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</div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </header> <div class=""> <div class="gem-c-layout-for-public__blue-bar govuk-width-container"></div> </div> <div id="wrapper" class="direction-ltr govuk-width-container"> <div class="gem-c-contextual-breadcrumbs"> <div class="govuk-!-display-none-print"> <nav data-module="ga4-link-tracker" aria-label="Breadcrumb" class="gem-c-breadcrumbs govuk-breadcrumbs govuk-breadcrumbs--collapse-on-mobile"> <ol class="govuk-breadcrumbs__list"> <li class="govuk-breadcrumbs__list-item"> <a data-ga4-link='{"event_name":"navigation","type":"breadcrumb","index_link":"1","index_total":"3"}' class="govuk-breadcrumbs__link" href="/">Home</a> </li> <li class="govuk-breadcrumbs__list-item"> <a data-ga4-link='{"event_name":"navigation","type":"breadcrumb","index_link":"2","index_total":"3"}' class="govuk-breadcrumbs__link" href="/government/all">Government</a> </li> <li class="govuk-breadcrumbs__list-item"> <a 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metadata-column"> <div class="gem-c-metadata" data-module="gem-toggle metadata"> <dl class="gem-c-metadata__list"> <dt class="gem-c-metadata__term">From:</dt> <dd class="gem-c-metadata__definition"> <a class="govuk-link" href="/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office">Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office</a> </dd> <dt class="gem-c-metadata__term">Published</dt> <dd class="gem-c-metadata__definition">6 November 2020</dd> </dl> </div> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-column-one-third"> </div> </div> </div> <div data-module="ga4-link-tracker" class="govuk-!-display-none-print govuk-!-margin-bottom-6"> <form class="gem-c-single-page-notification-button" action="/email/subscriptions/single-page/new" method="POST" data-button-location="top" data-button-text-subscribe="Get emails about this page" data-button-text-unsubscribe="Stop getting emails about this page"> <input type="hidden" name="base_path" 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class="gem-c-single-page-notication-button__text">Get emails about this page</span> </button> </form> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-row gem-print-columns-none"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds"> <div id="contents" class="app-c-contents-list-with-body" data-module="sticky-element-container"> <div class="responsive-bottom-margin"> <nav data-module="ga4-link-tracker" aria-label="Contents" class="gem-c-contents-list govuk-!-margin-bottom-4" role="navigation"> <h2 class="gem-c-contents-list__title"> Contents </h2> <ol class="gem-c-contents-list__list"> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--dashed"> <span class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item-dash" aria-hidden="true"></span> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link gem-c-force-print-link-styles govuk-link--no-underline" data-ga4-link='{"event_name":"select_content","section":"Contents","type":"contents list","index_total":4,"index_link":1}' href="#who-it-covers">Who it covers</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--dashed"> <span class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item-dash" aria-hidden="true"></span> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link gem-c-force-print-link-styles govuk-link--no-underline" data-ga4-link='{"event_name":"select_content","section":"Contents","type":"contents list","index_total":4,"index_link":2}' href="#residence-rights">Residence rights</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--dashed"> <span class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item-dash" aria-hidden="true"></span> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link gem-c-force-print-link-styles govuk-link--no-underline" data-ga4-link='{"event_name":"select_content","section":"Contents","type":"contents list","index_total":4,"index_link":3}' href="#social-security-coordination">Social security coordination</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--dashed"> <span class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item-dash" aria-hidden="true"></span> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link gem-c-force-print-link-styles govuk-link--no-underline" data-ga4-link='{"event_name":"select_content","section":"Contents","type":"contents list","index_total":4,"index_link":4}' href="#more-information">More information</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> <div class="gem-c-print-link govuk-!-display-none-print govuk-!-margin-top-0 govuk-!-margin-bottom-6"> <button class="govuk-link govuk-body-s gem-c-print-link__button" data-module="print-link">Print this page</button> </div> <div data-module="govspeak" class="gem-c-govspeak govuk-govspeak govuk-!-margin-bottom-0"> <div class="govspeak"> <h2 id="who-it-covers">Who it covers</h2> <p>If you are a UK national living in an EU country by 31 December 2020 you are covered, provided you meet one of the residence conditions that you:</p> <ul> <li>are a worker or self-employed person in the country where you’re living</li> <li>are a student and can show you have enough money to live on and have comprehensive sickness insurance</li> <li>are a self-sufficient person and can show you have enough money to live on, and have comprehensive sickness insurance, or</li> <li>already have the right of permanent residence</li> </ul> <p>If you are covered, your family members living with you in an EU country by 31 December 2020 are also covered.</p> <p>The Withdrawal Agreement also protects you if you live in the UK or another EU country and work in a different EU country. These are known as ‘frontier workers’.