With the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, the Swiss-EU bilateral agreements, including the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP), have ceased to apply to the UK. To safeguard the rights of Swiss citizens who are resident in the UK (and vice versa), the two governments have concluded the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement (see Question 2).

Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP)

Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement

Swiss–UK relations post-Brexit

Following the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) is no longer applicable between Switzerland and the UK. To safeguard the rights of Swiss citizens who are resident in the UK (and vice versa), the two governments have concluded the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement (CRA) which has been provisionally applied since 1 January 2021. The Swiss-UK CRA secures the rights acquired by Swiss citizens who were living in the UK (and vice versa) prior to the end of the transition period, i.e. on 31 December 2020. In terms of scope, the agreement covers the following areas:

• Right of exit and of entry

• Right of residence for persons pursuing an economic activity

• Right of residence for persons not pursuing an economic activity

• Family reunification

• Frontier workers

• Rights of persons providing services

• Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of nationality

• Purchase of immovable property

• Coordination of social security systems

• Mutual recognition of professional qualifications

Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement

In order to secure entitlements under the Citizens’ Rights Agreement, Swiss citizens and their family members have to apply for a new residence status under the EU Settlement Scheme, called settled or pre-settled status, to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021 (see Question 6). Acquiring settled or pre-settled status will allow Swiss citizens to continue to live, study and work in the UK, to have access to public funds and services and to go on to apply for British citizenship if they wish to do so. Applications are free of charge. The deadline for applying is 30 June 2021, but they must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020. Qualifying individuals can also be joined by close family members (spouses, civil and unmarried partners, dependent children and grandchildren, and dependent parents and grandparents) who live in a different country at any point in the future, if the relationship existed on 31 December 2020 and still exists when the person wishes to come to the UK.

Swiss citizens married to a British citizen also need to apply. However, UK-Swiss dual nationals must not (and cannot) apply. They already have full rights of residence in the UK.

The Settlement Scheme opened fully at the end of March 2019.

Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)

Settled and pre-settled status are the new UK permanent residence status post-Brexit. Swiss citizens (and their family members) wishing to remain in the UK beyond June 2021 need to apply.

Acquiring settled or pre-settled status will allow Swiss citizens to continue to live, study and work in the UK, to have access to public funds and services and to go on to apply for British citizenship if they wish to do so.

If you have lived in the UK for a continuous five-year period (‘continuous residence’) you should be granted settled status. Continuous residence means that for five years in a row you have been in the UK for at least six months in any 12-month period, except for:

• one period of up to 12 months for an important reason (e.g. childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training or an overseas work posting)

• compulsory military service of any length

If you do not have five years’ continuous residence when you apply you will generally get pre-settled status instead. This means you can stay in the UK for a further five years from the date you get pre-settled status. Once you have five years’ continuous residence you can apply for settled status.

In order to be eligible for settled or pre-settled status under the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement, you have to:

• be a Swiss citizen, or a family member of a Swiss citizen; and

• have been living in the UK prior to the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

You do not have to be physically present in the UK to apply for settled/pre-settled status. You can also apply from overseas.

Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement

Family members who are living with, or join, Swiss citizens in the UK prior to 31 December 2020 can also apply for settled or pre-settled status. Please note that you can do so only if you have started living in the UK prior to 31 December 2020.

However, family members who have not been living in the UK prior to 31 December 2020 are entitled to join a Swiss citizen living in the UK under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP), who has been granted pre-settled or settled status, anytime in the near future, provided the relationship existed before that date and still exists.

Children born or adopted after 31 December 2020 will also have their rights protected.

For any relationship that was formed after 31 December 2020, the future spouse of an eligible Swiss citizen will be able to join the Swiss citizen in the UK within a period of five years following the entry into force of the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement.

Family members do not need to be from Switzerland or the EU to be eligible to apply for settled or pre-settled status; they can come from anywhere in the world.

For the purposes of the settlement scheme, family members are defined as:

• Those who are in a relationship with a Swiss national as their spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner (unmarried partners will need a residence card to prove the relationship)

• Those who are related to a Swiss national, their spouse or civil partner as their:

  • child, grandchild or great-grandchild under 21 years old

  • dependent child over the age of 21

  • dependent parent, grandparent or great-grandparent

  • dependent relative with a residence card to prove the relationship

Yes, Swiss citizens married to a British citizen will also need to apply. However, UK-Swiss dual nationals must not (and cannot) apply. They already have full rights of residence in the UK.

Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain (ILR) status will generally not be affected by the UK leaving the EU, and ILR holders can continue to live in the UK without applying for settled status.

