Published on and written by Cyril Jarnias
Settling long-term in the United Kingdom is no longer just a matter of booking a flight and finding a place to live. Since Brexit and the accelerated digitization of procedures, living, working, or studying there involves a series of administrative steps that practically structure daily life: entry into the country, right to stay, housing, employment, local taxation, healthcare, banking, driver’s license, etc.
This article details the essential steps based on factual data. It helps you understand the major stages, act in the right order, and avoid costly mistakes in terms of time, money, or that could lead to a refusal of rights.
Preparing Your Arrival: Entry, Visa, and Electronic Travel Authorisation
Even before thinking about a job, housing, or social security, you first need to be able to enter the UK legally. The rules vary significantly depending on nationality and purpose (visit, work, study, long-term settlement).
For citizens of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, tourist stays or short visits are possible without a visa. However, it remains mandatory to present a passport valid for the entire duration of the stay. National identity cards are only accepted in very specific cases, notably for people with status under the EU Settlement Scheme (settled or pre-settled status), certain family members or frontier workers, holders of specific permits, or S2 Healthcare visitors.
Irish citizens retain a right of entry and residence without a visa under the Common Travel Area, placing them apart from the general system.
The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), a New Essential Step
The United Kingdom is progressively deploying an Electronic Travel Authorisation, the ETA. This is a digital permission linked to a passport, valid in principle for two years (or until passport expiry) and allowing repeated visits of up to six months for tourism, visiting family, or certain specific purposes.
The ETA is not a visa and does not guarantee entry, but it is becoming mandatory for many nationalities, including European citizens. Every traveler, including children, must have their own, except for British and Irish citizens and dual nationals of these countries.
The application is made via the “UK ETA” app or on the official government website (gov.uk). The process involves providing passport data, contact details, a digital photo, and answering security questions, before paying the fee (an official amount is indicated by the government; other unofficial sites often charge more and should be avoided). It is recommended to submit the application a few working days before departure.
Visa, Points System, and Work
To work or settle long-term, an ETA is not enough. Most non-British and non-Irish nationals must enter under a specific visa framework, the most structured today being the Skilled Worker visa, which replaced the old Tier 2 (General) category.
This is the indicative number of weeks for processing a visa application submitted from within the UK.
This point is crucial for overall planning: without a valid work visa (or another route authorizing activity), it is impossible to obtain certain related rights (opening a bank account, formal employment, access to certain benefits).
Immigration Status, eVisa, and Long-Term Settlement
Once the visa is obtained, the entire UK administrative logic revolves around the “immigration status” recorded by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), a directorate of the Home Office.
From the BRP Card to the eVisa: The Digitalization of Residence
The UK used to issue Biometric Residence Permits (BRP), plastic cards with a chip, photo, conditions of stay, and sometimes a National Insurance number. These cards are now being phased out: they all expired on December 31, 2024, and are being replaced by a fully digital status, the eVisa.
The eVisa is an online record of identity and right to stay (visa type, duration, conditions). To access it, you must create a UKVI account on the government website, providing date of birth, BRP number or application number, passport details, email, and phone number. Once logged in, you can view your status information, update your contact details, and generate “share codes” to prove your right to work, rent a property, or travel.
With digitization, employers, landlords, or universities no longer rely on presenting a physical document to verify the right to stay. They now use the government’s online ‘view and prove’ services, entering a temporary code provided by the individual, to check and validate their status securely and instantly.
Aiming for the Long Term: Indefinite Leave to Remain and Settlement
For those considering living in the UK long-term, the question of permanent status arises quickly. The key status is Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), often called “settlement” or “settled status” in common language.
Obtaining ILR gives the right to live, work, and study in the UK without time limit, to access certain social benefits, and, eventually, to apply for British citizenship. ILR is also an essential stepping stone for naturalization.
The conditions depend on the immigration route:
| Residence Route | Typical Duration Before ILR | Main Specificities |
|---|---|---|
| Long residence | 10 years of continuous legal residence | Absences strictly regulated |
| Family / spouse | 5 years (or 10 years depending on the path) | Proof of cohabitation, financial thresholds |
| Skilled Worker | 5 years | Continuous employment with a sponsor, salary threshold |
| Innovator Founder | 3 years | Specific economic criteria |
| Global Talent | 3 or 5 years | Depends on the field and type of endorsement |
| Private life | 10 years | Regular renewals, private life criteria |
Regardless of the route, the concept of continuous residence is central. Depending on the case, absences from the country must not exceed a certain number of days per year or over the entire period (for example, for long residence, no more than 184 consecutive days nor 548 days in total over ten years, with some discretionary leeway). Specific rules exist for skilled workers, innovators, or holders of post-Brexit European status.
