EU Settlement Scheme

Yes. You have until the 30th of June 2021 to request your Status, but we recommend you do it as soon as possible. You will need to demonstrate that you were already living in the UK before 31.12.20 and that you have been in the country for at least one day during the 6 months preceding your application. 

However, family members who are considered “not close” and durable partners that are in the UK must have already applied for an EEA Family Permit by 31.12.20. 

The Home Office has lifted most of the restrictions that were in place in the EU Settlement Scheme service due to COVID-10: now everyone can register again. However, there are additional delays in processing applications. 

If you have a biometric European passport or ID Card (e.g.: Spanish DNI), or if you are a family member of an EU citizen with a biometric residence card, you can apply for the EUSS downloading the EU Exit: ID Document Check app on your phone. You can download the app for free on Google Play or Apple Store, depending on your device. 

Follow the instructions on our visual guide in Spanish or in this subtitled video in Spanish. 

After verifying your identity with the app, you need to answer a series of questions and provide evidence online. The app will redirect you to the questions. 

If your ID document does not work with the app, you need to apply online, or continue on the app but skipping a step. Either way, you will need to send your physical document to the Home Office. 

If you are a family member of an EU citizen who has applied for the EU Settlement Scheme and you already have a biometric residence card, then you can follow the steps above. 

However, if you don’t have a biometric residence card, you need to apply online. You will then normally have to register for an appointment to enrol your biometric information, so you can verify your identity. You can see the latest information on this service here. 

Note: If you have a National Insurance (NI) number, the system will sometimes automatically know how long you have been living and earning in the UK, and you will not have to provide more proof of residence for this period.

If you have been in the UK for less than 5 years, you need to demonstrate that you were in the UK for at least one day in the last 6 months previous to your application being sent, AND this date needs to show that you were here before the 31st of December 2020. This is for the Pre-Settled Status. 

In order to receive Settled Status you need to show that you have lived for 5 consecutive years in the UK, with a minimum of 6 months of evidence for each 12-month period. 

There are several types of evidence you can provide. Please check both lists on this page: the second list is particularly useful for people who have not been in the country for long. You can always call the Settlement Resolution Centre on 0300 123 7379 to verify if you have sent the right documentation. 

No! There are other ways to evidence your stay in the UK. Please see the lists on this page.

In all cases, anyone under the age of 21 who is applying as a dependant will need to provide a proof of paternity through a birth certificate. 

If you are a close relative or live-in partner of a European citizen, you need to present evidence of your relationship with them (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc). Close relatives in this particular case are spouses, parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren. 

Dependent adult children of a European citizen or of their spouse/civil partner need to present proof of dependency (e.g.: economic). 

However, if you are a family member not defined as a “close relative” who depends on the European citizen (e.g.: sibling, cousin) and you are not an EU citizen, you will need to have a migration document that evidences the relationship BEFORE applying for the EU Settlement Scheme, for instance a Family Permit or Residence Card. 

If you are a durable partner of a European citizen, you also need to have this type of migratory document before applying. 

You can find official information about evidencing relationships here.

There are two types of permits you can get through the EUSS:

1- Pre-Settled Status, also known as limited leave to remain, is a 5-year permit for people who had been in the UK less than 5 years at the time of application

2 – Settled Status, also known as indefinite leave to remain, is the permanent residence permit. 

You can exchange the Pre-Settled Status for the Settled Status after 5 years of residence in the UK, as long as you don’t leave the country for more than 6 months during these 5 year (there are a few exceptions in the case of force majeure). You can do this as soon as you complete 5 years in the country, without waiting for the expiration of your Pre-Settled Status. In any case, this needs to be done before the expiration of your Pre-Settled Status. 

No. The only case in which you might have to pay is if you have a biometric appointment and you choose to pay for it rather than wait for a free appointment.

To update your Biometric Residence Card (BRC), you will have to follow the steps outlined in this page.

You will have to do this if:

• Your BRC is expired, stolen, or damaged
• You have changed your name, nationality, facial appearance, date of birth, or gender
• You want to exchange your old BRC under the former European rules for an up-to-date one – that is to say, one expedited under the EU Settlement Scheme.
• You want to change a BRC that shows Pre-Settled Status for one that shows Settled Status

Yes! If you don’t update the phone number and email connected to your status each time you change then you can get stuck when trying to see and access your Status. You also need to make sure your ID and address are up to date. 

If your application is still ongoing, you can update your information here. 

Once your application is approved, you need to access your settled or pre-settled status with the same ID number and the same phone number or email than the one you registered with. Then go to “Updte your details” and follow the steps. 

You need to inform the Home Office if you renew the passport or ID card linked to your status. You will need to physically send the new document to the Home Office by mail (it will then be returned to you). The process is as follows:

1 – Access your profile (your Status online) and click on “update your Details”

2 – Select “Identity Documents” and update the information following the steps

3 – You will need to upload a photo of the new document

To see your Status, you need to log in with the same ID number and the same phone number or email that you used to apply. 

If you are asked for a 9-digit ID code (“share code”) for any government request (for example Universal Credit applications) you will also need to log in to your status. From there, go to “Prove my status to someone else” and follow the steps. 

This video in Spanish by IRMO shows you how to manage your profile and get your share code. 

NOTE: Having Pre-Settled Status does not automatically entitle you to Universal Credit. 

This depends on the type of family member, and whether they are European or not.

Close family members to the EU citizen and their spouse (who are not European themselves) can request a Family Permit and arrive in 2021, as long as the relationship existed before the 31st December 2020. Close family members are spouses, parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren of the EU national or their spouse (or durable partner). After arriving, they have 3 months to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Close family members who are EU nationals can also regroup. If they have a passport or a biometric ID card, they need to directly request their Status before travelling using the “EU Exit: ID Document Check” app. See information on using this app above (“How do I apply if I am an EU citizen?” under “Applying to the EUSS”). They can also apply for a Family Permit.

There is not currently a deadline for close relatives to come regroup.

Other (“non-close”) relatives (siblings, cousins) need to have requested an EU Family Permit before the 31 December 2020. They will then be subject to new migratory rules and will not be able to regroup in the same way.

You can find more information about this here.

You can also directly ask any questions about Family Permits through the UK Visas & Immigration Customer Contact Centre on 0300 790 6268.