Preparing to apply for pre-settled and settled status
You can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to stay in the UK after 30 June 2021 if you're:
- from the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland
- a family member of someone from the EU, EEA or Switzerland
You need to be in the UK to apply. You can apply from outside the UK after 9 April 2019.
If you want to apply for your family, find out what you need for their applications.
Brexit - if the UK leaves the EU without a deal
You have to be living in the UK by 12 April 2019 to be eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline for applying will be 31 December 2020.
If you arrive after this date, you’ll need to apply to a new scheme - details will be announced if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Decide when to apply
When it’s best for you to apply will depend on how long you’ve lived in the UK. You should apply by 31 December 2020. The final deadline to apply is 30 June 2021 but the rules about who can stay in the UK could have changed by then.
If you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years or more
You can apply at any time. You’ll usually get ‘settled status’. This allows you to live and work in the UK for as long as you like.
If you've lived in the UK for less than 5 years
You can apply straight away for 'pre-settled status'. This allows you to stay in the UK for 5 years from the date you get your status.
If you want to stay in the UK as long as you like you can:
- wait until you've lived in the UK for a total of 5 years and apply for settled status - but you must apply by 31 December 2020
- apply now for pre-settled status and apply again later for settled status when you've lived in the UK for a total of 5 years - this includes the time before you got pre-settled status
You only need to show you've lived in the UK for 1 day in the last 6 months to get pre-settled status.
If you stopped work because you were ill or injured or you’ve retired
You and your family might be able to get settled status even if you’ve lived in the UK for less than 5 years. You should get advice from your nearest Citizens Advice before you apply.
Gather everything you need to apply
It's worth getting all your details together before you apply to save you time.
You need:
- an identity document - for example, your passport
- a National Insurance number - to prove how long you've lived in the UK
- your phone number
- your email address
You might also need other documents to prove how long you've lived in the UK. If you're from a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you'll need documents showing you're related to an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.
If you have 'permanent residence'
You need to enter your permanent residence document number when you apply.
You’ll also need an identity document, National Insurance number, phone and email address.
You’re unlikely to need documents to show how long you’ve lived in the UK - unless you’ve lived outside the UK since you got permanent residence.
Check if you have a permanent residence document
If you’re from the EU or EEA, you’ll have a blue card. If you’re from Switzerland, you’ll have a pink card. It will have a certificate inside saying either ‘Document Certifying Permanent Residence’ or ‘Permanent Residence Card (of an EEA National)’.
If you’re not from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, it’s a certificate inside your passport or a residence card with a biometric chip.
If you have 'indefinite leave to remain'
You need to enter the date you were given indefinite leave to remain. You might find it in a letter from the Home Office or on a stamp in your passport.
You also need an identity document, National Insurance number, phone and email address.
Check what identity documents you can use
If you're an EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or Swiss citizen, you can use a valid passport or national identity card. If it's expired, you need to renew it before you apply. You can do this at your country's UK embassy or consulate.
If you're from a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you can use your:
- passport - if it's expired you need to renew it before you apply
- residence card with a biometric chip (known as a 'biometric residence card')
- residence permit with a biometric chip (known as a 'biometric residence permit')
Decide which phone number to use
You need to enter your phone number when you apply. You can use a landline or a mobile phone number.
You need to use a phone number you plan to keep for a while. You’ll need it in the future to sign in to your online status to prove your right to live in the UK.
Get an email address
You need an email address to apply. If you don’t have one, find out how to set up an email address on the Which? website.
You need to use an email address you plan to keep for a while. You’ll need it in the future to sign in to your online status to prove your right to live in the UK.
Find your National Insurance number
Your National Insurance number will be used to check your records during the application to work out how long you’ve lived in the UK.
You can find your National Insurance number on a payslip or letter from HM Revenue and Customs. Phone the National Insurance helpline if you can’t find it.
HM Revenue and Customs National Insurance Helpline
Tel: 0300 200 3500 (Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 5.00pm)
Textphone: 0300 200 3519
Phone calls to this number can cost up to 10p a minute from a landline or between 3p and 40p a minute from a mobile. Your phone supplier can tell you how much you’ll pay.
If you don’t have a National Insurance number, you need to provide documents to show how long you’ve lived in the UK.
You don't need a National Insurance number if you link your application to a family member. You can do this if you're:
- under 21 years old
- from a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland
Find out how to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
If you need to show how long you’ve lived in the UK
You’ll be asked for extra evidence if you don’t have a National Insurance number or there are gaps or mistakes in your records. You can take photos or scan your documents and upload them during your application.
If you’re not sure if you need extra evidence, it’s worth starting your application. You don’t have to do the whole application in one go - you can save your answers and come back later.