The application for permanent residence (ILR) in the UK is done online via specific forms (e.g., SET(M) for spouses, SET(O) for other categories, SET(LR) for long residence). The process requires proving your identity (via an app or biometric appointment), providing proof of residence, employment, and family relationships. It is also generally necessary to pass the ‘Life in the UK test’, a 24-question exam on British history, institutions, and culture, with a pass mark of 75%.
The cost is high: several thousand pounds per person (over £3,000 for a standard application, to which priority services potentially adding several hundred to a thousand pounds can be added). Standard processing times can be up to several months, although accelerated services exist subject to availability.
Working Legally: National Insurance Number and Personal Taxation
Accessing formal employment involves a key step: obtaining a National Insurance number, often called an NI number or NIN. It is the functional equivalent of a unique social security and tax identifier.
What is the National Insurance Number Used For?
The National Insurance number, issued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is used to correctly record social security contributions (National Insurance Contributions) and income tax with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). It also serves as a reference for certain schemes, like student loans via the Student Loans Company.
Once assigned, this number remains the same for life, regardless of changes in name, address, or situation. Obtaining it is free, and the only reliable information and official forms are on the gov.uk website.
Who Needs to Apply for an NI Number, and When?
Anyone living in the UK, with the right to work there, and who is already employed, job-seeking, or holds a job offer must apply for an NI number if they don’t have one. The application can only be made from within UK territory.
Essential information on situations where an application for a NINo is not necessary or appropriate.
It is not possible to apply solely to receive benefits or a student loan. Other procedures exist, and the relevant authority will contact the individual if a NINo is needed for payment.
If the number is already shown on an old BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) or in an eVisa, there is no need to apply for a new one.
British residents normally receive their NI number automatically as they approach their 16th birthday, provided a Child Benefit claim was made by a parent or guardian. Those who received nothing between 16 and 19 should first check if they don’t already have a number (for example on a tax document, old BRP, or payslip) before starting a new procedure.
Procedure and Timelines
The application is now done online. You must prove your identity, ideally by uploading digital photos of your passport, BRP, or identity card (for some European nationals), as well as a photo of yourself holding your passport next to your face. A smartphone, tablet, or digital camera is sufficient, and someone else can take the pictures. If sending photos is impossible, an in-person appointment or sending paper copies may be required, which lengthens the processing time.
After identity validation, the NI number is sent by postal mail to the declared address for security reasons, within a period of up to four weeks. It is never sent by email. A confirmation email with a reference number is sent upon submission of the application, indicating if additional identity proofs are needed.
In case of non-receipt after four weeks, moving, or change of contact details, you must contact the dedicated helpline, keeping the reference number from the confirmation email handy. Specific numbers exist for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, with Relay UK and British Sign Language video services also available for deaf or hard of hearing individuals.
Can You Work Without an NI Number?
It is possible to start a job before obtaining your NI number, provided you can prove your right to work (valid immigration status, eVisa, etc.). The employer may temporarily apply a higher emergency tax code; any overpaid tax will in principle be refunded once the number is provided to the authorities, usually at the end of the tax year.
National Insurance contributions are mandatory for employees earning above a government threshold and for self-employed individuals above a certain profit level. Rates vary by class (employee, self-employed, voluntary) and fund access to social benefits and the state pension. These contributions are not refundable, even upon leaving the UK.
Finding Housing: Right to Rent, Lease, and Local Tax (Council Tax)
Finding housing is not just about signing a lease. Two major administrative aspects come into play: right to rent checks and the local tax, Council Tax.
Right to Rent: Proving Your Right to Occupy a Property
In England, the law requires landlords and certain private agents to check that adults moving into a property have the right to live there (right to rent). This scheme, established by the Immigration Acts of 2014 and 2016, aims to prevent access to the private rental market for people without valid immigration status.
The landlord (or an agent with written authority) must carry out checks for every adult over 18 who will live in the property as their main home, even if they are not named on the lease. Certain categories of housing (social housing, hostels, hospitals, care homes, holiday lets, very long leases, etc.) are exempt from this scheme.
There are several levels of right to rent: unlimited right (British and Irish citizens, holders of ILR or settled status, for example), time-limited right (temporary visas, status under renewal), no right, and exceptional permission (permission to rent) granted occasionally by the Home Office.
Home Office
Three verification methods coexist:
– A manual check of original identity documents, with a copy kept,
– Using the official online service with a “share code” generated by the tenant (for holders of an eVisa, BRP, European status, etc.),
– Using a certified digital identity verification provider, reserved for British and Irish citizens with a passport.
