The Frontier Worker permit lets citizens of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein keep working in the UK while living in another country, as long as they started working here by 31 December 2020. It protects people such as a consultant who lives in Paris and spends three days a week with London clients, or a lorry driver based in Belgium who has worked for a UK haulier for years.
Frontier Worker permit at a glance
- Who it is for
- You must be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, live outside the UK, and have started working in the UK by 31 December 2020.
- How long you can stay
- Your permit lasts for 5 years, or for 2 years if you apply with 'retained' status, for example because you are temporarily unable to work.
- Where you can apply from
- You apply online, and you can do this from outside the UK or from inside the UK.
- Money you need
- There is no fee for the permit and no immigration health surcharge, but you may have to pay for biometric information or an appointment.
- Work and study
- You can work in the UK as an employed or self-employed person, and you can change jobs without telling the Home Office.
- Family members
- Your permit does not cover family members, but they may be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled or pre-settled status.
From the official GOV.UK guidance, checked 2 November 2026.
Overview
The permit is proof of your right to enter the UK as a frontier worker. You do not need a visa or permission to enter, and you can work as an employee or be self-employed, changing jobs without telling the Home Office. It also proves your right to work and to rent, and your right to use the NHS and other services if you meet their own rules.
A permit lasts 5 years, or 2 years if you apply with "retained" status. There is no application fee and no Immigration Health Surcharge. Most permits are now digital: if you apply with the app, your permit is held in your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, and you prove your right to work with a share code.
The scheme is closed to newcomers. If you did not work in the UK by the end of 2020, you need a visa. The permit is also not a route to settlement, however long you hold it. The scheme is governed by the Citizens' Rights (Frontier Workers) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 rather than the Immigration Rules.
Who can apply
You may be eligible if all of these apply:
- You are a citizen of an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
- You live mainly outside the UK.
- You started working in the UK, as an employee or self-employed, by 31 December 2020, while living elsewhere.
- You have usually worked in the UK at least once every 12 months since then, or you have retained status.
Irish citizens do not need a permit but can apply if they wish. British citizens, including dual British and EU citizens, cannot apply. People who live in the UK do not qualify: they need status under the EU Settlement Scheme or a visa.
Requirements
- Nationality: a valid passport or national identity card.
- Living outside the UK: you meet this if you spent fewer than 180 days in the UK in any 12-month period. If you spent more, you must have returned to your country of residence at least once every 6 months, or twice in the 12 months, unless exceptional circumstances such as illness stopped you.
- Work by the end of 2020: evidence that you were working in the UK by 31 December 2020.
- Genuine and effective work: real work, not small one-off tasks. A job interview, a single audition or signing a contract does not count.
- Continuity: work in the UK at least once in every 12 months since you started.
- Suitability: the permit can be refused or revoked on grounds such as serious criminality or abuse of rights.
Retained status
You can keep frontier worker status for a time when you are not working. This applies if you are temporarily unable to work because of illness, an accident, pregnancy or childbirth, or if you are doing vocational training linked to your last job. It also applies if you are involuntarily unemployed and looking for work in the UK, registered with Jobcentre Plus. That cover lasts 6 months if you had worked here for less than a year, or as long as you keep looking for work if you had worked here for a year or more.
How to apply
- Gather your evidence: contracts, payslips or invoices showing your UK work since 2020, and proof of your address abroad and your travel pattern.
- Create a UKVI account and apply online, from inside or outside the UK.
- Prove your identity by scanning your passport or identity card with the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app.
- If you cannot use the app, attend a visa application centre abroad for your photo and fingerprints, or a UKVCAS service point in the UK for a photo.
- Upload your documents and, if you rely on retained status, evidence such as a doctor's letter or recent job applications.
- Answer any Home Office request for information.
- You receive a decision notice. A digital permit appears in your UKVI account; a physical permit should arrive within 10 days of the decision.
Costs
There is no Home Office application fee and no Immigration Health Surcharge. You may have to pay for a biometrics appointment if you cannot use the app, and to travel to a visa application centre, sometimes in another country. Translations of documents not in English and legal advice are other possible costs.
Processing times
The Home Office does not publish a service standard for frontier worker permits. Apply well before you need to travel, and renew before your current permit expires, so there is no gap in your proof of status.
Partners and children
The permit covers you only. Your spouse, civil partner, durable partner, children and dependent parents may be able to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme as family members of a frontier worker, either for status in the UK or for a family permit to join you. The usual rule applies that a partner relationship must have existed by 31 December 2020; children born or adopted later can still qualify.
A partner who does not qualify under the scheme, for example because the relationship began after 2020, needs a visa of their own to come to the UK.
Extending your stay and settlement
You renew online in the same way, showing that you have continued to meet the requirements since your last application. If you are not working when you renew but meet a retained status test, you can apply for a 2-year permit.
Frontier work does not lead to indefinite leave to remain, and the time does not count towards it. If you want to move to the UK, the options depend on your history. If you were already living here by the end of 2020, you may be able to make a late application to the EU Settlement Scheme with reasonable grounds. Otherwise you need a visa, such as a Skilled Worker visa, which can lead to indefinite leave to remain.
If you stop working in the UK and do not meet a retained status test, you are no longer a frontier worker, and the Home Office can revoke your permit.
How we can help
We check whether you qualify, especially where your work has had gaps or your time in the UK is close to the 180-day mark. We help you assemble evidence of your work since 2020 and of where you live, and prepare retained status applications for people who are ill, pregnant or between jobs.
If a permit is refused or revoked, we advise on whether to reapply, ask for a review or appeal. We also advise frontier workers who want to move to the UK, and families applying under the EU Settlement Scheme. You can book a consultation by telephone, by video or in person.
Frequently asked questions
I first worked in the UK in 2022. Can I apply?
No. The scheme only protects people who were working in the UK by 31 December 2020. You would need a visa for UK work, unless you are Irish.
I have moved to London but still work for the same employer. Can I keep my permit?
No, because you no longer live mainly outside the UK. If you lived here by the end of 2020, look at the EU Settlement Scheme. If not, you need a visa, and you should take advice before your next trip.
Can I change employer or become self-employed?
Yes. You do not need to tell the Home Office, as long as your work in the UK remains genuine and effective.
I was made redundant. What happens to my permit?
If you register as a jobseeker and look for work in the UK, you can keep your status: for 6 months if you had worked here for less than a year, or for as long as you keep looking if you had worked here for longer.
Do I need to carry a physical card?
Not if you have a digital permit. You show your passport or identity card at the border, and employers check your status online with a share code.
What can I do if my application is refused?
The decision notice says whether you can ask for an administrative review or appeal to the tribunal. You can also reapply free of charge with new evidence. See our Appeals and judicial review page.
This page is general information about UK immigration rules, not legal advice on your circumstances. Home Office fees shown on this page are taken from GOV.UK; the date they were last checked is shown beside them. For advice on your case, request a consultation.