However, we recommend that holders of an ILR status still apply for settled status, because it guarantees that your immigration status will be registered with the Home Office and it offers certain more favourable entitlements. For example it will not lapse unless the holder has been absent from the UK for more than four consecutive years, as opposed to two years in the case of ILR. If you choose to change your ILR to settled status, the application for settled status should be a simple process and subject only to verification of identity, a criminality check and confirmation of ongoing residence. The application to the scheme is free of charge.

Should you decide against applying for settled status, please note that you should ensure that you have sufficient proof of your ILR status.

If you have lived in the UK before 1973 and were automatically granted ILR, you do not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled status. If, however, you do not have a document confirming your ILR status, you can either apply for settled status or to the Windrush scheme to get proof of your ILR status.

Sufficient proof for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and the Settlement Scheme

Windrush Scheme: get a document showing your right to be in the UK

ILR is equivalent to settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The confusion results from the fact that up to now, the UK had a similar immigration status called ‘indefinite leave to enter or remain (ILER), which granted permanent residence status in the UK. While this residence status remains valid, a new immigration status called ‘indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme’ - also known as settled status - has been introduced. This status allows you to spend up to four years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status.

Yes, if you already have a ‘document certifying permanent residence’, you still need to apply for settled status. This should be a simple process, subject only to verification of identity, a criminality check and confirmation of ongoing residence. The application to the scheme is free of charge.

The application for settled/pre-settled status is an online application and consists of three steps:

1.  Identity Check: There are three ways to complete the Identity Check.

• Option 1: Use the ‘EU Exit ID document check’ App on your phone and scan your passport with the App. To be able to do this, you need to have an Android smartphone which has NFC technology or an iPhone.

• Option 2: Choose the ‘online + by post’ method, which means you start your application online on the gov.uk website and at the end you will be asked to send in your passport or ID card to the Home Office. Please note that if you only have a Swiss ID card you have to use the ‘online + by post’ method.

• Option 3: Start your application by going to one of the local council scanning locations, where they will scan your passport and complete the Identity Check together with you.      

Start your application to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)

Find locations offering ID document scanning

2.  Residence Check: You can complete the Residence Check by using your National Insurance Number. The Home Office will then make an automated check with your tax and benefits records to help confirm your UK residence. If you do not have a National Insurance Number, or if you do not want to use yours, or you do not agree with the result that you receive from the automated check, you can prove your residence by submitting additional documents. The Home Office has published a list of documents accepted as evidence of UK residence. Please be aware that you do not need to provide evidence for your entire UK residence. You only need to show that you qualify for settled or pre-settled status.  

EU Settlement Scheme: UK tax and benefits records automated check

3.  Criminality Check: The Criminality Check is completed during the application to the EU Settlement Scheme.

The UK Home Office provides support over the phone or in person if you need help during the online application process (see Question 12).

No physical document evidencing your status will be issued. Instead, successful applicants will get proof of their status through an online service.

Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)

Translations of the guidance on settled status for EU citizens and their families in European languages

If you encounter any problems during your application or if you have questions about the status of your application, you can contact the EU Settlement Resolution Centre.

How to contact the EU Settlement Resolution Centre by phone

How to contact the EU Settlement Resolution Centre by email

There is also a service provided by the Home Office, called Assisted Digital Service, if you do not have the appropriate access, skills or confidence to complete the online application form.

How to contact the EU Settlement Scheme: Assisted Digital service

To support the Swiss Community in the UK, the Swiss Benevolent Society has been approved and registered as an Advisor by the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner to help Swiss citizens through the Settlement Scheme application process. If you know of a Swiss citizen who is unable to complete the application and unable to rely on family members, please contact the Swiss Benevolent Society online or by phone on 020 7836 9119 (available Tuesdays and Wednesdays only).

Swiss Benevolent Society contact form

Free events across the UK where information on the EU Settlement Scheme is provided

The deadline for applying to the EU Settlement Scheme is 30 June 2021.

Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme

It is your decision whether you want to use your Swiss or your EU nationality for the application for settled status. When making your decision, you might want to consider the following differences between settled status under the Swiss regime and settled status under the EU regime:

• Swiss settled status is more generous with regards to family reunification of future spouses. Third country nationals who become the spouse of a Swiss national after the end of the transition period can join the Swiss national already living in the UK for a period of up to five years following the entry into force of the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement, whereas the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement does not foresee this.

• EU settled status is more generous with regards to the authorized period of absence from the UK. With Swiss settled status you can be absent from the UK for a period of up to four years without losing your settled status; with EU settled status you can be absent from the UK for a period of up to five years without losing your settled status.

Please note that you can register your second nationality after you have been granted settled or pre-settled status.

Update your EU Settlement Scheme details

Please note that Swiss-UK dual nationals must not (and cannot) apply to the Settlement Scheme, as they already have full residence rights as UK nationals.

