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You can only apply for a Frontier Worker permit if you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, and you:

• live outside the UK
• meet the requirements for working in the UK

Living outside the UK

You must live ‘primarily’ outside of the UK. How you meet this requirement depends on how much time you’ve spent here since 1 January 2020.

You’ll be eligible if you’ve spent less than 180 days in total in the UK over the course of any 12-month period.

If you’ve spent 180 days or more in the UK within 12 months

You’ll still be eligible if, in that 12-month period, you returned to the country you live in at least either:

• once every 6 months
• twice in the 12-month period

You’ll still be able to apply if there are exceptional circumstances, meaning you could not travel to your country of residence in this period, such as an illness or accident.

Working in the UK

You must:

• have started working in the UK while living elsewhere on or before 31 December 2020, either as an employed or self-employed person
• do eligible work
• usually have worked in the UK (as an employed or self-employed person) at least once every 12 months since you started working here

Eligible work

You’ll be eligible as long as your work in the UK is ‘genuine and effective’. This means it must be more than small, one-off tasks, such as:

• an interview
• taking part in a one-off competition or audition
• signing a contract

If you’re not sure if your work is eligible, the Home Office has .

If you’ve been unable to work or unemployed in the UK during a 12-month period

You might still be eligible if you’ve been unemployed or not worked during this time because you were:

• temporarily unable to work because of an illness or accident
• temporarily unable to work because you were pregnant or had given birth
• voluntarily unemployed and doing vocational training related to your last occupation
• involuntarily unemployed, and either looking for work in the UK or doing vocational training

This is known as having ‘retained worker’ or ‘retained self-employed person’ status.

If you became involuntarily unemployed and are looking for work, you’ll keep your status for:

• 6 months if you worked in the UK for less than a year before becoming unemployed
• as long as you continue to look for work, if you worked in the UK for a year or more before becoming unemployed

You’ll need to be registered as a jobseeker with an employment office (such as Jobcentre Plus) and provide evidence that you’re looking for work in the UK.

You must apply online.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Documents you’ll need to apply

When you apply, you’ll need a valid passport or national identity card.

You’ll be told which documents you need to provide when you apply. Some depend on whether you’re employed or self-employed, for example:

• an employment contract, or contracts to work in the UK
• payslips or copies of invoices for work carried out in the UK

If you have ‘retained’ status, you’ll be asked for evidence of which criteria you meet. For example, a letter from a doctor if you have an illness, or copies of recent job applications if you’re unemployed and seeking work.

The Home Office has .

How you’ll prove your identity

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on what identity document you use and whether you can use the .

You’ll either:

• use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document (you’ll also create or sign into your UK Visas and Immigration account)
• have your photograph and fingerprints taken at a (if you’re applying from outside the UK and cannot use the smartphone app)
• have your photograph taken at a (if you’re applying from inside the UK and cannot use the smartphone app)

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

Apply from outside the UK

Apply online for your Frontier Worker permit.

Apply from inside the UK

Apply online for your Frontier Worker permit.

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it .

You can ask to cancel your application by following the same process as .

If your application is successful

You’ll be sent a decision notice saying your application has been approved.

If you applied using the ‘UK Immigration: ID check’ app, you’ll be issued a digital version of your permit.

If you do not use the smartphone app to apply, you’ll either be sent:

• a physical version of the permit (if you applied inside the UK)
• an email explaining how you can come to the UK and collect your permit (if you applied outside the UK)

Your permit will last for 5 years, or 2 years if you apply with ‘retained’ status.

When you’re working in the UK

You’ll usually have to .

.

You can change jobs or move from being employed to self-employed in the UK without needing to tell the Home Office.

You need to tell the Home Office if you stop working in the UK and do not meet one of the retained status criteria.

Reporting a problem with your physical permit

Your permit should arrive within 10 days of receiving the decision notice about your application. You should get an email with information about your permit being sent to you.

If your permit does not arrive, you should first contact .

If you cannot resolve the issue with the delivery service, and it has been more than 10 days since you received your decision notice, you should contact the Home Office.

You’ll also need to tell the Home Office if:

• you did not get an email from UKVI with your permit delivery information
• your permit has a mistake on it (for example your name, date of birth, or gender is wrong)
• your permit gets lost, stolen or damaged

You can report your problem by phone. You’ll need:

• your full name, date of birth and nationality
• your Home Office reference number (this is in the email you got with your application decision)
• an email address or UK postal address

You can get someone to report for you, for example a legal representative or employer. The phone number is different if someone is reporting on your behalf.

If you’re inside the UK

Telephone: 0300 123 7379 Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm

If you’re outside the UK

Telephone: +44 (0)203 080 0010 Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm

If you’re from an organisation helping others to apply

Telephone: 0300 790 0566 Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 8pm Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:30pm

If your application is unsuccessful

You’ll get a decision notice explaining why it was refused. It will explain if you have the right to either an:

When you renew your permit, you’ll need to show that you continued to meet the eligibility requirements over the period of time since you last applied.

If you’re not employed or self-employed at the point you apply to renew, or you’re temporarily unable to work, you’ll still be able to apply for a 2-year permit as someone with ‘retained’ status (as long as you meet the requirements).

Apply to renew your permit.