Landlords must keep proof of the check and carry out follow-up checks for people with a time-limited right to rent. In case of non-compliance, penalties are severe: fines per person housed without the right, and, in the most serious cases (knowingly renting to a disqualified person), risk of criminal prosecution with a prison sentence.
Council Tax: The Mandatory Local Tax
Once settled, every household must in principle pay Council Tax, a local tax to fund community services (waste collection, libraries, roads, etc.). It applies in England, with specific regimes in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Council Tax is calculated based on the property’s value, classified into bands from A (lowest) to H. The amount is set by the local council, and the annual bill, usually sent in April, covers the whole year. Payment is most often in 10 monthly installments, with the option to request 12 payments.
To be liable, a bill must be issued in your name, possibly jointly. The legally responsible person is the “liable person”, generally any adult aged 18 or over who owns or rents the property. An order of priority applies when several adults live together: resident owner, tenant, sub-tenant, resident without title, or, if no one lives in the property, the owner.
Several situations can lead to the owner, and not the residents, being liable: property occupied only by minors, asylum seeker hostels, temporary residences like hostels, hospitals, care homes, or certain shared houses considered Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO).
To register, you must contact the council for the area where the property is located—most often via an online form. You provide names, previous and current addresses, move-in date, names of other occupants aged 16 or over, contact details, sometimes the landlord’s or agency’s details, and can request setting up a direct debit or a single person discount.
The council then sends an account number, essential for paying and managing your account. It is essential to inform the council of any move, to close one account and open a new one.
Many discounts and exemptions exist: 25% single person discount, exemptions for certain empty properties or those occupied by full-time students, certain annexes for dependent relatives, properties wholly occupied by people with a severe mental impairment, etc. A Council Tax Reduction scheme is aimed at low-income households or those receiving certain benefits.
Accessing Healthcare: Immigration Health Surcharge, NHS, and GP Registration
The UK public healthcare system, the NHS, is at the heart of daily life. Accessing it under good conditions is a major element of any settlement.
Immigration Health Surcharge: The Price for NHS Access
Most applicants for a visa longer than six months must pay, at the time of their application, a contribution called the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). This payment, separate from visa fees, grants access to most NHS services on the same basis as an “ordinarily resident” individual (free care at point of use, but payment for certain services like prescriptions or dental care).
The IHS is not required for visitor visas, nor for indefinite leave to remain applications, nor for certain specific profiles, for example holders of a Health and Care Worker visa (doctors, nurses, health and care professionals) and their families, asylum seekers, victims of trafficking or domestic abuse, certain NATO personnel, or those under the EU Settlement Scheme. Children in the care of a local authority are also exempt.
The standard UK visa fee is annual, with discounts for students and young people, and pro-rata billing according to the length of stay.
In case of visa refusal or rejection, the IHS is automatically refunded. However, no refund is made if the holder chooses to leave the UK before their visa expires, or if it is curtailed by the Home Office.
Registering with a General Practitioner (GP)
Regardless of the IHS and immigration status, anyone in England can in principle register for free with a GP practice. This registration is the gateway to accessing non-urgent care, routine appointments, prescription renewals.
It is recommended to register with a GP practice as soon as possible after your arrival, using the GMS1 form available on-site or online. The practice does not have the right to demand proof of identity, address, or immigration status as an absolute condition for registration, although it may ask for these documents for verification purposes. The practitioner’s only legal obligation is to adhere to objective and non-discriminatory criteria, such as the geographical area covered and their capacity to accept patients.
Once registration is validated, the patient receives an NHS number. It is also possible to register temporarily for a stay between 24 hours and three months in another region. Practices are obliged to provide, within their area, immediate necessary treatment free of charge for a short period to any unregistered person.
Some care remains chargeable: prescription charges (except for those under 19 in full-time education, over 60, or pregnant women, for example), dental care with charging by “bands”, eye tests in England (while free in Scotland), glasses, etc. For individuals considered “overseas visitors” without IHS or ordinary residence, hospital care may be charged at 150% of the NHS tariff, with a negative impact on future visa applications if arrears exceed a certain amount.
Managing Your Money: Opening a Bank Account in the UK
Living in the UK while keeping only a foreign account is technically possible, but quickly becomes expensive and complicated. Currency conversion fees, foreign transaction fees, lack of a local IBAN for salary payments and bills… everything pushes towards opening a local account.
To open a bank account in the UK, you must provide proof of identity and proof of address. Documents accepted for identity are: a passport, a UK or European driving license, or a national identity card from an EU country. To justify your address, you can present a utility bill (gas, electricity, water) less than three months old, a tenancy agreement, a bank statement sent to the UK address, a Council Tax bill, or a mortgage statement.
