FAQ

I have applied for (pre-) settled status but am still waiting for a decision. If I travel abroad, how will I prove my rights to UK Border control to come back to the UK?

If you already have pre-settled status and are waiting for a decision on an application for settled status, then you should have the right to enter the UK, on the basis of your pre-settled status (although if you have been out of the UK for several years in a row it may have lapsed, please seek legal advice).

If you are waiting on a decision (or the results of an Admin Review or appeal) for status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), and you only have an EUSS Certificate of Application (CoA) and no other form of leave to enter / entry clearance, then it is more complicated.

Unfortunately, the UK Government's policy does not have a general policy of allowing people to enter the UK only on the basis of a pending application to the EU Settlement Scheme. See the ‘EU Settlement Scheme: Border Force guidance’ and seek legal advice. As a summary:

• if you applied before 30 June 2021, then you should be allowed to enter the UK
   
• if you applied late, but you were resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, then you may need to provide evidence of your pre-2020 residence and continuing  UK residence
   
• if you are a joining family member - in other words you were not living in the UK before 31 December 2020 - then your CoA does not give you the right to enter the UK.

The EU Commission does not agree with the UK's position - see their written statement from April 2024. 

the3million is hoping to challenge the Home Office policy through a Judicial Review - see our CrowdFunder and please consider supporting us if this affects you or someone you know.

If you believe you do have the right to enter the UK, then we recommend that when you travel, you always keep the passport / identity document / residence card with you with which you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme. It would also be a good idea to print out the letter that was emailed to you when you applied, which has a title ‘Certificate of Application’. You should also carry some evidence that you were living in the UK before 31 December 2020. If you applied as a family member, make sure you also carry evidence of your relationship with your EUSS sponsor.

Note, a December 2025 Home Office reply to the3million confirmed that “non-visa nationals who have made a valid application to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) but are waiting for a decision, also known as “Certificate of Application (CoA) holders” will also receive a ‘permission to travel’ response when carriers check permission to travel. These changes will be in place before ETAs are enforced from 25 February 2026.” 

For more information on the rights you have with a Certificate of Application, also see our  FAQ: I have applied for EUSS status from outside the UK, as a joining family member. I received a Certificate of Application which tells me that I have the right to work in the UK. Does that mean I can now travel to the UK?