How to apply for an EEA family permit

This page explains how a national of a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA) can apply for an EEA family permit to come to the UK.

For more information about EEA family permits and who should apply for them, see the EEA family permits page.

There is no application fee for an EEA family permit.

When you apply, you must provide documents to prove your relationship to an EEA national who is coming to the UK or already here. The Supporting documents contains more information.

The EEA national does not need to be present when you make your application. However, the EEA national must be travelling to the UK with you, or must already be in the UK. If they are not, you must apply for a visa instead of an EEA family permit.

Depending on the country where you live, you may need to make your application online or using application form VAF5. To find out which method you should use, see 'More information' below.

You can download application form VAF5 and its guidance notes from the right side of this page.

As part of your application, you will need to enrol your fingerprints and facial image (known as 'biometric information') at a visa application centre.

Select your country in our country finder to find out:

  • how to apply in your country (including how to apply online);
  • the location of our visa application centres;
  • how long we generally take to process visa applications; and
  • how your documents will be returned to you.

If your application is successful, you can find information about what will happen at the border (including customs requirements) in the Customs and travel information section.



More information

  • Should you apply online or complete an application form on paper?

    If you are applying for a visa from the following countries, you should apply using our online application system, Visa4UK:

    • Afghanistan
    • Albania
    • Algeria
    • Andorra
    • Angola
    • Anguilla
    • Antigua and Barbuda
    • Argentina
    • Armenia
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Azerbaijan
    • Bahamas
    • Bahrain 
    • Barbados
    • Belarus
    • Belgium
    • Belize
    • Bermuda
    • Bolivia
    • Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • Botswana
    • Brazil
    • British Virgin Islands
    • Brunei
    • Bulgaria
    • Burkina Faso
    • Burma
    • Burundi
    • Cambodia
    • Cameroon
    • Canada
    • Cape Verde
    • Cayman Islands
    • Central African Republic
    • Chad
    • Chile
    • China
    • Colombia
    • Comoros
    • Congo
    • Costa Rica
    • Croatia
    • Cyprus
    • Czech Republic
    • Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • Denmark
    • Djibouti
    • Dominica
    • Dominican Republic
    • East Timor
    • Ecuador
    • Egypt
    • Equatorial Guinea
    • Eritrea
    • Estonia
    • Ethiopia
    • Faroes
    • Fiji
    • Finland
    • France
    • French Guiana
    • Gabon
    • Gambia
    • Georgia
    • Germany
    • Ghana
    • Gibraltar
    • Greece
    • Greenland
    • Grenada
    • Guatemala
    • Guinea
    • Guinea Bissau
    • Guyana
    • Haiti
    • Hong Kong
    • Hungary
    • Iceland
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • Ireland
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Ivory Coast
    • Jamaica
    • Japan
    • Jordan
    • Kazakhstan
    • Kenya
    • Kiribati
    • Kosovo
    • Kyrgyzstan
    • Kuwait
    • Laos
    • Latvia
    • Lebanon
    • Lesotho
    • Liberia
    • Lithuania
    • Luxembourg 
    • Macau
    • Macedonia
    • Madagascar
    • Malaysia
    • Mali
    • Malta
    • Marshall Islands
    • Mauritania
    • Mauritius
    • Mexico
    • Micronesia
    • Moldova
    • Monaco
    • Mongolia
    • Montenegro
    • Montserrat
    • Morocco
    • Nauru
    • Netherlands
    • New Zealand
    • Nicaragua
    • Niger
    • Nigeria
    • Norway
    • Oman 
    • Pakistan
    • Palestinian Authority
    • Palau
    • Panama 
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Paraguay
    • Peru
    • Philippines
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Qatar 
    • Romania
    • Russian Federation
    • Rwanda
    • Samoa and Western Samoa
    • San Marino
    • Sao Tome and Principe
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Senegal
    • Serbia
    • Seychelles
    • Sierra Leone
    • Singapore
    • Slovakia
    • Slovenia 
    • Solomon Islands
    • Somalia
    • South Africa
    • South Korea
    • Spain
    • St Kitts and Nevis
    • St Vincent and Grenadine
    • St Lucia
    • Sudan
    • Suriname
    • Swaziland
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Syria
    • Taiwan
    • Tajikstan
    • Thailand
    • Togo 
    • Tonga
    • Trinidad and Tobago
    • Tunisia
    • Turkey
    • Turks and Caicos
    • Tuvalu
    • Uganda 
    • Ukraine
    • UAE
    • USA
    • Uruguay
    • Uzbekistan 
    • Vanuatu
    • Vatican City
    • Venezuela
    • Vietnam
    • Western Sahara
    • Zambia

    If you are applying for a visa from the following countries, you should apply by printing out an application form and completing it by hand: 

    • Cuba
    • Malawi
    • North Korea  
    • Turkmenistan 
    • Zimbabwe

    If you are applying for a visa from the following countries, you can choose whether to apply using our online application system or by printing off the application form and completing it by hand:

    • Bangladesh
    • Maldives
    • Mozambique
    • Namibia
    • Nepal
    • Sri Lanka

    As part of your application, you will need to enrol your fingerprints and facial image (known as 'biometric information') at a visa application centre.

    Select your country in our country finder to find out:

    • how to apply in your country (including how to apply online);
    • the location of our visa application centres;
    • how long we generally take to process visa applications; and
    • how your documents will be returned to you.

    If your application is successful, you can find information about what will happen at the border (including customs requirements) in the Customs and travel information section.

Application forms

EEA family permit

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Terms explained

  • European Economic Area

    The European Economic Area (EEA) consists of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Although Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU), their citizens have the same rights as EU citizens to enter, live in and work in the UK.

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