Registering in the UK

1. Do I have the right to live in the United Kingdom (UK)?
European Community law gives you the right to live in the UK if you are working in the UK or you have enough money to support yourself without help from public funds.

2. Do I need to register on the Worker Registration Scheme?
Since 1 May 2004, most nationals of the new Member States (except Cyprus and Malta) working in the UK, are required to register under the Worker Registration Scheme within the one month period beginning on the date on which they began working.
Once you have been working in the UK as a registered worker for 12 months without a break the requirement to register under the scheme ceases. You may subsequently apply for an EEA registration certificate confirming your status, although this is a voluntary and is not necessary to work and reside in the United Kingdom lawfully.
Nationals of Malta and Cyprus working in the UK do not need to register under the terms of the Worker Registration scheme and do not need documentation from the Home Office in order to work and reside in the United Kingdom.
You will need to register with the Home Office if:
• you are a national of one of the new Member States (apart from Malta and Cyprus) subject to the Worker Registration Scheme;
• you started a new job on or after 1 May 2004; or you have been working in the UK before 1 May 2004 without permission

3. Why do I need to register?
It is a requirement of UK law that you register within one month of starting work. If you continue to work beyond that date without registering your employment, you would not be recognised as "a qualified person" for the purposes of the EEA Regulations 2006". It is in your interest to register as soon as you start a job but certainly within one month of the start date. Once you have registered and have worked uninterruptedly for 12 months then you are able to apply for an EU registration certificate. This is sometimes called the "Qualifying Period". If you do not register you could affect or delay your application for European Union residency.

The United Kingdom has opened up its labour market completely, registration allows us to monitor where new member state nationals are entering the labour market initially, the type of work they are undertaking and the impact of this on the wider economy.

4. When should I register?
You should apply to register with the Worker Registration Scheme as soon as you start a new job. If you do not apply within one month of starting a job, your employment will be illegal after that date and will not count towards your qualifying period for a registration certificate.

5. If I hold a Latvian Non-Citizen (Alien) passport, do I need to register on the Worker Registration Scheme?
No, you do not qualify to register on the Worker Registration Scheme. Holders of a Latvian "Alien" passport are not Latvian citizens. They are stateless ex-Russian nationals who do not hold full Latvian citizenship status and are not therefore citizens of the EEA. You are not therefore eligible to apply for registration on the WRS but must seek entry to work in the UK under the Immigration rules.

6. Are there any circumstances where I would not need to register?
You will not be subject to the worker registration and therefore do not need to register if one or more of the following applies:
• you are self-employed (and not undertaking any paid employment);
• you have been working legally in the UK for 12 months or more in the job you held on 1 May 2004;
• you have been working legally in the UK and you stay in the same job after 1 May 2004;
• you are providing services in the UK on behalf of an employer who is not established in the UK;
• you are a citizen of the UK, another EEA State (other than one of the 8 new Member States) or Switzerland;
• you are the family member (spouse, civil partner or child under the age of 21 or dependant) of a Swiss or EEA national (other than one of the 8 new Member States) who is working in the UK;
• you are the family member (spouse, civil partner or dependant child) of a Swiss or EEA national who is living in the UK as a student, or a retired or self-sufficient person.

If you are no longer subject to the requirement to register you are able to obtain a document confirming your status as an EEA national exercising a treaty right, This document is called a registration certificate. If you are the family member of an EEA national you can obtain a residence card confirming this.