Below are general guidelines for those wishing to enter the UK, now that the transitional period which permitted the use of European I.D. cards for all, as a means to enter the UK, has expired.
You will not be able to use an EU, EEA, or Swiss national ID card to enter the UK (unless an Irish citizen) from 1 October 2021 unless you:
- have made an application under the EUSS (EU Settlement Scheme); for late applications see below /are a Service Provider from Switzerland visa/are a S2 Healthcare visitor or a frontier worker permit holder (in these cases, you can continue to use your national ID card to enter the UK until at least 31 December 2025).
- For short trips of up to six months in any 12-month period, a visa will not normally be required. Passports should be valid for the entirety of the stay and can be used at ePassport gates
- If you are a citizen of an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Switzerland, are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme and have a family member who wishes to join you in the UK, they must apply for a family visa or permit to come to the UK before applying to the Settlement Scheme once in the UK; in certain circumstances, they may be able to apply direct to the EU Settlement Scheme from overseas.
By registering under the EUSS you will be able to continue to access use of services provided by UK public funding in the form of social services as well as the National Health Service via the reciprocal healthcare agreements which exist between your home country and the UK. This is done through the use of an ‘S1 certificate’ – if you are eligible and do not have one you will need to apply and then register once received. EU frontier workers and an EU or Norwegian posted worker (someone employed or self-employed in an EU country or Norway but temporarily sent to work in the UK), are exempt from the health surcharge and can access healthcare.
Should you not be eligible to register under the EUSS but wish to move to the UK for more than 6 months to work, study or to settle, you will be subject to immigration control and must make the relevant application via the gov.uk website. As part of this you may need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, the charges for which are £624.00 per annum for most adults or £470.00 per annum for students and those under-18.
Late EUSS applications
It should be emphasised that there remains and will continue to remain, the possibility for a person eligible for status under the EU Settlement Scheme to make a late application to the scheme where there are reasonable grounds (see below) for their failure to meet the deadline (this was 30th of June 2021 or within three months of arrival). However, the more time which has elapsed the more difficult it will become to satisfy that, at the date of application, there are indeed grounds for failing to meet that deadline.
The following circumstances may be considered as reasonable grounds for a late application (this list is not exhaustive:
- Those under-18, for who the application is outside of their control
- Where a person lacks the physical or mental capacity
- Abusive or controlling relationship or situation
- Compelling practical or compassionate reasons where evidence to support an application was previously unavailable (this includes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Where an EEA citizen or their family member was resident in the UK by the end of 30th of June 2021 and has continued to have a valid status document under the EEA Regulations this in itself to be reasonable grounds for them to make a late application to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Even when a late application has not been supported by enough information The Home Office encourages its caseworkers to correspond with the applicant, giving them a reasonable opportunity to provide what is required, as well as judging in favour of the applicant where appropriate.
