EU Citizens and ILR: Can You Verify Your Identity With the UK Immigration ID Check App?
Most EU, EEA and Swiss citizens applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or settlement can now verify their identity remotely using the UK Immigration: ID Check app on their phone, instead of attending an in-person biometric appointment. You can do this if you hold an eligible biometric passport and your application route supports the app. You only need an in-person appointment at a UKVCAS service point if the app cannot read your document's chip, your route does not allow the app, or you do not have a suitable biometric document.
- The UK Immigration: ID Check app lets eligible EU/EEA/Swiss citizens prove their identity remotely for most ILR routes.
- You scan the chip in your biometric passport and take a selfie — no trip to a centre needed.
- You cannot use this app for an EU Settlement Scheme application — that uses the separate EU Exit: ID Document Check app.
- An in-person UKVCAS appointment is needed if the app cannot read your chip, your route is not supported, or you lack an eligible document.
How the ID Check app works
After you submit and pay for your online ILR application, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) tells you how to confirm your identity. If your route supports it, you download the free UK Immigration: ID Check app and follow the steps. The app asks you to photograph your identity document, scan the chip inside it using your phone's contactless (NFC) reader, and take a photo of your face so the two can be matched.
The app reuses the biometric information already held from your document and existing records, so most applicants do not need to give fingerprints again at a centre. You do, however, provide a fresh facial image as part of every application. Once the app confirms your identity, you do not need to attend a biometric appointment at all.
This is the same identity step you may already have used when setting up your eVisa or proving your status — the technology behind the app is the same.
Which document you need
To use the app for a settlement or ILR application, GOV.UK guidance says you can use:
- a biometric passport from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland; or
- an expired biometric residence permit (BRP) if your route allows it — you can still use it for up to 18 months after the expiry date printed on the card.
Your passport must have a chip (almost all modern EU/EEA passports do). If your phone cannot read the chip after a few attempts, the app gives you the option to confirm your identity another way instead.
The EU Settlement Scheme uses a completely different app — the EU Exit: ID Document Check app. The ID Check app described here is for ILR and other immigration routes, not for a first EUSS application. If you already have settled or pre-settled status, you are usually applying to switch into ILR on another route, and the ID Check app may apply.
When you still need an in-person appointment
You will be directed to book an in-person appointment — usually at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point in the UK — rather than use the app if:
- the app cannot read the chip in your passport or BRP after several tries;
- your specific application route does not support the app for identity verification;
- you do not hold an eligible biometric document; or
- UKVI specifically asks you to enrol your fingerprints in person (for example, if records cannot be reused).
At the appointment, staff capture your fingerprints and photograph. The core UKVCAS appointment is generally free, though premium time slots and add-on services can carry a fee. Whether you use the app or attend in person, your final decision on the application is the same — the only difference is how you prove who you are.
Which one applies to you
The short version: UKVI tells you which method to use after you submit your ILR application — you do not choose freely. If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen with a chipped passport on a supported route, expect the app. If not, expect a UKVCAS appointment. Before you apply, it is worth confirming your route is eligible for ILR at all — see when you can apply for ILR early under the 28-day rule and check how your absences are counted.
While you wait for your decision, you can keep preparing for the next step with free Life in the UK practice.
Because identity-verification routes and document rules change, and because the right method depends on your exact visa category, always confirm the current steps on GOV.UK or speak to a regulated OISC adviser or immigration solicitor about your specific case.