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

If you're applying for your child

You can apply for settled or pre-settled status for your child if they’re under 21 and either:

  • they’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
  • they are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, but you are - or your spouse or civil partner is

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Your child can also apply for themselves.

If you have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme

You’ll be able to ‘link’ your child’s application to yours, using the application number you got when you applied for yourself.

You can do this at any time after you’ve applied - you do not need to wait for a decision.

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

If your own application is successful, your child will get the same status as you.

You will need to do this for each child you want to apply for.

What proof you need

You’ll need to provide proof of your relationship to your child when you apply.

You will not need to provide proof of your child’s residence in the UK with their application. However the Home Office may ask you for proof of residence before making a decision.

If you have not applied to the EU Settlement Scheme

If you are eligible for the scheme, it may be easier to make your own application before you apply for your child.

Otherwise you’ll need to provide proof that your child has 5 years’ continuous residence in the UK to be eligible for settled status - or your child will need to if they apply for themselves.

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. They must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020.

They can stay in the UK for a further 5 years from the date they get pre-settled status.

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

If they’ll reach 5 years’ continuous residence by 31 December 2020, you can choose to wait until they reach 5 years’ continuous residence before applying. If their application is successful, they’ll get settled status without getting pre-settled status first.

If you are not eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme

If you are not eligible for the scheme but your child is, for example, because they live in the UK and you do not, you can still apply for them. You’ll need to provide proof of their UK residence.

If you’re an Irish citizen

You do not need to apply for settled or pre-settled status if you’re an Irish citizen.

However, 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

Apply for your child

Find out how to apply for your child.

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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

Transition period

Find out what it means for you