| EU Settlement Scheme | Deadline passed for most people on 30 June 2021 |
| Skilled Worker visa | Fee £819 to £1,865, plus the health surcharge |
| Health surcharge (IHS) | Usually £1,035 a year |
| Proof of funds | Usually at least £1,270, held for 28 days in a row |
| Health and Care Worker visa | No annual health surcharge |
| As of | November 2026 |
Can EU citizens still move to the UK?
Yes. Just not the way they used to. Until the end of 2020 an EU passport was enough; today almost everyone arriving for the first time needs a visa. The EU Settlement Scheme deadline passed for most people on 30 June 2021. If you already lived in the UK then and missed it, you can only apply late if you have reasonable grounds for the delay. If you hold pre-settled status, since 9 April 2026 the Home Office has been moving more people to settled status without an application: it checks whether tax and benefit records show 30 of the last 60 months in the UK. Children under 18, non-EEA family members, joining family members and anyone without those records are among those left out; they apply themselves, and their pre-settled status is extended by five years. A second, separate change: since April 2026 the Home Office has been removing pre-settled status from people who have clearly stopped living in the UK. The details are on our EU Settlement Scheme page.
For everyone else, the door is called a visa, and the key is usually an employer. That holds whether you come from Stockholm, Rotterdam or Lisbon. If Scotland or Wales is your goal, the same UK immigration law applies; there is no separate Scottish visa.
It sounds stricter than it feels day to day. If you find a job in a profession that is in demand, you usually get through without drama. It gets hard for anyone who wants to move first and see what happens. That is exactly the path the system no longer offers.
The visa routes in brief
The most common route is the Skilled Worker visa. You need a job offer from an employer with a sponsor licence, and a salary that meets the rules. According to gov.uk the application fee is between £819 and £1,865, depending on length and occupation. On top of that comes proof of funds: you usually need to have held at least £1,270 for at least 28 days in a row, unless your employer covers your first costs.
Doctors, nurses and other health professionals have the Health and Care Worker visa. It is cheaper and exempt from the annual health surcharge. Beyond that there are family visas, Global Talent for leading people in their field, routes for founders and for companies sending someone to the UK. Each route has its own conditions; the overview is in our section on visas and residence.
What a work visa costs
The main items of a Skilled Worker visa for one person. Each family member pays their own fees.
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker application fee | £819 to £1,865 | Depends on length and occupation; Health and Care Worker is much cheaper |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 a year | £776 a year for children under 18 and students |
| Proof of funds | at least £1,270 | Not a cost, but held for 28 days in a row |
GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa and Immigration Health Surcharge, retrieved 2 November 2026
Look first, move later: what you can do as a visitor
Many people want to see Britain before they commit. That works: as a visitor you can usually stay up to six months. Europeans normally need no visa for that, but they do need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), which costs £20. Everything about travel and the ETA is on our page on Brexit for EU citizens.
What you cannot do as a visitor: work for a UK company, paid or unpaid, or work as self-employed. Job interviews, viewing flats and visiting schools, on the other hand, are typical reasons for a scouting trip. If you come as a visitor and then want to stay, you normally have to apply for the right visa from home.
After you arrive: the first four weeks
Once the visa is in place, the British paperwork starts. It is manageable if you take it in this order.
- 1
National Insurance number
You apply for it once you have the right to live and work in the UK. You can start work before it arrives, as long as you can prove your right to work. The number stays the same for life.
- 2
Bank account
Without a UK account hardly any employer will pay you and hardly any landlord will take you. How newcomers get an account is covered in opening a UK bank account.
- 3
A home
The deposit in England is capped at five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000. It must be protected in a government-backed scheme. Everything about renting is in renting a home in the UK.
- 4
A GP
Register with a GP practice early, not when you are already ill. How that works is explained on our NHS page in the Living in the UK section.
Healthcare: how am I covered in the UK?
Healthcare in the UK runs through the NHS. If you come on a visa, you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge with your application: usually £1,035 a year, so £3,105 for a three-year visa. With that you use the NHS like everyone else.
Pensioners who draw a state pension from an EU country may in some cases be covered through the S1 form, in which case the country paying the pension pays for the care. The details are on our page for people retiring to the UK.
Leaving home properly
Moving abroad has a home-country side too. The rules differ from country to country, so treat this as a checklist, not an answer.
- Deregister with your town or municipality if your country requires it, and check the deadline: some are very short.
- Tell your tax office that you are leaving, and ask what it needs from you in the year you move.
- Check what happens to your health cover, pension contributions and family benefits once you no longer live there.
- Register with your embassy or consulate in London if your country offers it.
Tax: the part most people plan last
Moving usually changes where you pay tax too. Whether and from when you are UK tax resident is decided by the Statutory Residence Test, not by your visa. Newcomers can use the FIG regime for foreign income and gains; our overview of the UK tax system is the place to start.
At home, your tax position does not necessarily end the day you deregister. Rental income, pensions or shareholdings in the country you leave need a close look before the move, each under that country's own rules. Put it on the table before the removal van arrives.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa for the UK as an EU citizen?
For a holiday, no, but you need an ETA for £20. To move and work, yes, unless you hold status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Can I move to the UK without a job?
It is hard. Most visas depend on an employer, on family or on exceptional talent. Without any of those you usually remain a visitor for at most six months.
Can I move to the UK without qualifications?
The Skilled Worker visa requires a job at a set skill level and a minimum salary. Without qualifications the path is very narrow.
Are the rules different for Scotland?
Not for visas. For income tax, yes: Scotland sets its own income tax.
Sources: GOV.UK: Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme; GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa; GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker visa; GOV.UK: Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application; GOV.UK: Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor; GOV.UK: Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA); GOV.UK: Apply for a National Insurance number; GOV.UK: How to rent, the checklist for renting in England; GOV.UK: EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) status automation update (9 April 2026)
