying period of residence required for you to be eligible for settled status, you will be able to apply for a further grant of pre-settled status.

Following the High Court of Justice’s ruling, pre-settled status holders will automatically have their status extended by two years before it expires, if they have not yet obtained settled status. 

You will receive an email from the Home Office before your pre-settled status expires informing you of the extension. This will be reflected in your digital status. 

You are still recommended to apply for settled status as soon as you are eligible for it.

The Home Office communicates via email. Please make sure that the email address linked to your pre-settled status is updated. Follow our instructions on how to update it in the Managing you status sub-section.

Please note:

• If you are not eligible for settled status because of prolonged and unjustifiable absences, you may not receive an extension of status and the Home Office may contact you about revocation of your status;
• If you have been away for two consecutive years, your pre-settled status has expired automatically even if you can still see it on your digital status.

The Home Office plans to automatically convert the status of pre-settled status holders to settled status, once they are eligible for it, by checking HMRC and DWP records automatically. This means that some pre-settled status holders will see their pre-settled status automatically converted into settled status.

However, we recommend independently applying for settled status as soon as you are eligible for it – especially if you have, for example, some gaps in your employment history.

You need to submit an application for your newborn child within 3 months of their birth (if born in the UK and not automatically a British citizen) or before they travel to the UK (if born outside the UK). 

Parents and carers must apply to the EUSS within 90 days of their child being born or adopted in the UK; or if the child is living abroad and coming to join them in the UK.  

Although the deadline for applications for most people was 30 June 2021, parents and carers can still apply for their child – or they can apply for themselves – if they lived in the UK by 31 December 2020. 

EU and EEA EFTA citizens who have applied to the EUSS, have a number of rights in the UK or Gibraltar. Their family members also share these rights. 

Applying for EUSS protects rights to:  

• Work in the UK 
• Use the NHS for free 
• Enroll in education or study in the UK 
• Access public funds such as benefits and pensions (if eligible) 
• Travel in and out of the UK  

As reminded by the Independent Monitoring Authority, Art. 14 of the Withdrawal Agreement safeguards the right to use your valid national identity card to enter the UK if you are an EU citizen and hold pre-settled or settled status. You should link your ID card to your digital status to avoid problems at the UK border.

Eligible EU and EEA EFTA citizens, along with their EU and EEA EFTA citizen family members, can travel to the UK using a valid national identity card. To do so, that identity document should be registered to the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account they used or created in applying to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

It is advised that individuals register all their identity travel documents to their UKVI account. Information on who is eligible to travel to the UK with a valid national identity card, and their use at the border, can be found on GOV.UK.

You can prove that you have submitted an application to the EUSS and are waiting for a decision with your Certificate of Application (‘COA’).

Remember that your existing rights are protected until the application is decided, and when the outcome of any appeal against a decision to refuse status is pending.

A COA is also accessible to view online, through the view and prove your immigration status service.

If you are waiting for your COA, the email acknowledging receipt of your application explains how prospective employers and landlords can request information about your right to work and rent from the Employer Checking Service and the Landlord Checking Service.

Please note that if you have a valid pre-settled status, you will not receive a COA. You can continue to prove your rights in the UK using your pre-settled status.

You can apply as a spouse or civil partner if the marriage or civil partnership was celebrated before 31 December 2020 and the relationship exists at the date of the application. If you got married after this date but your relationship was durable on 31 December 2020, you may still be eligible to apply (see durable partners).

You need to provide evidence of the relationship with the sponsor, e.g. with a marriage certificate.

You can apply as a durable partner if you were in a relationship akin to marriage by 31 December 2020, and the relationship exists at the date of the application. You normally need to evidence that you have cohabited for at least 2 years before 31 December 2020 or that you shared responsibility, such as parental responsibility. However, you can provide other significant evidence of a durable relationship if, for example, you could not live together for reasons of work, study, religion or culture but your relationship was nonetheless a long-term and serious one.

Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren under 21 years old, including those adopted or born after 31-12-2020 can apply as family members. This includes those of the spouse or civil partner if the marriage or civil partnership was celebrated before 31-12-2020. You need to provide evidence of the relationship with the sponsor, e.g. with a birth certificate.

Children under 21 years old applying under a parent’s settled status will receive settled status.

Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren over 21 years old can apply under the EUSS if they are dependent on the sponsor. You also need to provide evidence of the relationship with the sponsor, e.g. with a birth certificate.

A child is “dependent” when they cannot meet their basic needs without the sponsor’s financial support or care, e.g. because they are in full-time education, disabled or ill. The dependency must be demonstrated by relevant financial, medical or other documentary evidence, such as money transfers or a letter from a doctor.

Dependent children with pre-settled status do not need to prove dependency again when they apply for settled status.

