How to apply to the EUSS
The main way to apply to the EUSS is online. The application will ask for information about your identity, residence in the UK, criminal record, and - if you are not an EU citizen - your relationship to one.
For the identity-checking section of the application, you can use the EU Exit: ID document check app, which is available on Android and iPhone and allows you to scan either a biometric passport or national identity card.
Make sure to check your email regularly, including your spam and junk folders. The Home Office may contact you to request further evidence, to provide you with a Certificate of Application, or to notify you of the outcome of your application.
If you missed the deadline
If you missed the deadline but think you are eligible to apply, seek advice and apply as soon as possible.
Without a valid immigration status, you will not be able to pass the right-to-work and right-to rent checks, and your employer will not be able to hire you. You can learn more on the Home Office Guidance to Employers.
If your ID has expired
Apply anyway. You will need to include a cover letter to explain why you couldn't renew your ID, and demonstrate that you have attempted to do so. This could be a letter, email or a screenshot from your consulate, showing that you were unable to book an appointment to renew your ID in time.
Applications from family members
If you're a citizen with an EU/EEA/Swiss passport or national identity card with a biometric chip, or a citizen from another country with a valid UK-issued biometric residence card, you can apply directly to the EUSS as a joining family member.
Otherwise, you will need to apply for an EUSS family permit to join your EU family member (with EUSS status) in the UK. If you are already in the UK and meet the relevant eligibility requirements, you may be able to apply as a joining family member under the EUSS.
Family members should make their EUSS application within 90 days of joining you in the UK. If they've missed that deadline, they can still apply. But they will have to include a cover letter showing that they have reasonable grounds for the delay.
For applications made after 30 June 2021, parents and grandparents will need to show evidence of financial, medical or other dependency.
Applications from unmarried partners
If you are the unmarried, durable partner of an EU citizen with EUSS status, and you wish to apply to the EUSS, you must first obtain a family permit before you can apply.
A partner is usually considered durable if you who have lived together for at least two years by 31 December 2020, and the relationship is ongoing. The Home Office may accept other significant evidence of the relationship where a couple has not lived together for this period of time.
Making a paper application
In some circumstances, such as if you lose your ID, you can submit a paper application. To obtain a paper application, call the EU Settlement Resolution Centre at 0300 123 7379
You do not need to apply to the EUSS if you have indefinite leave to remain or enter, if you are a naturalised British citizen, or if you are an Irish citizen. If you were previously granted permanent residence, you must still apply for a status under the EUSS.
Children will not automatically be granted status under the EUSS. Unless they have British citizenship, they will need to obtain status to continue living or joining you in the UK.
Children are considered to be any child of an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen under the age of 21. Older children of age 21 and over can also apply, if they can prove that they are financially or medically dependent on their parent/s, and on staying with them in the UK. Children born in the UK should apply within 3 months.
Are my children British citizens?
Being born in the UK does not automatically make a child a British citizen. Children acquire British citizenship in a more limited set of circumstances, depending on their parents' status. In summary, the children of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens may be British if at least one parent held British citizenship, or was settled in the UK at the time of their birth.
Children born from 01 July 2021 will automatically become British at the point that the parent becomes settled, if the parent:
- started living in the UK before 31 December 2020;
- submitted a valid EUSS application;
- was eligible for settled status under the EUSS before 01 July 2021.
If you are not sure, check and get advice from an immigration solicitor or OISC-accredited immigration adviser.
If your child doesn't have an ID
Even if your child does not have a form of identification, they should apply anyway.
You can do this with a paper application (available for download online). You will need to include a cover letter to explain why the child does not have an ID, and demonstrate that you have attempted to obtain one. This could be a letter, email or a screenshot from your consulate, showing that you were unable to book an appointment.
Obtaining EUSS status for your child
Children can apply to the EUSS individually. Or, as a parent or guardian, you can link their application to yours.
You don’t need to wait for a decision from the Home Office on your own application for your children to apply. You generally just need your Unique Application Number, an email address, and a phone number. You will also need proof of your relationship to the child via a birth certificate. If they apply after the deadline applicable to them (June 2021 or 3 months after arriving or being born in the UK), they will also need reasonable grounds.
With a linked application, your child will receive the same status as yourself, regardless of the child’s length or residence in the UK.
Bringing a child to the UK from abroad
There are two different Home Office application routes for children joining you in the UK.
For children joining under the family members route, you should apply for pre-settled status for them. The second option is for the child to apply for an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit while they are still abroad, then make the EUSS application once they are in the UK, within the 90 day window.