Residence Documents for Foreign Nationals

There are different documents for proving your right to live in the UK. The right document for you will depend on things like:

  • your nationality 

  • how long you have been in the UK 

  • whether you have family here 

You do not need a residence document if you have the right to reside in the UK - for example, if you are an Irish citizen.

Some current residence documents will no longer be valid after 31 December 2020.

If you are an EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or Swiss citizen 

The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. 

You do not currently need a residence document to prove you can live in the UK. But you will usually need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021 to continue living here. 

You may be able to apply for other residence documents now, however they will not be valid after 31 December 2020. 

These documents are: 

If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen 

The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. 

Which residence document you can apply for depends on whether you have a family member who is a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland. 

If you are the family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen 

You will usually need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. You will get either settled or pre-settled status if your application is successful. 

If you are a close family member, you have the right to reside without a document until 30 June 2021. 

If you are an extended family member, for example a brother or sister of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you need a residence document now. If you do not apply to get settled or pre-settled status there are other documents you may be able to get - however none of these will be valid after 31 December 2020. 

These documents are: 

  • UK residence card - your family member usually needs to live or have lived here for you to be eligible 

  • permanent residence card - you will usually need to have lived here for five years 

  • derivative residence card - you will usually need to be a carer, or in education in the UK and have a parent from the EEA who previously worked or lived here 

You can also currently apply for an EEA Family Permit to enter and leave the UK. It’s usually valid for 6 months.

If you do not have a family member from the EU, EEA or Switzerland 

You will automatically get a biometric residence permit (BRP) if you successfully apply to stay in the UK for longer than 6 months. You can apply for a BRP if you do not already have one. 

You can apply for indefinite leave to remain in or enter the UK, if you meet the criteria. 

You might also be eligible for a UK residence card or permanent residence card if you have a retained right of residence - for example if you were previously married to an EEA citizen. These documents will not be valid after 31 December 2020. 

If you are a Commonwealth citizen, you may be able to apply to prove you have right of abode in the UK

Further information on residence documents for foreign nationals can be found on GOV.UK's website.