Immigration Solicitors

A registration certificate can be applied for by EEA and Swiss nationals, which will confirm their right, under EU law, to live in the UK. A document to certify permanent residence can be applied for following a continuous five years of residence in the country.

However, if you are a national of an EEA country, under European law you are not strictly required to obtain documentation that confirms your UK right of residence. There is an important point in this connection, because it would be necessary to have obtained residence documents under certain circumstances. For example, if you have family members who are not EEA nationals and they wanted to obtain a residence card in order to live and work in the UK, you would have to show that you are living in the UK in conformity with Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006. You will have to be able to prove that you are ‘exercising Treaty rights’ in one of a number of ways.

You are exercising Treaty rights when you are studying, employed or self-employed. You could also be a jobseeker, retired or someone who no is no longer able to work because of some form of incapacity; also, you might have private means and do not require access to public funds.

EEA nationals can apply for a registration certificate at any time. This is done by completing application form EEA1. A document that certifies permanent residence is obtained by completing form EEA3. There are a number of EEA guidance notes attached to these forms that should be read carefully before completing and submitting them. If you have any uncertainties about which forms you should be applying for you can contact immigration solicitors such as Duncan Lewis, who will be happy to assist you and supply you with any further information that may be required. Under present European law, there is currently no charge for making an application for these registration documents and you can apply for them either by post or in person.

The application form for the EEA1 form has the postal address to send it to on its reverse; alternatively, an appointment can be booked at the Immigration Office in Croydon, up to two months in advance. EEA3 applications have the destination address on the front of the form.

When making these applications a certain amount of documentary evidence must also be supplied. This includes a passport or valid identity card issued by an EEA country or by Switzerland. You must also supply some evidence that you qualify for this documentation, along with two official passport photos. All documents will be returned once processing is completed.

The time period before you receive a response will depend on the method of submission and the type of documents applied for. Six months is the usual period, but some applications are processed much more quickly. If the applicant has booked an appointment at the Immigration Office in Croydon, the application is normally processed on the same day.