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I am a German citizen living in Germany and my mother is Russian citizen living in Russia. We would like to visit UK together as tourists just for 10 days or so. Is it possible and preferable for her to get EEA family permit rather than UK visitor visa for this purpose? I think UK consulate might refuse her visitor visa because of her age, etc. She does not have any EU residence card or whatsoever. Anyway, what is the time frame for getting EEA family permit? Thanks in advance.

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  • Will your visit to the UK conclude before the 29th of March? In not, any EU/EEA documentation may be moot.
    – Richard
    Jan 15, 2019 at 15:31
  • @Richard it should be okay if the trip commences before 29 March, shouldn't it?
    – phoog
    Jan 15, 2019 at 15:57
  • In the event of a 'no deal' brexit, it may not. While she would be in possession of a valid docs at entry, they could be deemed invalid at 11pm that day and then she'd be in the country without a valid permit. Perhaps unlikely to be spotted, but I'd exercise extreme caution on this one.
    – Richard
    Jan 15, 2019 at 16:02
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    @Richard even if there's a no deal Brexit, I cannot imagine that EU visitors (including family members) will suddenly be subject to deportation at the magic hour. Even EU citizens who have not yet applied for leave to remain will be without a valid permit, but nobody is going to get in trouble for that.
    – phoog
    Jan 15, 2019 at 16:11
  • I'm not saying she'd be punished, I'm airing on the side of not recommending something that may technically be against the law.
    – Richard
    Jan 15, 2019 at 16:15

1 Answer 1

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Your mother qualifies for an EEA family permit to travel with you to the UK only if she is dependent on you. If she is not, then she will need a standard visitor visa.

The EEA family permit application is supposed to be decided "quickly"; it shouldn't take more than a week or two. If you have evidence that she is dependent on you, but the decision isn't clear, it might take a bit longer.

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  • What would be a good evidence that she is dependent on me financially if I support her with cash only so she cannot present bank statement showing my support? She is single, in old age and cannot travel on her own. Any suggestions? Thanks.
    – Max
    Jan 16, 2019 at 15:17
  • @Max it could be difficult. I did this with my mother in law but she is registered with my wife's employer as her dependent, and we used that in the application. I don't remember submitting evidence of actual payments (also cash). But my wife works for a UN agency, so that might carry more weight than other such evidence.
    – phoog
    Jan 16, 2019 at 15:24
  • Could you please elaborate a bit how your mother in law was registered with your wife's employer as her dependent? Was it in your wife's contract, payslip or she asked for some kind of certificate/document from her employer in order to present to UK consulate? Thanks.
    – Max
    Jan 17, 2019 at 11:48
  • @Max as I recall we got a letter from HR attesting to the fact. I believe we did not submit my wife's payslips, which would have reflected a small "secondary dependent" supplement, but we might have. I do not remember whether the letter mentioned this supplement; it was a few years ago now. As to how the registration was effected, that happened before I met my wife, but the purpose of doing so was of course to obtain the secondary dependent benefit. I don't think it's explicitly in the contract; terms and conditions are rather like civil service, so nothing is negotiable.
    – phoog
    Jan 17, 2019 at 13:30
  • Is there any possibility to share this HR letter, of course, without any personal details so I have sort of a template for my HR?
    – Max
    Jan 18, 2019 at 15:22

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