Travelling to and from the UK with pre-settled or settled status

What are my travel rights with EU settlement Scheme Status? 

If you have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (the EUSS) then you have the right to travel in and out of the UK freely as long as your status remains valid. There are some important things to be aware of to ensure that you can travel in and out of the UK smoothly. 

Will I be expected to show my EU settlement scheme status to airlines and other carriers?

From 2 April 2025 carriers (this means an airline, Eurostar or ferry operator) need to check that EU citizens travelling to the UK have permission from the Home Office before allowing them to “board” (travel to the UK). This is because the Home Office has introduced Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for EU visitors coming to the UK, who do not have immigration permission (i.e. EU citizens without pre-settled or settled status or another type of UK visa). 

As carriers are only required to check an EU traveller has permission to travel to the UK, they will not be checking if you have pre-settled or settled status as such. However, carriers will be checking the details of your passport or national ID card with the Home Office before you travel, to confirm you have permission to travel to the UK. This means it is very important to you have linked the any passport or national ID card that you travel with to your UK Visa and Immigration account (UKVI account), as this is how the Home Office will confirm with the carrier that you have permission to travel to the UK. 

How do I link my passport or national ID card to my UKVI account? 

When you applied to the Home Office for your pre-settled or settled status the passport or national ID card you applied with is automatically linked to your UKVI account. Therefore, if you are still travelling on the same document that you applied to the EU settlement scheme with, you do not need to take any action as your passport or national ID card will already be linked to your UKVI account. 

If you have changed passport or national ID card since you applied to the EUSS, or you want to add one of these documents to your UKVI account as an alternative travel document (you can link more than one travel document to your UKVI account), you will need to sign into your UKVI account and follow the instructions. Normally you can link your passport or national ID card using the online service however, in some situations you may be required to send your document to the Home Office for verification. If you have to send your document to the Home Office for verification it should be returned to you without delay.

If you are having difficulties signing into your UK account, then you should follow the Home Office instructions on how to recover the account. 

If I have not linked my passport or national ID card to my UKVI account will I be prevented from travelling? 

It is possible that you could be prevented from travelling if your passport or national ID card is not linked to your UKVI account, because the carrier will not get conformation from the Home Office that you have permission to travel to the UK. However, even if your passport or national ID card is not linked to your UKVI account, there are other ways that a carrier can check that you have permission to travel to the UK. 

Some carriers might ask you for a “share code” which can be used to check you have pre-settled or settled status and therefore, permission to travel to the UK. You can generate a share code from your UKVI account using the View and Prove service, which can be given to carriers to check your status (you should use the “other” type of share code not the one for employers or the one for landlords). Share codes are valid for 90 days and so you can generate the share code before you travel if you are returning within 90 days. You can also print off the PDF letter that the Home Office sent to you when you were granted pre-settled or settled status, however, be aware that this letter does not prove your status and so carriers might not accept this even if you show it to them. Carriers can also contact the Home Office directly using the 24-hour contact line to the Carrier Support Hub to check if you have been granted pre-settled or settled status. 

At the UK border, if you enter via passport control and speak to a Border Force, officer they will check that you have pre-settled or settled status. If your passport or national ID card is not linked to your UKVI account, then this check is likely to take longer than if the document is linked to your UKVI account. You should not be refused entry to the UK if your passport or national ID card is not linked to your UKVI account, as Border Force will still be able to verify your pre-setteld or settled status. 

I have heard about “eVisas” will this affect my travel? 

As you may be aware, the Home Office has been transitioning persons holding UK immigration status from physical residence documents to “eVisas” – digital immigration status – meaning most physical residence documents expired at the end of 2024. This transition to eVisas has not directly affected holders of pre-settled or settled status because you already have an eVisa – accessed through your UKVI account – to prove your status. Therefore, you do not need to take any action to set up an eVisa (you can disregard any Home Office emails or other communication you receive that says you need to set up an eVisa as you do not need to).  

Because the transition to eVisas is a significant change it is possible that there will some confusion, particularly with travel and what checks carriers now need to make on EU travellers to the UK. Even though holders of pre-settled or settled status already have they eVisa they need for travelling, this unfortunately may not be enough to avoid getting caught up in the confusion. It is also unfortunately possible that the eVisa might not function properly which again, can create a confusing situation. See this guide by the 3million and Migrants Organise about how to report eVisa issues to the Home Office. 

What happens at the UK border? 

EU citizens 10 years and over (10-17 year olds must be accompanied by an adult) are entitled to use the automatic gates (known as eGates) to enter the UK if arriving at a UK port that uses eGates (for example, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Luton Airport and several other airports). If you have pre-settled or settled status and arrive at a port with eGates, this is likely to be the quickest way to cross the border if you have a passport with a biometric chip in it. 

If you are arrive at a UK port that does not have eGates or are not able to use them (e.g. if you are travelling with a child under 10 years old, or do not have a biometric chip in your passport), then you will enter the UK via an passport control, which means speaking to a Border Force officer and showing your passport or national ID card to them. Border Force officers will check the border IT system to see that you have pre-settled or settled status as this is your permission to enter the UK. If you show your passport or national ID card to Border Force but this document is not linked to your UKVI account, it may take longer for Border Force to verify your pre-settled or settled status. 

Am I allowed to travel on my National Identity Card? 

If you are an EU citizen with pre-settled or settled status you are entitled to travel to the UK using your national ID card as this is your right protected by the Withdrawal Agreement (EU citizens with other UK visas or are coming as visitors are not entitled to travel to the UK with national ID cards). You can see in the UK Border Force guidance that you are entitled to use your national ID card to enter the UK if you hold EU settlement scheme status. Therefore, carriers should not prevent you boarding travel to the UK because you are travelling on a national ID card rather than a passport. 

Please be aware that from 2026, the UK can insist that national ID cards being used for travel by pre-settled or settled status holders have a biometric chip. This means it may not be possible to use a paper national ID card for travel to the UK from 2026. 

As set out above, now that carriers will be checking with the Home Office that all EU citizens have permission to travel to the UK, it is very important that you link any passport or national ID card that you travel with to your UKVI account as this is how the Home Office will confirm with the carrier that you have permission to travel to the UK. 

Is there any difference for non-EU nationals with pre-settled or settled status when travelling?

Non-EU nationals granted status under the EUSS were given both an eVisa – accessed through your UKVI account – as well as a physical EUSS Biometric Residence Card (unless a residence card was already held). Like other Home Office Biometric Residence Permits, most EUSS Biometric Residence Card expired on 31 December 2024 as the Home Office requires you to just use your eVisa to prove your pre-settled or settled status from 2025 onwards. Therefore, when you are travelling, carriers will check your passport details with the Home Office in the same way they do for EU citizens. This means as long as your passport is linked to your UKVI account, then the Home Office can confirm to the carrier that you have permission to travel to the UK. If you get a new passport after you applied to the EUSS then you should link this new passport to your UKVI account in the way described above under the heading “How do I link my passport or national ID card to my UKVI account?”.

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This site offers information about Brexit, how it may impact you as an EU citizen and your family living in the UK, and what you may need to do next. It summarises key issues and is purely for information purposes and has no legal force. It does not provide any legal interpretation of EU or UK legislation and is not meant to replace specialised legal advice on UK immigration rules.