Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)

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Applying for your child

Each child must have their own application. You can apply for your child or they can apply for themselves.

Eligibility

Your child may be eligible for settled or pre-settled status if they are:

  • under 21
  • from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein - or you, or your spouse or civil partner, are

Although the deadline for applications for most people was 30 June 2021, you can still apply for your child - or they can apply for themselves - if you lived in the UK by 31 December 2020.

They must have been born or adopted in the UK, or joined you here, either:

  • on or after 1 April 2021
  • before 1 April 2021, but, for example, you did not know that they needed to apply to the scheme - this will be considered as ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying by the deadline

If your child was born in the UK but is not a British citizen, they will still need to apply. You can check if they’re a British citizen if you’re not sure.

What documents you’ll need

You’ll need proof of:

  • your child’s identity - you can use the same types of documents for proving your own identity, for example a passport or biometric residence card (if it has not expired)
  • your relationship to your child
  • when you started living in the UK, if you have not applied to the scheme
  • when your child was born or adopted, if this was on or after 1 April 2021 - for example a birth certificate or adoption order
  • when your child started living here, if they started living in the UK by 31 December 2020
  • your child’s continuous residence

If your child started living in the UK by 31 December 2020, you’ll need evidence that shows they were here in the last 6 months of 2020.

Check what evidence you can use to show when your child started living in the UK, and that they’ve continued to live here.

If you have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme

When you apply for your child you can ‘link’ their application to yours. This means that if your own application is successful, your child will usually get the same status as you.

To do this, select the option to apply ‘using your parent’s residence’, then enter your application number. You will need to do this for each child you apply for.

You can use your own email address in the application if your child does not have one.

You can apply for your child any time after you’ve made your own application - you do not need to wait for a decision.

Your child will not get the same status as you if they’re eligible for settled status and you have pre-settled status.

If you have not applied to the EU Settlement Scheme

If you’re eligible for the scheme, but did not apply by the deadline, you’ll have to apply yourself and show why you did not apply by the deadline.

If you’re not eligible for the scheme but your child is, you can still apply for them. For example, if they live in the UK and you do not.

If your child does not have 5 years’ continuous residence

If your child does not have 5 years’ continuous residence when they apply, they’ll usually get pre-settled status, unless you’ve been granted pre-settled status.

You can apply to change this to settled status once they have reached 5 years’ continuous residence or you’ve been granted settled status. You must do this before their pre-settled status expires - this will be 5 years after the date they got pre-settled status.

If you’re an Irish citizen

You do not need to apply for settled or pre-settled status if you’re an Irish citizen who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020, but you can choose to do so.

If you apply, your children will also need their own application unless they have:

  • Irish citizenship
  • British citizenship
  • dual British and Irish citizenship

If you’re an Irish citizen and your child is not a British citizen, they’ll be eligible for either:

  • the same status that you could get, based on how long you’ve lived in the UK
  • settled or pre-settled status, based on their own residence

This also applies if you’re from Northern Ireland and have Irish, British or dual British and Irish citizenship, and your child does not have Irish, British or dual citizenship.

How to apply

Apply online for the EU Settlement Scheme.

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Part of Stay in the UK ('settled status'): step by step

  1. Step 1 Check if you need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme

    You may need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK.

    1. Check if you need to apply

  2. Step 2 Find out what status you’ll get

    You’ll get settled or pre-settled status depending on how long you’ve been living in the UK. This might affect when you choose to apply.

    1. Find out what you’ll get

  3. Step 3 Check what you’ll need to apply

    1. What you'll need to apply

    Check what you need to do if:

  4. Step 4 Apply

    The deadline for applying is 30 June 2021.

    1. Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme

  5. Step 5 After you've applied

    1. What happens after you’ve applied

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