Swiss-Irish dual nationals do not have to apply

You will be issued only with a digital proof of your settled or pre-settled status in case of successful application through the scheme. No physical proof will be issued.

Once you have been granted settled status, you only need to make sure that you keep your online status up to date (e.g. if you receive a new passport or a new identity card, or if you change your name, your email address, your phone number or your UK address).

Update your EU Settlement Scheme details

If you have been granted pre-settled status you also have to keep your status up to date. In addition to that, once you have accumulated five years of continuous residence, you have to apply for settled status.

Please note that, should you fail to update your details (e.g. when obtaining a new passport), there may be problems in linking your details to your status (e.g. at the border when using the e-gates to enter the UK).

• Information on settled/pre-settled status

• Translations of the guidance on settled status for EU citizens and their families in European languages

• Sign up to UK Home Office email updates

• EU Settlement Resolution Centre
• EU Settlement Scheme: UK tax and benefits records automated check
• EU Settlement Scheme: evidence of UK residence
• Information on application processing times
• Toolkit on the EU Settlement Scheme in German, French and Italian
• EU Settlement Scheme: Employer Toolkit
• EU Settlement Scheme: Community Leaders Toolkit

• Information on social security from the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office

Swiss citizens will continue to enjoy visa-free travel for short-term trips to the UK from 1 January 2021.

From 1 January 2021 onwards, Swiss citizens can still enter the UK using a passport that is valid for the duration of the stay; there is no need for any additional period of validity on the passport beyond this.

From 1 October 2021 the UK will no longer accept Swiss national ID cards for entry into the UK. However, Swiss citizens who have been granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme are entitled to use their Swiss national ID card to enter the UK until at least 31 December 2025.

The UK has issued a new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Those who are eligible under the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement (CRA) can apply for a new EHIC card which demonstrates continued entitlement to necessary healthcare when travelling in the EU, EEA and Switzerland from 1 January 2021. This new EHIC will replace the current UK EHIC for those eligible citizens covered under the CRA. It is a new distinct card, with clear markings to differentiate it from existing EHICs, which may not be valid from 1 January 2021. There is no deadline for applications, but eligible citizens should apply before travelling to Switzerland. Check www.nhs.uk/EHIC for more information on eligibility.

Should anyone not have a new EHIC card before travelling to Switzerland, their underlying entitlement to receive necessary healthcare remains. If individuals require emergency or medically necessary treatment whilst in Switzerland, they can obtain a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC). PRCs can only be requested at the point of requiring care; it is not possible to request this in advance. The NHS Business Services Authority can issue a PRC and can be contacted on +44 (0)191 218 1999..

GOV.UK: Visiting the UK after Brexit  

GOV.UK: EU Settlement Scheme

According to the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement, Swiss citizens who exercised their rights as frontier workers in the UK in accordance with the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) before 31 December 2020 can continue to do so after that date. Their status and rights with regard to social security, including existing healthcare entitlements, are guaranteed.

You will however have to apply for a frontier worker permit in the UK. This permit will be a formal requirement to enter the UK as a frontier worker from 1 July 2021.

GOV.UK: Frontier worker permit

Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP)

From 1 January 2021, the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement secures the rights of Swiss frontier workers who were already working in the UK. If, however, you wish to take up employment as a frontier worker, you will have to apply for a frontier worker permit in the UK. This permit will be a formal requirement to enter the UK as a frontier worker from 1 July 2021.

Frontier workers intending to take up employment in the UK while being resident outside the UK will need to apply using a route under the new immigration system (PBS).

Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement

GOV.UK: Frontier worker permit

For now, there is no bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the UK which regulates migration and labour market access. However, Switzerland and the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 21 December 2020, which is a non-legally binding instrument in which both countries reaffirm their commitment to explore ways to strengthen cooperation and to develop their bilateral relations in the field of labour migration, mobility and asylum.

From 1 January 2021, Swiss citizens who wish to take up employment in the UK must comply with the rules of the UK’s new immigration system. According to this, economically active persons who intend to work in the UK will have to fulfil the requirements under the UK’s new Points-Based System (PBS) for which the UK government launched different routes on 1 December 2020. More information on the details of this new immigration system can be found here: PBS-System-Routes

GOV.UK: New immigration system: what you need to know

With regard to social security, Switzerland and the UK have agreed to partially apply from 1 January 2021 the Social Security agreement concluded in 1968. This agreement will bridge the gap until a new bilateral agreement is signed that aims to harmonize social security regulations in both countries.

Swiss citizens who move to the UK after 1 January 2021 may retain their pension insurance cover in Switzerland by paying their contributions to the voluntary old-age, survivors’ and disability insurance scheme (OASI/DI, AHV/IV, AVS/AI), provided that they have contributed to the Swiss OASI/DI scheme for at least five consecutive years when they submit their application.

