United Kingdom — Settled Status Criteria (How to Qualify)

Summary

Requirement

≥913 days (30 months) in the UK

Window

Rolling 60 months (5 years / 1,825 days)

Roughly

About 2½ years of presence in every 5

Grants

Settled status (indefinite leave to remain)

Authority

GOV.UK — Appendix EU

Under the UK's “30/60” rule for the EU Settlement Scheme, a pre-settled status holder qualifies for settled status by being physically present in the UK for at least 913 days — about 30 months — within the most recent 60 months (5 years). Reaching that threshold is what lets a pre-settled holder move up to full settled status (indefinite leave to remain), as set out in GOV.UK guidance on settled status. Already hold settled status? The rules for not losing it are different — see keeping settled status.

Who it applies to

This matters most if you are:

• A pre-settled status holder under the EU Settlement Scheme working toward full settled status.
• An EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen (or their family member) who has been building up UK residence but travels or lives abroad for part of the year.
• Someone who left the UK for a long stretch and wants to know whether their remaining presence still reaches 30 months inside the rolling window.

It is about physical presence, not citizenship of any particular country — the test asks how many days you have actually spent in the UK, not what passport you hold.

The rule — and why it exists

Since 16 July 2025, Appendix EU of the Immigration Rules assesses qualification using a rolling 60-month window rather than a single fixed five-year block:

• The 30-in-60 test. The Home Office looks back over the most recent 60 months (1,825 days) and checks whether at least 913 days (30 months) of UK presence falls inside it.
• The window moves forward each day. Because it rolls, older absences gradually drop out and are replaced by more recent days of presence — so a long absence early on need not permanently disqualify you.

Why it exists: settled status is meant for people who have genuinely made the UK their home. Requiring roughly half of a five-year window in the country is a proxy for that continuity, while the rolling design lets people who travel or work abroad recover their position by returning, rather than losing everything to one long trip.

Counting the days

1. 1Take today, or the date on which presence is being assessed.
2. 2Look back exactly 60 months — five years, or 1,825 days.
3. 3Add up every day you were physically present in the UK inside that window; each qualifying day counts as one day toward the 30-month total.
4. 4You need at least 913 days to qualify. Days outside the UK in the remaining time do not count against you, as long as presence stays at or above 30 months.

The full legal basis is in Immigration Rules Appendix EU, effective 16 July 2025.

Examples

Example 1 — steady presence, clearly qualifies

Over the last five years you have lived in the UK for roughly 10 months each year, spending the remaining time visiting family abroad. That is about 50 months of presence in the 60-month window — well above 913 days — so you meet the 30/60 rule and can apply for settled status.

Example 2 — a long absence, but still enough

You spent 14 continuous months abroad on an overseas posting three years ago. Across the full 60-month window you were still present in the UK for about 33 months. Because the test only asks for 30 months of presence — not an absence cap — you still qualify, and as the window rolls the posting eventually drops out entirely.

Example 3 — falls short for now

You arrived in the UK only three years ago and have been present for about 28 months since. You are just under the 913-day threshold, so you cannot qualify yet — but a few more months of presence inside the rolling window will take you over the line.

Exceptions & edge cases

• Legacy absence route. For historic qualifying periods you can instead rely on the older test — no single absence of more than 6 months (180 days) in any rolling 12-month period. It survives only as an alternative for residence built before the new rule.
• Qualifying is not keeping. Once settled status is granted, a different rule governs keeping it: it lapses only after 5 consecutive years outside the UK (4 years for Swiss nationals), and any return resets that clock.
• Permitted longer absences. Certain single absences — for example for compulsory military service, or an important reason such as serious illness, study, or a work posting — may be treated differently under Appendix EU. Check the specific provisions if a long trip is involved.
• 913 is a target, not a cap. Unlike absence-limit rules, there is no penalty for extra time abroad — you simply need presence to reach 30 months inside the 60-month window.

Common misconceptions

• “I must be in the UK continuously.” False — the 913 days can be spread across the window with gaps, as long as the total presence reaches 30 months.
• “One long absence disqualifies me forever.” Not under the 30/60 rule. The window rolls, so old absences drop out and can be offset by more recent presence.
• “The 6-months-in-12 rule still governs qualification.” Since July 2025 the main test is the 30-in-60 count; the older absence test remains only as an alternative for historic periods.
• “Qualifying means I can never lose it.” Granted settled status can still lapse after 5 consecutive years abroad — qualifying and keeping are two separate rules.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• GOV.UK — Settled and pre-settled status for EU citizens and their families
• GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix EU