UK Immigration
EEA Association Agreement
Menu
- Introduction- Do I qualify ?
- EEA Association agreement countries
- Can my family come too ?
- What happens when I need to renew my visa ?
Information about new and existing nationals of the European Economic Area and guidance on the new Illegal Working Policy
This page explains how nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA nationals) including the new Eastern European Countries Joining on May 1st 2004, and members of their family can enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom legally. It also details existing guidance concerning those countries not joining the EU and therefore still under the EEA Association Agreement.
The new member states can work in the United Kingdom from 1 May 2004.
New Member States - Workers Registration Scheme
( back to top )Workers from the new member states must register with the Home Office. Please get in touch with us if you are a national of new member countries or a UK employer interested in employing such a person. We can help you with this registration process. Please contact us for further information. Our fees for this service can be found here.
Please note that it is an offence in most cases not to register in this way.>
From 1 May 2004 nationals from New Member States will be free to come to the United Kingdom. Nationals from Malta and Cyprus and those who are self-employed will have full free movement rights and are not required to obtain a workers registration certificate.
Nationals from the following new member states; Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic who find a job in the United Kingdom are required to apply to register with the Home Office under the new 'Worker Registration Scheme' as soon as they find work.
Those registering will be provided with a worker's registration certificate. The workers registration certificate will be issued for 12 months. It confirms that they can work and reside in the United Kingdom while they are working in that job. If they change jobs before they have worked continuously for 12 months the certificate will lapse and they will have to renew their registration.
Employers will have to check that the worker has registered. It will be unlawful for them to employ a national of the new member states (who has not worked here legally for 12 months) if they are not registered for the job they are doing.
Once an individual has completed 12 months work they may apply for an EEA residence permit. We can assist with this. Just get in touch.
Nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA)
( back to top )You are a national of the EEA if you are a national of one of the following countries.
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU). However, the European Economic Area Agreement gave nationals of these countries the same rights to enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.
New Guidance for Employers and the new EEA nationals
( back to top )This guidance provides initial details for employers on what they should do when employing nationals from the new European Union member states after 1 May 2004. The law, which affects you as an employer, is intended to ensure that only those legally entitled to live and work in the United Kingdom are offered employment.
It means that as an employer you could be guilty of a criminal offence if you employ someone who does not have permission to be in - or to work in - the United Kingdom.
Contravention of this law gives rise to an offence, which applies only in the case of those employees who started work for you on or after 27 January 1997. The offence cannot be committed in respect of any employee who started work for you before that date unless you are re-employing a previous employee after that date.
It is important that employers gather relevant documented evidence from any new employee to firmly establish their nationality and therefore their right to work in the UK. Please get in touch with us for assistance on both the list of documents and on their right to work.
In summary, you as the employer are responsible for ensuring that any worker has the legal right to work in the UK via documented proof retained by you and via official registration.
Introduction - EEA Association Agreement
( back to top )The EEA Association agreement deals with nationals of Bulgaria and Romania who wish to live and work in the UK. Further to this, a special programme for IT professionals from these countries can be found here.
If you are a national of one of the below countries which have EEA Association Agreements, you can come to the UK as a self employed person or to start your own business in any sector you choose as long as you work full time in that chosen business and do not do any unrelated work while you are here.
The Countries with the relevant agreements are:
Bulgaria
Romania
IT professionals have a special programme for this which can be found here.
If the criteria on this page do not apply to you and you intend to come to the UK to start a business please click here.
Do I qualify under this programme?
( back to top )You will need to show that you are a national of one of the EEA Countries listed above ; that you will work only within your business here ; that you have enough money to last you and your family until your business is making sufficient profits and submitting a good business plan.
Note : Your business can be just yourself, or a partnership or a Limited Company. If a Limited Company you must have controlling interest. Slovenian nationals must register a Limited Company.
Note : The money you will need to tide you over until your business shows profits is not an amount set in stone by the authorities but should not be less than £2000 [ $3000 ].
EA Association agreement countries
( back to top )Bulgaria and Romania.
Can my family come too?
( back to top )Yes they can. Your spouse, partner and children can enjoy the same benefits as UK people including free education, free healthcare and the ability to work in the UK.
What happens when I need to renew my visa?
( back to top )After your initial 12 month visa period, you can apply for an extension of up to 3 years as long as you and your family have been able to support yourselves through the business ; you are 100% active in your business and your business is still fully functional as per your original business plan.
When this further 3 year period is completed you may apply for permanent residence in the UK and, 1 year after that, naturalisation.
Your business plan is very important and should show evidence of the money you will invest in the business ; what the business will be doing ; ownership and accounting information ; financial projections ; your qualifications and work experience.
New Feature:
Our Business Plan helper is all you need to complete a successful plan. Just open the application and complete the stages of the plan from your research and expertise. We are here to assess and help you with maximising it's impact and effectiveness and to validate realistic and well thought out plans. You will need this thorough approach not only for the visa application but to help you succeed in your chosen business.
The Business Plan Helper includes full Guidance Notes for building your Business plan.
For more information about the Business Plan Helper please click here.
Please see our Entrepreneurs page for details of other categories.