</p> <h2 id="residence-rights">Residence rights</h2> <p>You may need to register or apply for a new residence status to be able to stay. Read more specific information on <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/overseas-living-in-guides#eu,-eea/efta-countries-and-switzerland" class="govuk-link">living in your EU country</a>.</p> <p>If you have lived in your EU country for less than 5 years, you will be able to stay for as long as you meet one of the residence conditions. There are exceptions (eg you may have a short period of unemployment and still remain covered as a ‘worker’). You must spend at least 6 months in any 12-month period in your EU country to keep your residence rights.</p> <p>After you have lived continuously in an EU country for 5 years, you will be able to obtain permanent residence. Once you have this right, you no longer need to meet the residence conditions and can only lose it if you live outside your EU country for more than 5 consecutive years.</p> <p>If you have residence rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you also have the right to be treated equally with nationals of the country where you live and cannot be discriminated against. You will have broadly the same entitlements to work, study and access benefits and services as before the UK left the EU.</p> <h2 id="social-security-coordination">Social security coordination</h2> <p>If you have residence rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, existing EU social security coordination rules will also apply to you. These mean that:</p> <ul> <li>you only pay into one social security system at a time</li> <li>your UK State Pension (if you get one, or when you start receiving it) will increase in line with rates in the UK (uprating)</li> <li>social security contributions that you have paid in different EU countries can be used to help meet the entitlement conditions for certain benefits and state pensions</li> <li>you can continue to be covered by reciprocal healthcare arrangements. This includes: <ul> <li>reciprocal healthcare cover if you, for example, get a UK State Pension or certain other benefits (using an ‘S1 form’)</li> <li>planned health treatments (known as the ‘S2 route’)</li> <li>necessary healthcare during a temporary stay (under the European Health Insurance Card scheme, known as an EHIC)</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>These social security coordination rules may also apply to other people, for example UK nationals who are frontier workers in an EU country.</p> <h2 id="more-information">More information</h2> <p>For a detailed guide on the citizens’ rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement, read the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/withdrawal-agreement-explainer-for-part-2-citizens-rights" class="govuk-link">citizens’ rights explainer</a>. You can also view the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-withdrawal-agreement-and-political-declaration" class="govuk-link">text of the Withdrawal Agreement in full</a>.</p> <p>The UK has similar agreements with the EEA EFTA states (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland. You can read the:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eea-efta-separation-agreement-and-explainer" class="govuk-link">EEA EFTA Separation Agreement</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swiss-citizens-rights-agreement-and-explainer" class="govuk-link">Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <h2 class="govuk-visually-hidden">Updates to this page</h2> <div class="app-c-published-dates govuk-!-margin-bottom-5" lang="en"> Published 6 November 2020 </div> <div class="published-dates-button-group"> <h2 class="govuk-visually-hidden"> Sign up for emails or print this page </h2> <div data-module="ga4-link-tracker" class="govuk-!-display-none-print govuk-!-margin-bottom-3"> <form class="gem-c-single-page-notification-button" action="/email/subscriptions/single-page/new" method="POST" data-button-location="bottom" data-button-text-subscribe="Get emails about this page" data-button-text-unsubscribe="Stop getting emails 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src="/assets/static/application-8b506a2d97561cfc27d896eb0ff908d7687d034da7eaee59dd291c6c00bf5595.js" type="module"></script> <script src="/assets/government-frontend/application-01a60bd9634d5b54b3f79c12cb1b2d95f8b00bbd24b9b2cf897066f58f75f432.js" type="module"></script><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-withdrawal-agreement-what-uk-nationals-need-to-know-about-citizens-rights" }, "name": "The Withdrawal Agreement: what UK nationals need to know about citizens’ rights", "datePublished": "2020-11-06T13:37:00+00:00", "dateModified": "2020-11-06T13:37:00+00:00", "text": "The Withdrawal Agreement protects the rights of UK nationals and their family members who live in EU countries.", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "GOV.UK", "url": "https://www.gov.uk", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": 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"https://www.gov.uk/going-and-being-abroad/living-abroad" }, { "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Thing", "sameAs": "https://www.gov.uk/government/europe" } ], "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "The Withdrawal Agreement: what UK nationals need to know about citizens’ rights", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-withdrawal-agreement-what-uk-nationals-need-to-know-about-citizens-rights", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-withdrawal-agreement-what-uk-nationals-need-to-know-about-citizens-rights", "text": "\u003cdiv class=\"govspeak\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"who-it-covers\"\u003eWho it covers\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are a UK national living in an EU country by 31 December 2020 you are covered, provided you meet one of the residence conditions that you:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eare a worker or self-employed person in the country where you’re living\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eare a student and can show you have enough money to live on and have comprehensive sickness insurance\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eare a self-sufficient person and can show you have enough money to live on, and have comprehensive sickness insurance, or\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ealready have the right of permanent residence\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are covered, your family members living with you in an EU country by 31 December 2020 are also covered.