Permanent residence documents for EU, EEA or Swiss citizens

You can no longer apply for a UK permanent residence document.

If you applied on or before 31 December 2020, your application will still be considered.

To continue living in the UK, you need another type of permission to stay, such as settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

If you already have a permanent residence document, it is no longer valid.

However, you can still use it at the border to enter the UK if:

  • you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
  • you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021

Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme

The deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people.

You can still apply if you or a family member were living in the UK by 31 December 2020 and one of the following applies:

  • you have a later deadline - for example, you’re joining a family member in the UK
  • you have reasonable grounds for being unable to apply by 30 June 2021 - for example, you had an illness, or were the victim of domestic abuse

If you’re joining a family member, you can apply for an EU Settlement Scheme family permit to come to the UK, and apply to the EU Settlement Scheme once you’re here. You may be able to apply to the scheme from outside the UK.

Check if you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

If you cannot apply, check what type of visa you’ll need to come to the UK.

How to apply for British citizenship

If you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you can apply for British citizenship. If you had permanent residence status before you got settled status, you might not need to wait the usual 12 months before applying for citizenship.

If you do not have settled status, you might still be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. If your application is successful, you’ll be able to apply for British citizenship.

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