UK EEA Visa Application Process 2025

The UK EEA visa is a type of visa that allows citizens of third countries that are not members of the EEA (European Economic Community) to visit their family members who are citizens of 31 EEA member countries and can apply to UK foreign missions. It is also known as the UK family visit visa.

Although Switzerland is not a member of the EEA, it has granted its citizens the same privileges as its EEA member countries. In other words, Turkish citizens living in the UK and having a Swiss family member can apply for a UK EEA visa.

What is EEA?

The European Economic Area (EEA) was created in 1994. The European Economic Community unites the countries of the European Union (EU) and the countries that are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) with the aim of facilitating participation in trade in the European market.

The EEA is a free trade area between the European Union and the European Free Trade Association. At the time of its establishment, 31 countries were members of the association, and with approximately 372 million members, it generated $7.5 trillion in revenue in its first year alone. Citizens of countries that are members of the EEA can benefit from certain privileges not granted to countries outside the EEA.

Essentially, citizens of any member state are allowed to travel freely to other member states for various short-term visits and permanent relocations. However, during these relocations, citizens continue to have the citizenship of their home country and cannot obtain the citizenship of the country they applied for.

What are the EEA Countries?

The EEA includes citizens of the European Union, as well as citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Below is the full list of EEA countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

What is EEA National?

A person who is a citizen of one of the EEA (European Economic Area) countries is also a citizen of the European Economic Area. In this case, this means that the person is an EEA National.

What is an EEA Family Permit Visa?

The EEA Family Permit Visa is a long-term visa type that spouses and first-degree relatives of citizens of European Economic Area (EEA) member countries can apply for. The British Consulate does not accept applications for the long-term Family Permit visa. Applications are made through intermediary institutions or accredited agencies, including rsscanadaimmigration.com.

The EEA visa is valid for 6 months. This visa allows the holder to enter and leave the UK as many times as they need during the validity of the visa. The EEA Family Permit Visa holder can also apply for permission to work in the UK.

Who can apply for an EEA Family Permit?

Applicants for this visa must meet the definition of a close or extended family member of an EEA citizen. This could be a first-degree family member of an EEA citizen (spouse, child under 21, grandchild, mother, father) or extended family member.

A brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, and a spouse who has been in a relationship for at least 2 years and is not related by marriage can also apply as an extended family member.

After the initial 6-month EEA visa, EEA relatives are advised to apply for an EU residence card. If the application is approved, they will be entitled to continue living in the UK with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).

Non-EU families’ right to remain in the UK is dependent on the EU family member continuing to live within the rules of the agreement. In this way, family members who have spent 5 years in the UK on an EEA Family Permit are eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Note: It is not yet clear whether the EEA Family Permit visa will continue after Brexit is over. Applications for the EEA Family Permit visa can be made as of 2024.

Documents Required for EEA Family Permit Visa

Below is a list of documents required for the EEA Family Permit visa.

Identity information of a member of the European Economic Area
Documents proving the relationship with family members (birth certificates, civil partnership certificate, marriage certificate, documents proving that the relationship has continued for at least 2 years for those who are not married)
Passport of family members with at least 6 months validity

This list is for informational purposes only. All detailed documentation you need for additional situations can be found here .

The list of documents required for the UK Family Permit visa may vary depending on personal circumstances. Preparing the appropriate documents with the help of a consultant will be beneficial for a positive outcome of the visa application.

95 of the 96 UK Family Permit visa applications made under the consultancy of rsscanadaimmigration.com in 2019 and 2020 were approved, which is the highest approval rate among accredited agencies.

EEA Application Form

There are 2 different application methods for the EEA Family Permit Visa.

If you are an EEA national and are travelling to the UK with one or more of your immediate or extended family members, you can apply for a collective application form;
If you are in the UK as an EEA member and your family members will be visiting alone, there is a separate application form.

In visa applications made under the consultancy of rsscanadaimmigration.com, the EEA application form is filled out by the relevant consultant in line with personal information.

Update: Will the UK Continue to Take EEA Visa Applications After Leaving the EU?

The deadline for applying for the UK EEA Family Permit Visa is 31 December 2020. With the UK’s departure from the EU, in short Brexit, the right of EEA citizens to enter the country without a visa has been terminated.

However, if you have a valid visa, residence permit or indefinite leave to remain after this date, this process will not affect you. In addition, there will be no change to the residence rights and status of EU citizens living in the UK until 30 June 2021. From 1 January 2021, EEA members will also be subject to a visa system to enter the UK.

As the UK has left the EU, UK EAA family permit visa applications have ended on 31 December 2020. Up-to-date information can be found on the official consulate website.