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Withdrawal Agreement also protects you if you live in the UK or another EU country and work in a different EU country. These are known as ‘frontier workers’.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"residence-rights\"\u003eResidence rights\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYou may need to register or apply for a new residence status to be able to stay. Read more specific information on \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/overseas-living-in-guides#eu,-eea/efta-countries-and-switzerland\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eliving in your EU country\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have lived in your EU country for less than 5 years, you will be able to stay for as long as you meet one of the residence conditions. There are exceptions (eg you may have a short period of unemployment and still remain covered as a ‘worker’). You must spend at least 6 months in any 12-month period in your EU country to keep your residence rights.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter you have lived continuously in an EU country for 5 years, you will be able to obtain permanent residence. Once you have this right, you no longer need to meet the residence conditions and can only lose it if you live outside your EU country for more than 5 consecutive years.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have residence rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you also have the right to be treated equally with nationals of the country where you live and cannot be discriminated against. You will have broadly the same entitlements to work, study and access benefits and services as before the UK left the EU.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"social-security-coordination\"\u003eSocial security coordination\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have residence rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, existing EU social security coordination rules will also apply to you. These mean that:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eyou only pay into one social security system at a time\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eyour UK State Pension (if you get one, or when you start receiving it) will increase in line with rates in the UK (uprating)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esocial security contributions that you have paid in different EU countries can be used to help meet the entitlement conditions for certain benefits and state pensions\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eyou can continue to be covered by reciprocal healthcare arrangements. This includes:\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ereciprocal healthcare cover if you, for example, get a UK State Pension or certain other benefits (using an ‘S1 form’)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eplanned health treatments (known as the ‘S2 route’)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003enecessary healthcare during a temporary stay (under the European Health Insurance Card scheme, known as an EHIC)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese social security coordination rules may also apply to other people, for example UK nationals who are frontier workers in an EU country.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"more-information\"\u003eMore information\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a detailed guide on the citizens’ rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement, read the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/withdrawal-agreement-explainer-for-part-2-citizens-rights\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003ecitizens’ rights explainer\u003c/a\u003e. You can also view the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-withdrawal-agreement-and-political-declaration\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003etext of the Withdrawal Agreement in full\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe UK has similar agreements with the EEA EFTA states (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland. You can read the:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eea-efta-separation-agreement-and-explainer\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eEEA EFTA Separation Agreement\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swiss-citizens-rights-agreement-and-explainer\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eSwiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\u003c/div\u003e" } } ] } </script><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "name": "Home", "@id": "https://www.gov.uk/" } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "name": "Government", "@id": "https://www.gov.uk/government/all" } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "name": "Europe", "@id": "https://www.gov.uk/government/europe" } } ] } </script> </body> </html>

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