EU Settlement Scheme · IAA-regulated advice
EUSS Family Permit Advice in Birmingham & London
Join your EU, EEA or Swiss family member in the UK, or travel here with them. We check you qualify, build your relationship and dependency evidence and prepare your application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is an EUSS family permit?
An EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit lets you come to the UK to join, or travel with, a family member from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein who was living here by 31 December 2020. It’s free, lasts 6 months, and you can work and study while it’s valid.
It’s a way in, not a long-term status: once you’re here, you apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to stay. The rules are in Appendix EU (Family Permit) of the Immigration Rules. Family of an eligible person of Northern Ireland, and some former family members, can also apply.
✓This is the right route if…
- Your family member is an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020, and usually has settled or pre-settled status
- You’re their spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner, and you were together by 31 December 2020
- Or you’re their (or their partner’s) child or grandchild, or dependent parent or grandparent
- You’re outside the UK and will join them, or travel with them, within 6 months
Quick check
Could you qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Is your family member an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020?EEA means Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. They usually need settled or pre-settled status.
Are you their spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, child, grandchild, or dependent parent or grandparent?Your partner’s children and parents count too. Brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles don’t.
If you’re partners, were you together by 31 December 2020?Unmarried partners usually need to have lived together for 2 years by then. You can have married since.
If you’re an adult child or a parent, can you show you depend on them?That means you need their financial or other material support to meet your essential needs.
Are you outside the UK, and will you join them (or travel with them) within 6 months?You must apply from outside the UK.
Do you have a valid passport (or EU, EEA or Swiss national identity card)?Other evidence is accepted only in limited cases, for example if illness stops you getting a passport.
Eligibility
EUSS family permit requirements
You must meet the requirements on the date you apply, and prove each one. The relationship date is where most cases turn.
Your relationship
- Spouse or civil partner: married by 31 December 2020, or unmarried partners by then who have married since
- Unmarried partner: a durable relationship by 31 December 2020, usually shown by 2 years of living together
- Child or grandchild under 21, or older if dependent, of your family member or their spouse or civil partner
- Dependent parent or grandparent of your family member or their spouse or civil partner
Children born or adopted after 31 December 2020 can also qualify. The relationship must still exist when you apply.
The person you’re joining
- An EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020
- They usually have settled or pre-settled status, and you give their 16-digit EUSS application number
- They’re in the UK, or will travel with you within 6 months
- It can also be a frontier worker, or a British citizen with EU, EEA or Swiss nationality in some cases
If your family member didn’t need to apply to the EUSS, you show instead that they meet its eligibility rules.
Showing you’re dependent
- Needed if you’re a child or grandchild aged 21 or over
- Needed if you’re a parent or grandparent joining now, unless your partner has already been granted as their dependent parent
- Dependent means you can’t meet your essential living needs without their financial or other material support, and they provide it
- The reasons for the dependency don’t matter
Evidence usually includes regular money transfers, or proof you rely on them for health care.
Identity, location and suitability
- You must be outside the UK when you apply, and not a British citizen
- A valid passport, or a valid national identity card if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
- Your photo and, usually, your fingerprints
- You can be refused if you’re subject to a deportation or exclusion order, or give false or misleading information
Can’t get a passport for a compelling reason, such as illness? Explain why, with evidence, when you apply.
Documents
EUSS family permit documents: the easy part
The documents are simple to list. Refusals come from what they show about when your relationship began and whether you depend on your family member.
What everyone needs
- Your passport or national identity card
- Your family member’s EUSS application number, or proof they’re eligible
- Your marriage, civil partnership or birth certificate
- Proof you lived together, if you’re unmarried partners
- Proof you were partners before 2021, if you married later
- £Proof you depend on them, if this applies to you
Plus your photo and, usually, your fingerprints, given as part of the application.
Costs & timeline
EUSS family permit cost and processing time
The EUSS family permit is free, and so is the EU Settlement Scheme application you make after you arrive. There’s no health surcharge. GOV.UK doesn’t publish a standard processing time for the permit.
Applying from outside the UK
| Home Office application feefree | £0 |
| Immigration Health Surchargenot charged: the permit lasts 6 months | £0 |
| EU Settlement Scheme application after you arrivealso free | £0 |
| Home Office total, per applicantbefore translations and travel | £0 |
Fees from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. The health surcharge applies only to visas of more than 6 months applied for from outside the UK. You must apply for the permit from outside the UK. Our consultation fees →
Apply online
From outside the UKOnline form, your passport or ID card, your family member’s EUSS application number, then your photo and, usually, fingerprints.
