EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit - Your Pathway to the UK
Are you planning to join your family member in the UK? If you’re the eligible family member of someone from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, you might be eligible for an EU Settlement Scheme family permit.
The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is an excellent option for those who wish to come to the UK to reunite with their family members. This permit allows you to travel to the UK, live with your loved ones, and even work or study during your stay.
Eligibility for the EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit
To apply for this permit, you must meet all the following criteria:
Relationship with an EU/EEA National:
Established Relationship:
Family Member’s UK Residency:
Family Member’s Presence:
Children’s Eligibility
Children born or adopted after 31 December 2020 may also be eligible for this permit if they are the child of either:
- Someone from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020.
- The spouse or civil partner of someone from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020, and where the family relationship began before that date.
Retained Right of Residence
You might still be eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme family permit even if you were living with your family member in the UK by 31 December 2020, but they have since died, left the UK, or if the relationship has ended. This is known as having ‘retained the right of residence’.
The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is a convenient option for eligible family members of EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals to come to the UK. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can easily join your family members and enjoy the benefits of living, working, and studying in the UK.
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FAQs
The following family members of an EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein citizen can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit:
- Spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner
- Child or grandchild under 21
- Dependent child or grandchild over 21
- Dependent parent or grandparent
This includes family members who were adopted under an adoption order that’s recognised in UK law.
Family members of the spouse or civil partner of an EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein citizen can also apply if they are:
- Their child or grandchild aged under 21
- Their dependent child or grandchild over 21
- Their dependent parent or grandparent
Yes, you can still apply if you got married or formed your civil partnership between 31 December 2020 and 1 January 2026 and you’re still married or in a civil partnership when you apply.
You can join a person in the UK who is from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein and falls into one of these categories:
- Exempt from immigration control (e.g., a foreign diplomat posted in the UK)
- Frontier worker (travel regularly to work in the UK but live outside of the UK)
- A British citizen with dual citizenship with an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein under certain circumstances (e.g., McCarthy or Lounes cases)
Your family member must usually have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or have applied and are waiting for a decision.
You need to provide proof of your identity (valid passport or valid national identity card), your family member’s application number to the EU Settlement Scheme, and evidence showing that they meet the eligibility criteria. Additionally, you need to provide evidence of your relationship to your family member, such as a marriage or civil partnership certificate, and evidence of dependency if applicable.
You’ll need to provide a birth certificate to show your relationship to your family member. If you’re over 21 and a dependent child or grandchild, you may also need to provide evidence of financial or health care dependency.
You’ll need to provide evidence showing that they’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, such as their valid passport or valid national identity card. You’ll also need to provide evidence of their settled or pre-settled status, exemption from immigration control, or their frontier worker permit.
Yes, if you were living in the UK by 31 December 2020, you can apply for an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit to return to the UK to join your family member, even if they have not applied to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Usually, this means you must not have left the UK for more than 6 months in any 12 month period unless you have an important reason like childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training, an overseas work posting, or coronavirus (COVID-19). You’ll need to provide evidence to support this.
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