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If you resided in the United Kingdom before or on 31 December 2020 the latest and you would like to continue to reside there after that date, it is of importance to make use of the EU Settlement Scheme and apply for a “pre-settled status” in due time. This is a status for persons who have legally been residing in the United Kingdom for less than 5 years. You had to register before 30 June 2021. Apply for your residence permit as soon as possible if circumstances prevented you from applying before this deadline. A non-exhaustive list of possible reasons can be found on the UK government website.
You can obtain a “pre-settled status” as soon as you meet the applicable conditions, without the discretion of the British authorities. Please note that more information about the procedure can be found under ‘Practical suggestions for Belgians living in the United Kingdom’. If your application is successful, you will be able to continue your residence in the United Kingdom. After you reach five years of continuous legal residence, you will have to apply for a permanent residence right via the procedure for a “settled status” (see question 1). To calculate these 5 years, the period during which you lived in the United Kingdom before the end of the transition period will be taken into account (which means that neither the UK withdrawal nor the end of the transition period will reset the counter to zero).
Furthermore, you can enter and leave the United Kingdom provided you are in possession of a valid identity card or passport. If you have a “pre-settled status” in the context of the EU Settlement Scheme, you will be able to enter and leave the UK with a valid identity card until at least 31 December 2025. With an "EEA family permit", your family members, originating from a non-EEA country, have easier and quicker access to the United Kingdom.
As far as the European Health Insurance Card is concerned, you can apply for a new version online via the NHS. This will enable you to be covered for health care when you travel to an EU country. You can find an information brochure concerning your social security in English on this website.
Conclusion: if you resided in the United Kingdom before or on 31 December 2020 the latest, but have not yet accumulated 5 years of continuous legal residence at the time of application, you had to apply for “pre-settled status” before 30 June 2021 in order to continue to live in the United Kingdom after that date. Apply for your residence permit as soon as possible if circumstances prevented you from applying before this deadline. A non-exhaustive list of possible reasons can be found on the UK government website. After 5 years of continuous legal residence you can and must convert this status – by means of a second application – to a permanent “settled status”.
