The notes on this page are for EEA nationals and their family members who were resident in the UK on 31 December 2020.

Who can be classed as self-sufficent?

EEA nationals have a right to reside if they have sufficient resources to prevent themselves and their family members becoming an unreasonable burden on public funds, and they have comprehensive sickness insurance to cover themselves and their family members.

The same applies to students, except the requirement to have sufficient resources is a bit more flexible. Students must have a realistic expectation at the start of their course they will be able to fund themselves, but if they get into difficulties later on they might be shown a bit of leniency.

What are sufficient resources?

Having sufficient resources is generally taken to mean that your income is above that required to claim means-tested living costs benefits like Pension Credit or the non-housing elements of Universal Credit. You must also be able to cover your accommodation costs, or friends and family provide you with free accommodation.

In practice this means there is very little overlap between, on the one hand, being a self-sufficient person and, on the other, qualifying for a means-tested benefit.

However, someone who has sufficient income to pay their rent and living costs might still qualify for a reduced amount of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, for example if they have a source of income that is disregarded for means-tested benefits purposes.

What is comprehensive sickness insurance?

Comprehensive sickness insurance can be satisfied by having a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued by an EEA member state, although you need to be sure that the country you are coming from allows the UK to claim back any NHS costs accrued if you need treatment.  Generally, the EHIC card is for visitors rather than residents, but students might well have one that provides cover for the duration of their course.

People receiving pensions and other long term benefits from another member state may find this provides them with comprehensive sickness cover in the UK.

Relying on EEA pensions or an EHIC card to satisfy the sickness insurance condition is a complex subject and you may wish to obtain specialist advice.