If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family might be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK. You might also be able to apply if you’re the family member of an eligible person of Northern Ireland.
The deadline for most people to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021.
If you or your family are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you can still apply if you or a family member were living in the UK by 31 December 2020. You must also either:
- meet one of the criteria for a later deadline to apply
- have ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying by 30 June 2021
You can also apply if you already have pre-settled status, and you’re applying for settled status.
You may be able to stay in the UK without applying – for example, if you’re an Irish citizen, or you already have indefinite leave to enter or remain.
If your application is successful, you’ll get either settled or pre-settled status.
Sign up for email updates about the EU Settlement Scheme.
In some cases, you can still apply after 30 June 2021.
For example, if you’re joining a family member who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020, your deadline will be based on when you arrive in the UK, as long as:
- you were their family member by 31 December 2020 (this does not apply to children born or adopted after this date)
- the family relationship still exists when you apply
You can also apply if you can show ‘reasonable grounds’ (such as medical reasons, or being the victim of domestic abuse) for why you did not apply by 30 June 2021.
Check if you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, including further examples of what counts as reasonable grounds for not applying by the deadline.
Your rights in the UK are not protected if you have not applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and received a certificate of application.
This means you cannot:
- work or study in the UK
- access benefits and services (including health services)
- rent a property in England
How to temporarily protect your rights by applying
If you apply late, your rights will be temporarily protected once you have made a valid application to the EU Settlement Scheme. This protection will last until you get a decision on your application or the outcome of an administrative review or appeal.
You can use your certificate of application to prove your rights in the UK.
You can view your certificate online. You will also receive a copy of your certificate in the post or by email, depending on how you applied.
If you’re a joining family member
If you are a joining family member, your rights will automatically be protected for 90 days from the date of your arrival in the UK.
After 90 days, your automatic temporary protection will end. You’ll need to prove that you’ve submitted an application to continue to access your rights in the UK.
If you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and were given pre-settled status, you need to apply for settled status before your pre-settled status expires.
Settled status will let you stay in the UK for as long as you like. You can usually apply for citizenship once you’ve had settled status for 12 months.
Check what you’ll need to do to apply.
After you’ve applied, you’ll get a certificate of application. The certificate will explain what you can use it for while you’re waiting for a decision – for example, whether you can use it to prove your right to work in the UK.
Check what you’ll need to do once you’ve got a decision on your application.
