Before you travel to the UK

​​You need permission to enter the UK. Check which visa you can apply for.

Once your application has been processed, you’ll either get a visa or official letter of permission. You can use this to board a plane or other form of transport to the UK.

Travelling with a permission to travel letter

If you did not use the ‘UK Immigration: ID check’ app or attend a visa application centre, you may have been issued with a permission to travel letter to allow you to travel to the UK.

Permission to travel letters issued without accompanying digital status are valid for travel to the UK until 12:01am UK time on 13 February 2025. If you arrive after this date with a permission to travel letter, you may be refused entry to the UK and removed.

If you travel before 12:01am UK time on 13 February 2025, you must present your permission to travel letter and passport to a UK Immigration Officer on arrival at the UK border. They will then decide whether to allow you into the UK to stay for 6 months.

Once you arrive in the UK, you must submit a further application to remain and arrange an appointment to provide your biometrics within 6 months of your arrival. You may then be allowed to stay in the UK up to 3 years from the date of your arrival.

If you applied to be sponsored by the Scottish or Welsh government

The Scottish and Welsh governments previously operated their own Super Sponsor routes, in which they acted directly as sponsors for Homes for Ukraine applicants. These schemes were paused in 2022 and remain paused for new applications. 

Applications made under the 2two Super Sponsor routes before they were paused will be processed and visas issued under the scheme will still be valid.

What happens at the UK border

When you arrive in the UK, show your visa or your permission letter and passport to a Border Force officer.

If you’re bringing money or belongings

You can bring most personal belongings into the UK without having to speak with a customs officer. Use the green channel marked ‘nothing to declare’.

You must speak with a customs officer if you’re bringing:

• a personal vehicle
• prohibited or restricted goods, for example controlled drugs or weapons
• £10,000 or more in cash (or €10,000 or more if you’re coming to Northern Ireland), or the equivalent in another currency

Check how to bring your own vehicle to the UK and what to speak with a customs officer about.

If you’re bringing a pet

If you want to bring your pet with you, it might need to go into quarantine when you arrive. Find out what you need to do if you bring a pet.

Travelling to where you’re staying

In England, Scotland and Wales, you can get free onward travel by train, bus, coach or light rail from the major airport or port you arrive at. To be eligible, you must travel within 48 hours of arriving in the UK.

You can get free train or bus travel in Northern Ireland within 7 days of arriving.

Getting financial help

You can apply for benefits to get financial support. To be eligible for benefits you might have to pass a ‘residence test’ if you have recently arrived in the UK. These tests mean you usually need to wait for an amount of time before you are eligible for benefits.

You will automatically pass the residence test if all of the following apply: 

• you were living in Ukraine immediately before 1 January 2022 
• you left Ukraine because of the Russian invasion
• it does not say ‘no public funds’ or ‘no recourse to public funds’ on your immigration documents

If you do not have a job, cannot work or are on a low income

You can apply for Universal Credit if you do not have a job, cannot work or you’re on a low income. This benefit is paid each month. The amount you get depends on things like if you have a child or need help with housing costs.

You can open a UK bank account to get your benefits payments. If you’re not able to open a UK bank account you can still get benefit payments by using the Payment Exception Service.

Read more on setting up a bank account.

If you have children

You can apply for Child Benefit if you have one or more children in the UK with you. If successful, you’ll get £25.60£24 a week for your eldest or only child and £16.95£15.90 for each additional child.

You might also be able to get help to pay for childcare if your child is not in school yet. You can apply for a school place once your child is 4 years old.

If you’re aged 66 or over

You can apply for Pension Credit to get extra money each week.

There’s different guidance for getting Pension Credit if you’re in Northern Ireland.

If you have a Homes for Ukraine visa

You can get a one-off payment of £200 per person when you arrive in the UK if you have a Homes for Ukraine visa. To get this, contact the council where you live.

Accessing your eVisa

We are replacing physical documents with an online record of your immigration status. This is known as an eVisa. You need to create a UKVI account to access your eVisa and share information about your immigration status and conditions, such as your right to work or rent in the UK, using the view and prove service. For more information visit Online immigration status (eVisa).

If you need to provide your biometric information

Your permission letter might say you need to provide your biometric information once you’re in the UK.

If it does, you need to do this within 6 months of arriving in the UK.

Fill in the online form to start the process of providing your biometric information.

Where you can live

You can live with family members, sponsors or in a property of your own.

If you want to live in a property of your own, you can search on property listings websites or go to local lettings agents. Find out about your rights and responsibilities if you rent a property.

Working in the UK

When you find a job with a UK employer you’ll need to prove your right to work. To use the online service you’ll need to have a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.

You can show your employer the visa in your passport, if your passport has not expired.

If you do not have a passport and were given your visa on a form, you’ll need to use the online service.

Getting a National Insurance number

You might already have a National Insurance number if you applied for any benefits.

If you do not have one, you need to apply for a National Insurance number to work in the UK.

Help finding work

You can use the ‘Find a job’ service to search and apply for jobs.

If you claim benefits, there’s support to help you find work, such as training schemes and work experience.

Sharing your immigration status with employers

You need to create a UKVI account to access your eVisa. Once you’ve created your UKVI account you will be able to sign in to the view and prove service to access your eVisa. You can share your immigration status information with third parties, such as employers or landlords, by generating a share code in the view and prove service, which will give them time-limited access to your immigration status information. You can get a new share code whenever you need one -you do not have to remember a single unique code to be able to prove your status.

Paying tax in the UK

If you’re employed, the tax you pay will usually be taken out of your salary automatically.

If you’re self-employed you may need to register for Self Assessment and send a tax return each year.

There are other reasons why you might need to send a tax return, such as if you have income from outside the UK. Check if you need to send a tax return.

If you’re taxed in the UK and Ukraine

You might get taxed in the UK and Ukraine for income that only needs to be taxed once. If this happens, you’ll usually be able to claim ‘double-taxation relief’.

You can check the guidance on:

• paying UK tax on your income from Ukraine
• paying Ukrainian tax on your UK income

Getting your child a school place

If you have children aged 4 to 16, you can apply for a school place. Contact the council where you live to find out which schools still have places and how to apply for an ‘in-year admission’.

Getting healthcare from the National Health Service (NHS)

You should register with an NHS doctor (known as a GP) for everyday health issues.

You can use the NHS for free, including NHS hospitals. You may be asked to show the stamp in your passport. You do not have to pay the immigration health surcharge.

Find out how to:

• register with a GP in England
• register with a GP in Scotland
• register with a GP in Northern Ireland

In Wales, find a GP surgery near you and ask them how to register.

Proving your entitlements

When accessing services provided by UK government departments and other public authorities, e.g. benefits and healthcare, the Home Office will increasingly make the relevant information available automatically through system to system checks, so that you won’t need to prove your entitlements. For more information go to Living in the UK: applying from within the UK.

Driving in the UK

You can use your Ukrainian driving licence for the first 3 years after you arrive. You’ll then need to exchange it for a British licence.

Read more on Ukraine driving licence exchange.

Check what requirements your vehicle needs to meet in the UK.

Find out more about living in the UK

If you want to find out more about life in the UK once you’ve arrived, there’s more detail in the welcome guide for people arriving from Ukraine.

Once your Homes for Ukraine permission ends

Before your Homes for Ukraine permission comes to an end, you may be able to apply to the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme for up to a further 18 months permission to stay in the UK. The scheme opens or applications on 4 February 2025.