Parents, grandparents and great-grandparents can apply if they are dependent on the EU sponsor. This includes those of the spouse or civil partner if the marriage or civil partnership was celebrated before 31-12-2020. You need to provide evidence of the relationship with the sponsor, e.g. with a birth certificate. A parent is “dependent” when they cannot meet their basic needs without the sponsor’s financial support or care, e.g. because they are elderly, disabled or ill. The dependency must be demonstrated by relevant financial, medical or other documentary evidence, such as money transfers or a letter from a doctor. Dependent parents do not need to prove dependency again when they apply for settled status.

Family members who are EU nationals can apply directly for pre-settled or settled status under the EUSS, depending on their eligibility.

If they are in the UK as visitors, they can apply to the EUSS within 90 days from their first arrival.

Family members who are non-EU nationals need a permit to travel to the UK. They must apply for an EUSS Family Permit from their country of habitual residence or nationality before they travel to the UK. Once in the UK, they must apply under the EU Settlement Scheme within 90 days.

The Permit is valid for six months and allows them to travel in and out of the UK, work and study.

Go to Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details, click on Sign-in and insert the document number used to make your application (e.g. if you have renewed your passport, this will be your old passport number) and your date of birth.

Enter the code you have received on your phone or email address.

Once in your digital status, you will see your details and your photo. Scroll down to the “Identity documents” section. Click on “ Add a new identity document”.

If your personal details have not changed, you can proceed to upload a picture of your passport, following the instructions on how to take a picture.

If your personal details (name, surname, nationality) have changed, you will have to send your passport via post to the Home Office.

You can follow the same procedures to add your national identity card to your status. A paper ID card must be sent via post. 

The Home Office will inform you via email once your document has been added. Then, you can start using your new passport number to access your status

If you do not have access to your login details anymore, you need to call the EU Resolution Centre.

Go to Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details, click on Sign-in and insert the document number linked to your application and your date of birth.

Enter the code you have received on your phone or email address.

Once in your digital status, you will see your details and your photo. On the left-hand side, you can click on “Contact details” and “Sign-in details” to change the phone number and email address associated with your digital status.

If you have any questions on the application process or you have any problems accessing your status, you should contact the EU Settlement Scheme Resolution Centre, run by the UK government.

You can contact them via an online form by clicking here. 

You can also call the EUSS Resolution Centre:

From within the UK:
0300 123 7379
Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8 am to 8 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
You can find out more about call charges here.

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

Although millions of customers already have and use eVisas, including everyone granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme, throughout 2024 customers who currently use physical immigration documents to prove their status and rights in the UK, are being urged to take action to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa at www.gov.uk/eVisa.

This process launched in April 2024, with BRP holders emailed directly with instructions on how to create UKVI account to access their eVisa. These email invitations were initially sent in phases, before the service was made available to all BRP holders in August 2024.

All BRP holders should take action now to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa at www.gov.uk/evisa.

Holders of other physical immigration documents, such as a passport containing ink stamps or vignette visa stickers, or BRCs can take steps to acquire an eVisa now, and further instructions are available at www.gov.uk/eVisa.

British passport holders and Irish citizens, including those who previously held an immigration status but have since acquired British citizenship, do not need to do anything. British citizens who do not have a British passport because they are dual nationals (excluding Irish passport holders) may need to take action in future regarding how they prove their right of abode. Updates on this will be provided in due course.

A UKVI account is a secure way for customers to log into online services such as view and prove, whereas an eVisa is an electronic record of a person’s immigration status.

Using their UKVI account, customers can view their eVisa and share the relevant information via the online view and prove service, by generating a share code, which provides time-limited access to the relevant data. A person can have a UKVI account but no eVisa, for example, where the application for permission to stay in the UK was refused or expired.

A customer can also update personal details such as address and contact details in their UKVI account. This service is free, unlike updating physical immigration documents for which customers may be charged. This service is available at: www.update-your-UK-Visas-and-immigration-account-details.

The UKVI account is currently created automatically for everyone who uses the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check mobile App’ to make an immigration application.

Customers who already hold a physical document will need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa and to be able to use the full range of online services.

As physical documents that evidence immigration status expire, the view and prove service, accessed via the UKVI account, will be the way people can view and prove their immigration status and associated rights in the UK.

The expiry of a physical document, for example, a BRP card, does not affect a customer’s immigration status.

Customers will be able to create an account quickly and easily post-2024, using their expired BRP if needed, at www.gov.uk/evisa. BRP holders will still be able to use the online right to work and rent services to prove their rights once their BRP expires – provided they still have valid immigration status – although they are encouraged to register for a UKVI account and to use that to access those services.

Holders of legacy paper documents, including passports containing ink stamps and visa vignette stickers, can continue to use their document to prove their immigration status as before. However they are encouraged to take action at www.gov.uk/eVisa in order to make use of the benefits and convenience that a UKVI account offers, and to reduce unnecessary delays when proving their status.

The expiry of their BRP card does not affect their immigration status. However, how they prove their status will change from 2025.

Customers who have a BRP will need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa unless their immigration leave expires on or before 31 December 2024.  All BRP holders should take action now to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa at www.gov.uk/evisa..

