Applying for Settled Status: Can I apply without a passport?

If you are in the UK and you are an EEA national without a passport, you may be wondering whether you can make a valid application under the EU Settlement Scheme introduced on 29 March 2019. The answer is yes, but is worth discussing in greater detail.

The scheme allows both EEA nationals and their non-EEA family members to apply, requiring either a current passport or national ID card, or biometric residence permit in cases of non-EEA citizens. Whilst many possess these documents and can submit an application using the smartphone app, many do not.  

The deadline to submit an application for settled or pre-settled status is 30 June this year. As such, many only beginning the process of renewing their passport online or contacting an embassy will be aware that the process can often be one part folly to two parts spinning one’s wheels.

If this scenario fits you, whether you are an adult without a current passport or child who has never held a passport, you can contact the EU Settlement Resolution Centre by phone and explain your circumstances. They should request personal information and an address, whereupon you will be posted a paper application form.

Once the paper application is finalised, applicants should post the form to the address provided at the earliest opportunity, making sure they provide reasoning as to why they were not able to submit a valid ID document. This is an important point to note. The paper application form is something of a last resort, providing those in circumstances beyond their control a way of making an application for settlement in time. It will be necessary, therefore, to write out an explanation of why you are not able to source a valid identity document within the time frame between now and the deadline of 30 June. If evidence can be sourced to this effect, for example, some proof of passport processing times or correspondence from an embassy which demonstrates delay, this should be sufficient to account for your circumstances.

As outlined above, this is all unnecessary if you have, or indeed expect to have, a valid ID document before 30 June. You should attempt to make an application via the standard application process if possible, however this blog is a brief explanation of how one may make an application if time is against them. 

If you would like more information on the rules related to this topic and legal advice tailored to your situation, we offer consultations and a full application service to provide advice and assistance on the best course of action to take to secure your position the UK. Get in touch here.