British citizens who are living in Switzerland with a residence permit issued under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) do not generally need to take any further action. They might be called upon to replace their current permit with another one; if not they must simply apply for a new permit with the cantonal immigration and labour market authorities before the existing one expires. As regards their social security rights, including access to healthcare entitlements, these are guaranteed.

However, British citizens arriving after 1 January 2021 will be subject to the Swiss social security system. While a bilateral agreement has not yet been concluded, the regulations of the agreement concluded between Switzerland and the UK in 1968 will be partially applicable from 1 January 2021.

Swiss State Secretariat for Migration: Brexit FAQ

Cantonal immigration and labour market authorities

Switzerland will no longer accept the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued by the UK, which entitled British citizens to access healthcare in Switzerland. Access to healthcare is however guaranteed on the basis of non-discrimination for individuals who fall fully within the scope of the Swiss-UK Citizens’ Rights Agreement (CRA) and who can therefore apply for a specific Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC), which they can get from their healthcare insurance. This PRC includes the note “valid in the UK” as well as a reference to the CRA. The specific PRC will allow healthcare providers in the UK to easily identify individuals who fall fully within the scope of the CRA.

Please find further information on the PRC on the website of the Federal Insurance Office: https://www.bsv.admin.ch/bsv/en/home/social-insurance/int/brexit.html

NHS: Information for UK nationals visiting Switzerland

UK nationals will qualify as third country nationals from 1 January 2021 and be subject to COVID-19 related entry restrictions, given the end of the Brexit transition period and the end of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP). These restrictions for non-essential travel to Switzerland apply to third-country nationals coming from high-risk countries and have been in place since June 2020.

Therefore, if you are a UK national you may not enter Switzerland for non-essential travel (e.g. for the purpose of tourism) from 1 January 2021 for as long as the UK is categorized as a high-risk country by Switzerland. These restrictions for non-essential travel remain applicable in the Schengen area, of which Switzerland is a member.

However, if you are a UK national who has acquired rights under the Citizens’ Rights Agreement (CRA) you can continue to travel to Switzerland without any restrictions after 31 December 2020. This is subject to any quarantine measures imposed by Switzerland. Persons who benefit from acquired rights but who do not have a Swiss residence or frontier worker permit must provide valid documentary evidence of their acquired rights.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 Ordinance provides for a series of exemptions, which permit the lifting of COVID-related entry restrictions in cases of special necessity (e.g. hardship cases) or in cases of public interest. This includes travel in relation to the death of a close family member or ensuring continuity of essential medical treatment which has already started.

Swiss State Secretariat for Migration: FAQ entry and stay

The list of high-risk countries, including the UK, can be found in Annex 1 of the COVID-19 Ordinance 3.

COVID-19 Ordinance 3

If you are a self-employed national of the United Kingdom established in the United Kingdom or an employee posted by your employer established in the United Kingdom, you may provide a service in Switzerland without requiring a work permit for a maximum duration of 90 days per calendar year. You have to notify your stay under the online notification procedure.

Swiss State Secretariat for Migration: FAQ UK Service Providers

If, however, you provide cross-border services for up to 8 days per calendar year, you may request an exemption based on the current COVID-19 Ordinance, which allows for the lifting of COVID-related entry restrictions in cases of special necessity (e.g. hardship) or in cases of public interest. You will however have to provide adequate proof to the relevant Swiss border authorities.

Please find more information in the revised SEM directive (this document does not exist in English).

Weisung SEM (Fassung vom 16. Dezember 2020)

Directive SEM (version du 16 décembre 2020)

Istruzione SEM (versione del 16 dicembre 2020)

Since 1 January 2021, animals and animal products from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) are subject to the conditions for imports from third countries. Animals and animal products from Northern Ireland are subject to the conditions for imports from the EU.

Entries or returns to Switzerland with pets when travelling from Great Britain are now subject to the rules for third countries. Direct entry by air with dogs, cats and ferrets is now possible only via the airports of Geneva, Zurich and Basel. Direct entry by air with birds is possible only via the airports of Geneva or Zurich.

In the case of entry by land via the EU, checks will be carried out upon entry into the EU, for example in France. Travellers may then enter Switzerland with the animals as usual.

Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office: Crossing the border with cats, dogs and ferrets

GOV.UK: Guidance about pet travel to Europe from 1 January 2021

You may need an international driving permit (IDP) to drive in some countries. If you are taking your own vehicle, you may also need a ‘Green Card’ (international motor insurance certificate) or valid proof of insurance and a GB sticker. Please check the requirement for EU/EEA countries.

To drive in Switzerland you do not need an IDP as Switzerland continues to recognize the UK photocard driving licences.

GOV.UK: Driving abroad