Summary
There will be delays in processing your EU Settlement application due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Home Office is not accepting documents by post.
If you’ve already started or submitted your application, please do not post any documents to them. If you post a document after 25th March 2020, there may be a delay in it being returned to you.
If you posted a document on or before 25th March 2020, this will be returned to you as soon as possible.
Expected processing times
You do not need to contact the Home Office once you have applied. They will contact you if they need any further information. There’s no change to your status in the UK while your application is processed.
It usually takes around 5 working days for complete applications to be processed if no further information is required, but it can take up to a month.
Your application is likely to take longer than a month to process if:
- they need to request more information from you
- you’re applying as a minor and your application is not linked to an adult
- you submit a paper application – for example, if your application is based on a derivative right to reside in the UK
- you have a relevant criminal record
- you’re a non-EEA or non-Swiss citizen and are applying based on a relationship you haven’t relied on in a previous application to the Home Office
When your application’s processing time starts
» If you apply using the EU Exit: ID Document Check app, the processing time starts when you submit your online application.
» If you post your identity document to the Home Office, the processing time starts when the Home Office receives your identity document.
» If you need to provide fingerprint biometrics as part of your application, the processing time starts once they have received your fingerprint scans.