Check how much evidence you need
You only need to show you’ve lived in the UK for 1 day out of the last 6 months to get pre-settled status.
You only need evidence for 6 months out of every 12 months for 5 years to get settled status. You can’t have lived outside the UK for more than 12 months in total in those 5 years.
It doesn’t have to be the last 5 years. You can provide evidence for a different 5-year period - but it must not have ended more than 5 years ago.
You can include any time you’ve lived in Guernsey, Jersey or Isle of Man as time lived in the UK.
Check what documents you can use
It’s best to use documents that cover a longer period of time. You can only upload 10 documents when you apply. The Home Office will contact you if they need more documents.
If you’ve had gaps in employment
If you've had gaps in your employment, you might not have a full tax and benefits record. You'll be told during the application if you need to upload documents to prove you've been living in the UK in the periods when you weren't working.
Use evidence like:
- council tax bills
- mortgage statements for a house or flat
- your tenancy agreement and evidence you've made payments - for example a bank statement or receipt
- annual bank statements or account summaries
- payslips
- water, gas or electricity bills
If you’re self-employed or run a business
If you don't have a full tax and benefits record, use evidence like:
- annual business accounts
- council tax bills
- mortgage statements for a house or flat
- your tenancy agreement and evidence that you've made payments - for example a bank statement or receipt
- annual bank statements or account summaries
- invoices for work you've done in the UK and evidence of payment - for example a bank statement
If you don’t work and your bills are in someone else’s name
If you don't have a full tax and benefits record and someone else pays the bills in your household, use evidence like:
- letters or appointment cards from your GP, a hospital or other healthcare professional - for example a physiotherapist
- annual bank statements or account summaries
- monthly bank statements showing payments received or spending in the UK
- a used airline, train, ferry or ship ticket that shows the date you entered the UK
- mobile phone bills in your name with your address in the UK
If you can't get any evidence, talk to an adviser at your nearest Citizens Advice. You can ask the adviser to give you a letter proving you had an appointment.
You can also ask government departments or charities for a letter showing you had an appointment or they helped you.
If you live in a care home
If you live in a care home, use evidence like:
- a letter from your registered care home showing you live there
- annual bank statements or account summaries
- pension statements
- monthly bank statements showing payments you got or money you spent in the UK
- letters or appointment cards from your GP, a hospital or other healthcare professional - for example a physiotherapist
If you live in a shared house
If you live in a shared house, use evidence like:
- mobile phone bills in your name with your address in the UK
- letters or appointment cards from your GP, a hospital or other healthcare professional - for example a physiotherapist
- annual bank statements or account summaries
- monthly bank statements showing payments received or spending in the UK
- a used airline, train, ferry or ship ticket that shows the date you entered the UK
If you can't get any evidence, talk to an adviser at your nearest Citizens Advice. You can ask the adviser to give you a letter proving you had an appointment.
You can also ask government departments or charities for a letter showing you had an appointment or they helped you.
If you want to prove you’ve lived in the UK for a different 5 years
It’s best to use evidence that covers longer time periods. Use evidence like:
- tax documents - for example your P60 or P45
- a letter from your employer confirming your employment
- pension statements showing your employer's pension contributions
- council tax bills
- mortgage statements for a house or flat
- your tenancy agreement and evidence that you've made payments - for example a bank statement or receipt
- annual bank statements or account summaries
Find out how to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme
If you need to prove your relationship to another family member
If you’re applying for a child under 21 or another family member, find out what evidence you can use to prove your family relationship.
If you’ve been convicted of a crime or are waiting for a trial
When you apply to the scheme, you need to answer questions about crimes you’ve been convicted of or you’re waiting to go to court for.
What counts as a crime in the UK
You’ll have a criminal record if you were convicted of an offence at a magistrates’ court or crown court in England and Wales. If you were convicted of an offence in Scotland, it could have been at a justice of the peace court, sheriff court or high court.
You don't have to say if you:
- went to court for something that wasn't criminal - this is called a civil matter and includes things like debt problems and family hearings
- had a parking fine or a fine from a local council for breaking traffic rules - this is known as a 'penalty charge notice'
- committed a driving offence and you didn't get a summons from a court
If you think you have a criminal record or you're waiting to go to court, you should get advice from your nearest Citizens Advice before you apply.
The Home Office will check UK and international criminal records. Your application could be rejected if you lie about your criminal record or a crime you’ve been charged with.
If you’re under 18
You will not be asked questions about crime but the Home Office will check criminal records in the UK. If you think you have a criminal record, you should should get advice from your nearest Citizens Advice before you apply.