Decision
No published standardGOV.UK doesn’t give a processing time for the permit. Don’t book travel until you have a decision.
Travel to the UK
Within 6 months of the decisionThe permit is valid for 6 months from the date of decision. You can work, study, and come and go.
Apply to the EUSS
Within 3 months of arrivingOr before your permit runs out, if that’s later. You’ll usually get pre-settled status.
Settled status
After 5 years’ residencePre-settled status is extended automatically and may be converted to settled status. Then you can usually apply for citizenship 12 months later.
Avoid a refusal
Common EUSS family permit refusal reasons
Most problems come down to the relationship date and the evidence, not eligibility. These are the issues we check first.
Missing sponsor details
Since 8 April 2026, an application must include your family member’s EUSS reference number or evidence they qualify. Without it, the application is rejected as invalid.
We check: your family member’s details and evidence are in place before you apply.
A relationship that began too late
Partners must have been together by 31 December 2020. A marriage after that date only counts if you were already durable partners before it.
We check: when your relationship began, and how to evidence it.
Durable partnership not shown
Unmarried partners usually need evidence of 2 years living together by 31 December 2020, such as shared bills, tenancy or joint finances.
We check: your evidence covers the whole period, from both of you.
Dependency not proved
Adult children and parents joining now must show they rely on their family member’s support for essential needs. Occasional gifts may not be enough.
We check: how regular and how significant the support is, and how it’s shown.
A relative who doesn’t qualify
Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins can’t get this permit to join an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.
We check: whether another route fits your family.
Missing the EUSS deadline after arrival
The permit only gets you in. You must apply to the EU Settlement Scheme within 3 months of arriving, or before the permit runs out if that’s later.
We check: your dates, and plan your EUSS application before you travel.
How we help
Our EUSS family permit services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We check whether you qualify, whether you need a permit at all, and the risks.
Evidence review
We check your relationship, dependency and family member’s status evidence against the Rules.
Full application
We prepare and submit your permit application, with a cover letter that sets out how you qualify.
EUSS application
We help you apply to the EU Settlement Scheme after you arrive, and later move to settled status.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. If you’re refused and need an appeal, we explain your options and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser straight away.
FAQs
EUSS family permit questions, answered
Who can get an EUSS family permit?
Close family of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020: their spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner, their children and grandchildren, and their dependent parents and grandparents (and those of their spouse or civil partner). Family of an eligible person of Northern Ireland and some former family members can also apply.
We married after 31 December 2020. Can I still apply?
Yes, if you were already in a durable relationship by 31 December 2020, usually shown by 2 years of living together, and you can evidence it. Spouses and civil partners of Swiss citizens can qualify if they married before 1 January 2026. Otherwise, a spouse or partner visa under the family rules is usually the route.
Do I need a family permit, or can I apply to the EUSS from abroad?
You can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme from outside the UK if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen with a biometric passport or ID card, or if you have a UK biometric residence card that expired no more than 5 years ago. Otherwise, you need the family permit first.
Can I work on an EUSS family permit?
Yes. You can work and study, and come and go as many times as you like while the permit is valid. To stay longer than the permit allows, you apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
How long do I have to apply to the EUSS after I arrive?
Usually 3 months from the date you arrive, or until your permit runs out if that’s later. After that you can still apply, but only with reasonable grounds for the delay. We recommend applying well before your deadline.
Does my parent need to show they depend on me?
Usually yes. A parent or grandparent joining now must show they can’t meet their essential needs without financial or other material support from you or your spouse or civil partner. They don’t need to if their own partner has already been granted as your dependent parent.
What if my family permit application is refused?
You can usually appeal to an independent tribunal, within 28 days if you’re outside the UK. Appeals are outside our Level 1 scope, so we explain your options and refer you straight away. You can also make a new application: it’s free and there’s no closing date.
I have EUSS status and a new passport. Do I need a travel permit?
No. The EUSS travel permit was removed from the Immigration Rules on 8 October 2026. Instead, update the details in your UKVI account, which you can do from abroad, so your status is linked to your new passport before you travel.
Ready when you are
Reunited, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.