Length of stay on EEA FAMILY PERMIT

[heyitsme]

EEA family permit has a validity of 6 months but I need to know how long can the non EU live in UK on family permit? Is it 3 months stay or 6 months stay?

[BritGirl1]

Hi there, the gov.UK webpage for Family Permit states:

How long you can stay

An EEA family permit is valid for 6 months. You can leave and enter the UK as many times as you need within that time.

Stay after your EEA family permit expires

You can stay in the UK after your permit expires if you:

- are the family member of an EEA national - see if you’re eligible
- qualify for a ‘Surinder Singh’ application
- have a retained right of residence
- have a derivative right of residence
You can apply for a residence card card or derivative residence card to confirm your right of residence. You don’t have to apply but it will make it easier to prove your right to live and work in the UK.

[heyitsme]

I was confused because as the long term visit visas are also valid for x number of years but you have to leave and re enter every 3 months. So I thought that you can only stay on EEA family permit for 3 months.

Its good to know that people on EEA family permit can stay for full 6 months without having to leave the country to re enter again after 3 months

[secret.simon]

I was confused because as the long term visit visas are also valid for x number of years but you have to leave and re enter every 3 months.

Those are Schengen visit visa rules.

UK visit visas allow you to stay in the UK up to six months, but you can't just exit and reenter immediately to reset the counter. You are expected to stay in your home country longer than you have in the UK.

In any case, the EEA Family Permit is not a visit visa, so those rules do not apply.

[vinny]

Are you using the SS route or just visiting?