EU Settlement Scheme applicants who are non-EU family members can use a UK residence card that expired no more than 5 years ago in the EU Exit: ID Document Check app, from 29 April 2026.
Key facts
- Who: Non-EU family members of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen applying to the EU Settlement Scheme who hold a UK residence card with a biometric chip
- From: 29 April 2026
- Source: Using the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app
The Home Office has updated its guidance on the EU Exit: ID Document Check app, which applicants use to complete the identity stage of an application under the EU Settlement Scheme. The app checks that an identity document is genuine and verifies that it belongs to the applicant.
The guidance now says that a non-EU family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen can use their UK residence card with a biometric chip if it expired no more than 5 years ago.
The guidance lists three types of document that can be used in the app:
- a biometric passport from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
- a UK residence card with a biometric chip, which expired no more than 5 years ago, for the non-EU family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
- a UK residence permit with a biometric chip, which expired no more than 18 months ago, for the non-EU family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
If the app cannot read the chip in a passport or UK residence card, the guidance says applicants will be asked to send the document to the Home Office. Details of how to do this are provided in the application. The guidance says the document will be returned by recorded delivery once identity has been checked, without waiting for the rest of the application to be completed.
Once identity is verified, the rest of the application can be completed on the same device or on any smartphone, laptop or computer.
What this means for applicants
A non-EU family member whose biometric UK residence card expired up to 5 years ago can use it for the identity stage in the app. Check the expiry date: the guidance accepts a residence card only if it expired no more than 5 years ago, and a residence permit only if it expired no more than 18 months ago.
If the app cannot read the chip in a UK residence card, the application will give details of how to send the document to the Home Office. Anyone who has problems completing the application can contact UKVI.