Documentation

Traveling to the UK

If you are travelling to the UK, please check all the relevant information.
If you are travelling to the UK, please check all the relevant information. As of October 1st, 2021, passengers from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland will no longer be allowed to enter the United Kingdom by presenting their Citizen Card or Lifetime ID card. Entry into the country will only require a passport.
Exceptions for passengers from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland apply if:
  • The passenger has received a Permanent Residence Permit or Temporary Residence Permit through Resident Status (EU Settlement Scheme).
  • The passenger has applied for Resident Status (EU Settlement Scheme) by June 30, 2021, but has not received a response to their application as of the date of the trip.
  • The passenger holds a Family Permit issued by the United Kingdom (EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit).
  • The passenger is visiting the United Kingdom for healthcare purposes (or accompanying someone who will be receiving healthcare in the United Kingdom) under the S2 Healthcare Visitor agreement.
  • The passenger holds a Frontier Worker Permit – that is, a visa that allows the passenger to work in the United Kingdom while residing in another country.
  • The passenger is Swiss and holds a Swiss Service Provider Visa.
  • The aforementioned EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can use their ID documents to enter the United Kingdom until December 31st, 2025. It is possible to use ID documents after this date if such documents meet the security requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization. 
 
Please note that since December 31st, 2020, all EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who want to travel to the United Kingdom to work or study need a proper entry permit.

The entry permit in the national passport may be a visa sticker, but it may also be issued digitally. The EUSS license will be issued digitally.

ID cards held by British citizens from Gibraltar and Irish Passports are still accepted when entering the United Kingdom.

Passengers who produce invalid documentation will not be allowed to enter the United Kingdom. For visits of up to 6 months, no visa or entry permit is required.

For more information on document changes and accepted documents when travelling to the United Kingdom, please see below.
 

All family members of EU/EEA or Swiss nationals will require entry clearance, or a UK issued family permit to join or accompany their EU/EEA/Swiss family member in the UK.

Visa-national family members will require a visa for all visits up to 6 months duration.

UK issued Family Permits, issued on Cat D vignettes, will continue to be issued and remain valid to 30 June 2021. In parallel, a new EUSS family permit has been introduced, issued on Category D vignette with the endorsement “EU SETTLEMENT SCHEME FAMILY PERMIT to join / to acc” + name of the EEA national.

All family members of UK nationals will require a visa (if a visa national) or Settlement entry clearance.

Family Members already settled in the UK will be issued with a UK biometric residence permit (BRP).

Where a family member has lost their biometric residence permit whilst outside the UK, or where they have left the UK whilst their EUSS application is still pending, they are required to apply for an EUSS travel permit.

The EUSS Travel permit is valid for 6 months multiple entry.

EU and Irish-issued Article 10/20 cards will no longer be acceptable as a visa exemption document.

UK-issued Article 10/20 cards will continue to be acceptable when presented alongside a valid travel document.

The UK will continue to accept the same EU/EEA and Swiss common format Category D visas and residence permits as exemption documents for the purpose of transiting the UK without a visa. This includes those issued for the Republic of Ireland.

Irish citizens 
Irish citizens can continue to travel and live in the UK as they do now and will not require leave to enter. 
Additionally, the Common Travel Area arrangements covering the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies will remain unchanged. 

Temporary & Emergency Travel Documents 
The acceptability of temporary and emergency passports remains unchanged. Where this is not a passport, a visa will be required unless the holder is in transit to the country in which they are ordinarily resident. For further information available here.

Uniform Format Forms (UFFs) 
From 23:00 (UK Time) on 31 December 2020, Uniform Format Forms (UFFs) will be replaced by the UK Form for Affixing a Visa (FAVs). UFFs can continue to be accepted for travel as long as the affixed vignette remains valid.  

Diplomats and Staff members of International organisations 
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who are diplomats or who are staff members of certain international organisations will continue to be exempt from immigration control. They may have an exempt vignette, may be travelling with an FCDO diplomatic identity card or a Note Verbale.

 

For more information, see also the following pages of the British Government: