Can you live and work in the UK?

This page explains how you can live and work in the United Kingdom (UK) after 1 July 2013 if you are a Croatian national.

As a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), you do not need our permission under the Immigration Rules to enter or remain in the UK.

However, if you want to work in the UK you will need to apply for a work authorisation document (usually a purple registration certificate) unless you are exempt from this requirement (see below).

Your employer may also have to apply for a certificate of sponsorship reference number. This will then enable you to apply for a purple registration certificate which will act as your permission to work in the UK.

For information on how to apply for a purple registration certificate, see the applying section.

Work authorisation

• You will need to apply for a purple registration certificate, which authorises you to work in the UK, unless:
• you are exempt (see below); or
• you were given permission to enter or remain in the UK before 1 July 2013, and your passport has been endorsed with a condition restricting your employment to a particular employer or category of employment. If this permission to enter or remain expires before you qualify to be exempt from work authorisation requirements, or you wish to engage in employment other than the job for which the leave was granted, you will need to obtain a purple registration certificate.

For most categories of employment you will need a certificate of sponsorship reference number from your employer before you apply for a purple registration certificate.

However, in certain employment categories you will only have to apply for a purple registration certificate. These categories are:

• postgraduate doctors and dentists
• domestic servants in a private household
• sole representatives of an overseas business

Exemptions from the worker authorisation requirement

If you want to work in the UK and are exempt from work authorisation, you can apply for a blue registration certificate , which will confirm your unrestricted access to the UK labour market.

If you are exempt from work authorisation because you are 'highly skilled' (see below), you must apply for a blue registration certificate.

If you are exempt for any other reason listed below you do not need to apply for a blue registration certificate but can do so if you wish.

For more information on how to do this see the applying section.

You do not need authorisation to work in the UK if:

• on 30 June 2013 you have leave to enter under the Immigration Act 1971 and that leave does not place any restrictions on taking employment in the UK
• you have been working with permission in the UK on 30 June 2013 and have done so for a continuous period of 12 months ending on that date
• you have been working with permission in the UK for a continuous period of 12 months ending after 30 June 2013
• you have acquired a right of permanent residence under regulation 15 of the EEA regulations.
• you are also a national of the UK or another EEA Member State other than Croatia or, until the end of December 2013, Bulgaria and Romania
• you are the spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner of a UK national or a person settled in the UK.
• you are the spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner or child under 18 of a person who has leave to enter or remain in the UK under the 1971 Act that allows a person to work in the UK.
  • spouse or civil partner of the EEA national;
  • unmarried or same sex partner of the EEA national;
  • the direct descendant of the EEA national, his spouse or civil partner who is-
    (i) under 21; or
    (ii) dependant of the EEA national, his spouse or civil partner.
• you are a highly skilled person and hold a registration certificate confirming that you have unrestricted access to the labour market.
• you are a posted worker.
• you are a member of a diplomatic mission or are in another specified category exempt from the 1971 Act.
  • hold a yellow registration certificate confirming that you are exercising a Treaty right as a student and that you shall not work for more than 20 hours per week, except where following a course of vocational training and is working a part of that training or is working during vacation periods; or
  • have leave to enter or remain under the 1971 Act as a student and are working in accordance with any conditions attached to that leave. This will apply in circumstances where you had leave as a student before 1 July 2013, they continue to meet the criteria as a student and this leave is still valid.

Working without authorisation

Under the Accession of Croatia (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2013 it is an offence for a Croatian national who needs worker authorisation to engage in employment without the appropriate permission.

• you will be committing an offence if you are subject to work authorisation and:
• you work without holding a valid work authorisation document (for instance a purple registration certificate); or
• you work while holding a work authorisation document but don't adhere to your work conditions. For example, this could be where you work for an employer who is not stated on the document, or where you work for more hours than is permitted (for instance if you are a student); or
• you have used deception in obtaining a registration certificate.

If you commit an employee offence as outlined above you can be:

• fined £1000; or
• imprisoned for up to 3 months; or
• both.

Either a policeman or an Immigration Officer has the power to impose a fine on you if s/he is satisfied that you have committed an employee offence.

Highly Skilled

If you meet the highly skilled migrant person criteria, you may be exempt from worker authorisation, but you will need to apply for a blue registration certificate on this basis. For information on how to apply for a blue registration certificate on this basis you should see the Highly Skilled section.

You can find further information on working in the UK if you are a Croatian national in the guidance on the right side of this page.

Can my family members live and work in the United Kingdom?

This section explains how family members of a Croatian national can live and work in the UK.

Unless otherwise specified, the family members of a Croatian national are normally defined as:

• husband, wife or civil partner
• children who are under 21 years of age or are dependent
• dependent direct relatives in the ascending line (parents, grandparents).

Croatian national family members

If you are a Croatian family member of a Croatian national who is exempt from work authorisation requirements (see above), you are entitled to be issued with a blue registration certificate confirming that you are also exempt from those requirements.

If you are a Croatian family member of a Croatian national who has a work authorisation document (i.e. a purple registration certificate) and who is legally working in the UK, you are exempt from work authorisation and can apply for a blue registration certificate. However, in such circumstances, "family member" will mean the Croatian spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner, or direct descendants under 21 of the holder of the purple registration certificate.

If you are a Croatian relative of a Croatian national who holds a work authorisation document (e.g. a purple registration certificate), but you do not meet the criteria for a family member, you will need permission if you want to take employment in the UK. You will need to obtain a purple registration certificate.

Croatian family members of EEA nationals

If you are a Croatian family member of a Bulgarian or Romanian who is subject to worker authorisation (this subsection only applies until 31st December 2013), you will be exempt from worker authorisation and can apply for a blue registration certificate.

Family member in this context means the spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner of the Bulgarian or Romanian sponsor.

If you are the Croatian family member of an EEA national (other than from Croatia) who has a right to residence, you will be exempt from worker authorisation and can apply for a blue registration certificate. Family member in this context means the spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner, or direct descendants who are under 21 or dependant.

Croatian family members of British citizens and those with settlement in the UK

If you are the Croatian family member of a British citizen or a person who has settlement in the UK, you will be exempt from work authorisation and can apply for a blue registration certificate. Family member in this context means the spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner of the British citizen/settled person.

Non-EEA national family members of Croatian nationals

If you are a family member of a Croatian national who is exempt from work authorisation requirements (see above), but you are not an EEA national, you are entitled to be issued with a residence card.

If you are a family member of a Croatian national who holds a work authorisation document (i.e. purple registration certificate), but you are not an EEA national, you can apply for a family member residence stamp.

You can find further information in the guidance for Croatians, which you can download from the right side of this page.

If you need permission to work in the UK you can apply under different job categories within Tiers 2 or 5 of the points based system. More information on these employment categories can be found in the statement of requirements on the right side of this page.

For detailed information explaining employers' responsibilities, please see the guidance on preventing illegal working.