European Nationals and Families

European Nationals and their families are generally entitled to live and work in the UK; see European Nationals moving to UK. If you are living in the UK and want your family to come and join you but your family are not European Nationals, they will need to apply for an EEA Family Permit. This is a permit to show that your family are entitled to reside and work in the UK because you are a European National.

You should bear in mind that entitlement to live and work in another country does not equate to an entitlement to receive financial assistance from the state system. If you and your family work and pay taxes and National Insurance contributions, you will be entitled to state benefits, including a State Pension, just like any other UK resident (see State Pension for foreigners. You may be entitled to help from the state even if you have not worked in the UK and have not made National Insurance contributions: contact the Benefits Enquiry Line on 0800 88 22 00 for more information. For details of the benefits offered by the state see State Benefits. However, you should not move to the UK and expect to be automatically supported by the state, as this may not be possible.

Your family may be entitled to receive a state pension from another country if they have lived and worked there for many years. You should contact the pension service in your home country for advice on moving an existing pension to the UK, or accessing your state pension from the UK. It is important that you do not lose any existing state pension that you are entitled to, since you may not be able to claim a state pension in the UK. For more details of the State Pension see The Basic State Pension.