Many Europeans picture the UK move the way it used to work: book a ferry, find a flat, sort the paperwork afterwards. That version ended on 31 December 2020. Today, moving to the UK from the EU starts with a question your friends who arrived before Brexit never had to answer: what is my legal basis for being here?
Once that is settled, the rest of the move is surprisingly smooth. Government services are online, there is no town-hall registration, and a GP will register you without asking for papers. Here is the order that saves the most time.
Is moving to the UK still free for EU citizens?
No. A citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland who arrives now falls under the same immigration rules as anyone else. To live in the UK, work for more than a short stay or study for a long course, you need a visa, unless you already hold a status from the EU Settlement Scheme.
Two groups sit outside that rule. People who lived in the UK before the end of 2020 and got settled or pre-settled status keep their rights; our guide to the EU Settlement Scheme explains how to keep it. And Irish citizens need nothing at all, thanks to the Common Travel Area; see Irish citizens moving to the UK.
For everyone else, GOV.UK has an official tool, "Check if you need a UK visa". Start there, and treat any other site with caution.
Which visa or status matches your situation?
The main families are work, family and study. The route most Europeans take is the Skilled Worker visa, which needs a job offer from an employer licensed by the Home Office; read the Skilled Worker visa guide. Others do not need a job offer, such as the Global Talent visa for leaders in their field, the Graduate visa after a UK degree, or the Youth Mobility Scheme, which is open only to certain nationalities and age ranges. Founders can look at the Innovator Founder visa.
Family routes exist if you join a partner, parent or child who is settled in the UK. Students apply for a Student visa. The detail of each is in UK visas for EU citizens after Brexit.
There is no longer a visa for retirees who simply have enough money, which surprises many readers.
Not sure which route fits you, or what to ask a sponsor? Moovy can walk through your situation, list the documents each route asks for and explain the terms in plain English. Moovy does not apply for you and does not replace an immigration adviser: for a visa, the final check should come from a regulated professional.
What happens to your status once you are in the UK?
Your status is no longer a card in your wallet. It is an eVisa, a digital record linked to your passport and held in your UKVI account. Creating the account is free.
When someone needs to check your rights, you generate a share code from that account and give it to them. An employer uses it to confirm your right to work; a landlord in England uses it for the right-to-rent check. It is quick, but it means you must keep the email address and phone number on your account up to date.
What should you do in your first weeks?
The order below avoids most of the usual loops.
- Housing. Find somewhere to live. In England your landlord will ask for your share code; see renting in the UK.
- National Insurance number. Apply online once you are in the UK and allowed to work. You can usually start a job while it is in the post. The steps are in National Insurance number: how to apply.
- GP registration. Register with a local doctor. In England you do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status. See healthcare in the UK for expats.
- Council tax. Tell the local council you have moved in. A single adult can ask for a 25% reduction, and it is not automatic.
- Bank account. Opening one is easier with an address, and getting an address can be easier with a bank statement, so take the paperwork to the branch and ask what the bank accepts; see opening a bank account in the UK.
- Online identity. Set up GOV.UK One Login and your HMRC personal tax account.
How much does moving to the UK cost?
It depends on the visa. Visa fees vary by category. As an example from GOV.UK, a family visa to join a partner costs £2,064 from outside the UK and £1,407 from inside the UK, per person. On top of the application fee, most visa holders pay the Immigration Health Surcharge up front: £1,035 per adult per year, or £776 per year for students, Youth Mobility visa holders and under-18s. The EU Settlement Scheme itself is free.
Do not forget to budget for the first rent, a deposit (capped at five weeks' rent in England for most rents) and a few months of living costs. Unemployment benefit is not simply exportable from your home country, so arrive with a cushion.
What are the traps to avoid?
- Believing that free movement still applies. It does not, and short visits do not add up to residence.
- Using unofficial sites for the ETA or the visa. GOV.UK warns that other sites charge more; apply only on gov.uk.
- Showing up with an ID card. Entry normally requires a passport; ID cards are accepted only in limited cases, notably for holders of EU Settlement Scheme status.
- Looking for a "town hall registration". There is none. Your address becomes known through council tax, your GP and the electoral roll.
- Paying an agent for free services. The eVisa account, the NI number and basic identity checks are free.
Rules are moving: the government has consulted on "earned settlement", which could change how long it takes to settle permanently. Check the current page on GOV.UK before every step.
What is a realistic timeline for moving to the UK?
Plan in three blocks. Before you leave, you secure your legal basis: a job offer with a sponsor if you are heading for a Skilled Worker visa, then the application, the payment of the health surcharge and the biometrics appointment. GOV.UK says that Skilled Worker decisions usually come within three weeks from outside the UK and eight weeks from inside it, and you can apply up to three months before your start date. Family visas from outside the UK are slower: the Home Office's reference time is 12 weeks, so do not book a one-way ticket on the day you apply.
In your first fortnight you do the practical set-up above: address, NI number, GP, council tax. In your first three months you tidy the long tail: a bank account that suits you, an electoral-roll registration if you are entitled to vote, a driving licence exchange if you need one, and a plan for tax. People who arrive mid-year often discover that the UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, so a December arrival is not "the start of a year" for HMRC.
What should your family know before you go?
Partners and children usually need their own immigration route, either as dependants on your visa or under a family category. Children can attend state school as soon as their visa allows it; see schools in the UK for expat children. Pets have their own import rules, which are outside the scope of this guide, so check the official pet travel pages early.
If you keep a home, a car or a bank account in your country of origin, tell the relevant authorities when you leave. Being tax resident in two places at once is possible, and the double-tax treaty between the UK and your country then decides who taxes what. Ask HMRC or a tax adviser how the treaty applies to your case before you leave.
Where should you live: England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
Immigration rules are the same everywhere, but daily life is not. Income tax bands differ in Scotland, renting rules differ in each nation, and NHS rules and school admissions are devolved. Our comparison of living in Scotland vs England helps you decide before you sign a lease.