Customers should retain their BRP after this process as they may need it for future applications to stay in the UK. They should also continue to use their BRP as they have previously, such as taking their BRP with them when they travel internationally, until it expires.

Customers who already have an eVisa (a digital immigration status) as well as a BRP, will not need to create a UKVI account, as they already have one. Customers can find out if they already have a UKVI account by checking the email or letter that they were given when they were granted immigration status in the UK or go to www.gov.uk/evisa for further information.

No, customers should not apply to renew their BRP, as all BRPs issued to customers who hold immigration leave beyond 2024, including renewals, are due to expire on 31 Dec 2024 and will be replaced by the eVisa.  An application to renew will result in an unnecessary cost to the customer, and a BRP with the same expiry date as the BRP they already hold.

If a customer has lost their valid BRP then they can apply for a replacement in the usual way. As with all BRPs, if their leave extends beyond the end of 2024, their replacement BRP will expire on 31 December 2024, and they will need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa to prove their rights.

Once the replacement is received then customers should visit www.gov.uk/eVisa for details of how to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa.

If a customer’s BRP expires before 31 Dec 2024 then their immigration leave may also expire at that point. If it does, and if they plan to remain in the UK then they should make a visa renewal application in the usual way.

Customers will be able to create an account quickly and easily post-2024, using their expired BRP if needed, at www.gov.uk/eVisa. BRP holders will still be able to use the online right to work and rent services to prove their rights once their BRP expires – provided they still have valid status – although they are encouraged to register for a UKVI account and to use that to access those services. Customers with expired BRPs will not be able to use them to travel internationally.

Customers who have indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain and prove their rights using a passport containing an ink stamp or vignette visa sticker or use another type of legacy paper document should make a ‘No Time Limit’ application.

As part of the application process customers may need to travel to a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services Centre (known as a UKVCAS) to provide a photograph, and in some cases provide fingerprints.

Once an application has been processed successful No Time Limit applicants will be issued with a biometric residence permit (BRP), which can then be used to prove the customer’s rights and to create a UKVI account.

By the end of 2024 No Time Limit applicants will receive an eVisa, rather than a BRP. Further updates on this change will be available in due course.

It is free to make a No Time Limit application, and information on how to do so is available at www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/replace-visa-brp

The border and immigration system is becoming more digital and streamlined, a change that will enhance the customer experience, deliver excellent value, and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency. This move also reflects a broader societal move towards a digital approach.

The transition from legacy documents, such as passports containing ink stamps or a vignette visa sticker, to eVisas will bring a range of benefits to customers. This includes the fact that an eVisa cannot be lost or damaged, like a vignette, and there is no need for a potentially costly replacement.

Customers who replace their legacy document with an eVisa will benefit from the automated access that public bodies, including the Department for Work and Pensions and the National Health Service in England and Wales will securely have to their immigration status, which will streamline access to key services.

Creating a UKVI account to access an eVisa will also help to prevent unnecessary delays when travelling internationally (if travelling on the document linked to the UKVI account).

Customers should continue to carry their in-date physical immigration documents with them when they travel internationally. Customers who already have an eVisa should tell the Home Office about any travel document on which they intend to travel using the Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details’ service at www.gov.uk/update-uk-visas-immigration-account-details.‘ if this is not already linked to their account.

During 2024, the Home Office is taking steps to allow carriers, including transport operators such as airlines, ferry, and international train operators, to securely and automatically access the immigration status of passengers travelling on their services when they present their travel document which is linked to their UKVI account.

This will automate the existing routine checks completed whenever a passenger presents their travel document when travelling internationally. This will provide a more convenient customer journey, and enhanced border security.

While the UK government is delivering a digital border and immigration system including plans to trial contactless entry using facial recognition only, there are no current plans to replace physical passports with digital equivalents.

Carriers operating across air, rail & sea are now be able to securely access passenger immigration information. Holders of physical immigration documents should continue to carry these with them when they travel internationally.

We are committed to ensuring that all customers, including the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system, and nobody should be left behind as a result of our digital transformation.

We understand that individuals may have concerns about proving their status in the absence of a physical document. However, unlike Windrush individuals whose immigration status was automatically conferred on them by an Act of Parliament, so in some cases they had no physical proof, those who receive an eVisa have secure evidence of their status. They also receive a written notification, setting out their immigration status, which they can retain for their own records. They will also have access to online services which enable them to share evidence of their immigration status with third parties, such as an employer or a landlord.

To ensure customers with historic and paper-based evidence of their immigration status can take advantage of the benefits eVisas bring, we are planning further focused communications activity aimed at this group and key stakeholders to get the information that they need to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa during 2024.

We will endeavour to reach vulnerable people who are less digitally confident through collaboration with other Government departments and stakeholders.

In the case of children, the expectation is that their parent or guardian will have access to their UKVI account and use the online services on their behalf, as they would have looked after and used a BRP/C on the child’s behalf. They can subsequently transfer ownership of the account and access to the online services when the child reaches majority.

Parents and guardians can create a UKVI account for their children at the same time they create an account for themselves.