For new arrivals who do not yet have utility bills, some banks accept alternative documents: a letter from the university confirming address for students, mail from HMRC notifying an NI number or tax code, or an updated statement from a foreign bank showing the UK address.
The lack of a local “credit history” is a common obstacle. UK banks generally do not take foreign credit histories into account. Starting with a basic current account, even a “basic bank account” without an overdraft, or an account with a digital fintech, can facilitate settlement. Processing times can be up to several weeks depending on the institution and the checks (identity, anti-money laundering, immigration status in some cases).
Driving in the UK: Foreign License, Exchange, and Rules
The question of a driver’s license quickly interests those wishing to settle outside major cities, or for whom a car is a professional tool.
A resident of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) with a non-European foreign license can drive cars, motorcycles, and small vehicles for 12 months from when they become a resident (generally, once they spend at least 185 days a year in the UK). Beyond that, they must either take the UK driving test (theory and practical), or, if they are from a country considered “designated”, apply to exchange their license for a British one without retaking a test.
The UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) considers the driving license systems of several countries and territories to be broadly equivalent. The list of designated countries includes, for example, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Switzerland, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Andorra, Monaco, several British Overseas Territories, and a few others.
The exchange is subject to many conditions: the license must be valid, have been obtained directly in that country (not via exchange from a non-designated country), and the application must be made within five years of settling in the UK. Furthermore, the British authorities only grant entitlement to drive manual transmission cars if the original test was passed on that type of vehicle, with proof; otherwise, the British license will be restricted to automatic cars.
Exchanging a foreign driving license for a British one is done by mail to the DVLA. It requires sending the D1 form, the original license (which will not be returned), a photo, proof of identity and status, and payment of the fee. For non-English language licenses, a certified translation is mandatory. Processing times are around three weeks but can be longer if checks are needed.
For citizens of the EU, EEA, and Switzerland, specific rules often allow driving until the license expires or until a certain age before mandatory exchange. Specific rules also exist for Northern Ireland, which has its own issuing authority.
Work: From Job Offer to Contract, via the Sponsor Licence
Any life project in the UK involving salaried employment must take into account the structure of the current immigration policy. The employer plays a central role. To recruit most foreign nationals, they must hold a sponsor licence, obtained after an online application, a review of their internal procedures (ability to monitor and report employees, keep records, manage changes), and sometimes a compliance visit.
Employers must bear significant costs: licence fees, fees for issuing Certificates of Sponsorship, Immigration Skills Charge per year of sponsorship. Very strict rules now prohibit passing these costs onto workers, under penalty of losing the licence.
The number of points a worker must accumulate to be eligible for this type of visa.
Note that many intermediate-skilled professions (RQF levels 3 to 5) are no longer eligible for standard sponsorship since the raising of qualification and salary thresholds. Only professions listed on a Temporary Shortage List can sometimes bypass these requirements, for a limited time.
In the medium term, completing five years of residence under this visa, while meeting salary and presence thresholds, can open the path to Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Living in the UK: Considering the Coherence of All Steps
What emerges from all the rules and systems is the permanent interdependence between steps:
Without a clear visa or immigration status, a person faces major difficulties proving their right to work or rent. This triggers a cascade of problems: inability to obtain a social security number (NI), pay taxes, open a bank account, or register for the Council Tax. Access to the healthcare system (NHS) becomes uncertain without paying the health surcharge (IHS) and registering with a GP. Finally, the lack of proof of residence (bills, bank statements) significantly complicates any future application for permanent residence (Indefinite Leave to Remain).
Settling in the UK therefore depends as much on overall coherence as on each individual step. By sticking to official sources (gov.uk, NHS, DVLA, UKVI, local councils) and meticulously following the logical order of steps—entry, immigration status, housing, work, NI number, healthcare, bank, local taxation, driver’s license—the expatriate or student has all the cards in hand to turn a stay project into a real life in the United Kingdom.
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Cyril Jarnias is an independent expert in international wealth management with over 20 years of experience. As an expatriate himself, he is dedicated to helping individuals and business leaders build, protect, and pass on their wealth with complete peace of mind.
On his website, cyriljarnias.com, he shares his expertise on international real estate, offshore company formation, and expatriation.
Thanks to his expertise, he offers sound advice to optimize his clients' wealth management. Cyril Jarnias is also recognized for his appearances in many prestigious media outlets such as BFM Business, les Français de l’étranger, Le Figaro, Les Echos, and Mieux vivre votre argent, where he shares his knowledge and know-how in wealth management.
