Child Benefit if you move to the UK

Everyone needs to meet the eligibility rules to claim Child Benefit. If you’re moving to the UK from abroad you also need to prove that you:

  • live in the UK as your main home - except for short periods, like holidays (in most cases, your child must live with you)
  • have the right to reside in the UK

If you have ‘settled’ status under the EU Settlement Scheme you are eligible for Child Benefit. If you have ‘pre-settled’ status check the additional eligibility rules.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

Your child does not live with you in the UK

Usually you will not qualify if you’re from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and your child does not live with you.

If your child lives in an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (the EEA), or Switzerland

You may be eligible for child benefit if either:

You or your partner must pay UK National Insurance (if you’re employed or self-employed) or get one of these benefits:

  • New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • State Pension
  • widow’s benefits
  • Bereavement Support Payment
  • Incapacity Benefit
  • Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
  • Severe Disablement Allowance
  • Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)

You’re ‘subject to immigration control’

You usually cannot claim Child Benefit if you’re ‘subject to immigration control’ - meaning you either:

  • require leave to enter or remain in the UK and do not have it
  • have leave to enter or remain in the UK but with a condition that you cannot access public funds

The exceptions are if you are from:

  • Albania, Morocco, Tunisia or Turkey and working in the UK
  • a country that has an agreement with the UK for Child Benefit

Countries that have an agreement with the UK are:

  • Barbados
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Canada
  • the Channel Islands
  • Israel
  • Kosovo
  • Mauritius
  • Montenegro
  • New Zealand
  • North Macedonia
  • Serbia

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