FAQ

I have (pre-) settled status. Can I use my EU national identity card to enter the UK?

From the 1st October 2021 you cannot use an EU, EEA or Swiss national ID card to enter the UK unless you:

• have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man’s settlement schemes
• have an EU Settlement Scheme family permit, or the equivalent from Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
• have a frontier worker permit
• are an S2 Healthcare Visitor
• are a Swiss national and have a Service Provider from Switzerland visa
• you are still waiting for a decision for (pre-)settled status and satisfy other criteria - see this FAQ

In these cases, you can continue to use your national ID card to enter the UK indefinitely if it is a biometric National ID card. Currently, non-biometric National ID cards can be used to enter the UK but this could change in the future.

In June 2025, the 'EU Settlement Scheme Border Force guidance' was updated to state:

Scope to use a valid EEA or Swiss national identity card

The Agreements state that the UK can choose to stop accepting national identity cards for entry by relevant EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals after 31 December 2025 if they do not include a chip that complies with the applicable International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards for biometric identification.

In the meantime, EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals who have pre-settled or settled status under the EUSS (or leave under the equivalent scheme in Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man), or hold a valid EUSS family permit or a valid frontier worker permit, are an S2 Healthcare Visitor or are a Swiss national with a Service Provider from Switzerland visa, can use a valid EEA or Swiss national identity card for travel and entry to the UK until at least 31 December 2025. EEA national identity cards which comply with the ICAO standards for biometric identification will be accepted beyond 31 December 2025 for this cohort. The position in relation to EEA national identity cards which are not compliant with those ICAO standards will be communicated prior to 31 December 2025. EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals with a pending valid application under the EUSS (or under the equivalent scheme in Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man) as a pre-end of transition period resident in the UK (or the Islands), or as a joining family member with a valid or expired EUSS family permit, can also use a valid EEA or Swiss national identity card for travel and entry to the UK until at least 31 December 2025. 

See also Home Office guidance on "Entering the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme and EU Settlement Scheme family permit". 

You should ensure that your ID card is linked to your EUSS status, in order to travel with it - you can do this here: https://www.gov.uk/evisa/update-ukvi-account. See this FAQ and this FAQ for more details, including what happens if you try to update the status but the update has not yet taken effect.

See also this statement, and a series of FAQs, by the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/travel-documents-required-eu-citizens-when-travelling-uk-1-october-2021_en

Note: We are aware that currently some member states including Sweden are not allowing their citizens to travel from that member state to the UK without a passport.