UK Frontier Worker Permit
United Kingdom
Other
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See if you're a match →The UK Frontier Worker permit is a post-Brexit route for eligible EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens who live outside the UK but started working in the UK by 31 December 2020.
- Type
- Post-Brexit frontier-worker permit
- Who it covers
- EU/EEA/Swiss citizens working in the UK by 31 Dec 2020
- Residence
- Applicant lives mainly outside the UK
- New route?
- No - preserved status for qualifying workers
Summary
The UK Frontier Worker permit is a narrow post-Brexit route for EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens who live mainly outside the UK but work in the UK. It preserves rights for people who were already working as frontier workers before Brexit.
It is not a new-worker visa. The core question is whether you had already started frontier work in the UK by 31 December 2020 and still meet the route's continuing-worker or retained-worker pattern. It is not for someone starting UK work now.
Eligibility
You may be a fit if:
- You are an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen.
- You live mainly outside the UK.
- You were already working in the UK as a frontier worker by 31 December 2020.
- You still meet the frontier-worker pattern — generally continuing to work in the UK while living mainly elsewhere, subject to the route's retained-worker exceptions.
What This Route Allows
The permit gives qualifying frontier workers permission to enter the UK for their work while living mainly outside the UK. It documents and protects an existing work pattern rather than granting UK residence. It does not by itself lead to British citizenship.
What This Route Is Not
- A new-worker visa or a route for someone starting UK work now.
- A grant of UK residence — you continue to live mainly outside the UK.
- British citizenship by itself.
- Available to people who began working in the UK after 31 December 2020.
Next Steps
- Confirm you are an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen who lives mainly outside the UK.
- Check that you were already working in the UK by 31 December 2020.
- Confirm you still meet the frontier-worker pattern, including any retained-worker exceptions that may apply.
- Gather evidence of your UK work history and your residence outside the UK.
- Apply for the permit through GOV.UK.