United Kingdom
United Kingdom Common Travel Area
Common Travel Area (Irish citizens)
Checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Common Travel Area is a long-stay route for United Kingdom. You can work locally. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Only for passports from Ireland
What you'll need
Who can apply3
- Irish citizens can move freely and reside in the UK under the Common Travel Area and enjoy the associated rights and privileges.
- An Irish citizen does not require leave to enter or remain in the UK, unless subject to a deportation order, exclusion direction or similar exclusion.
- Common Travel Area rights apply only to Irish and British citizens, not to other nationals living in either country.
After you arrive1
- The 2019 Memorandum of Understanding keeps the Common Travel Area and its rights and privileges in place in all circumstances.
When you become tax resident
How United Kingdom decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Tax residence
Statutory Residence Test.
- Foreign-source income
New-resident relief (4 years)
Qualifying new UK residents can claim relief on eligible foreign income and gains for their first four tax years of UK residence after at least ten years of non-UK residence; regime replaced the remittance basis on 6 April 2025.
- Special regime
Four-year Foreign Income and Gains regime · Tax relief
All tax rules for United Kingdom Tax records checked
Full official text
Irish citizens may enter, live, work and study in the UK without a visa or residence permit under the Common Travel Area, reaffirmed by the 2019 UK-Ireland Memorandum of Understanding. 1 2 3 4
Requirements
- Irish citizens can move freely and reside in the UK under the Common Travel Area and enjoy the associated rights and privileges. 1
- An Irish citizen does not require leave to enter or remain in the UK, unless subject to a deportation order, exclusion direction or similar exclusion. 2
- Common Travel Area rights apply only to Irish and British citizens, not to other nationals living in either country. 3
- The 2019 Memorandum of Understanding keeps the Common Travel Area and its rights and privileges in place in all circumstances. 1
Stay
- No time limit; no visa or residence permit needed.
Nationality
Irish citizens. Open to: Ireland.
Work
Irish citizens may work and study in the UK and access social welfare benefits and health services.
Family
Family members of an Irish citizen from outside the UK and Ireland need to apply for their own status in the UK.
Official sources
- Common Travel Area: rights of UK and Irish citizens · Cabinet Office and Home Office, GOV.UK · checked 2026-10-10
- Immigration Act 1971, section 3ZA: Irish citizens · legislation.gov.uk (UK Parliament) · checked 2026-10-10
- Your questions answered on Trade in Services and the Common Travel Area · Department of the Taoiseach, gov.ie · checked 2026-10-12
- Brexit and Ireland · Citizens Information (Government of Ireland) · checked 2026-10-12
Common Travel Area and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Travel Area | – | – | Yes |
| Visa-free stay (6 months) | – | 6 mo | No |
| EU free movement Portugal | – | – | Yes |
| Free movement by treaty Spain | – | 5 yr | Yes |
| Visa-free stay (12 months) Georgia | – | 1 yr | – |
Questions people ask
How long can I stay on the Common Travel Area?
No time limit; no visa or residence permit needed.
Can I work on the Common Travel Area?
Yes. Irish citizens may work and study in the UK and access social welfare benefits and health services.
Can I bring my family on the Common Travel Area?
Family members of an Irish citizen from outside the UK and Ireland need to apply for their own status in the UK.
Who can apply for the Common Travel Area?
Irish citizens. Open to: Ireland.
Is there a tax break for Common Travel Area holders in United Kingdom?
Four-year Foreign Income and Gains (FIG) regime: Qualifying new UK residents can claim relief on eligible foreign income and gains for their first four tax years of UK residence after at least ten years of non-UK residence; regime replaced the remittance basis on 6 April 2025. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
Tax
Special regime
Four-year Foreign Income and Gains (FIG) regime
Tax relief
Details
- Who: UK tax resident under the Statutory Residence Test
Qualifying new UK residents can claim relief on eligible foreign income and gains for their first four tax years of UK residence after at least ten years of non-UK residence; regime replaced the remittance basis on 6 April 2025.
Taxed on
Claimed eligible foreign income and gains arising in the first four UK tax-resident years after at least ten years’ non-UK residence. Examples include foreign trade conducted wholly outside the UK, overseas property-business profits, non-UK dividends and foreign interest. Foreign employment earnings and specified employment income are outside FIG.
Who it applies to
- UK tax resident under the Statutory Residence Test.
- Within the first 4 years of UK tax residence after at least 10 years as non-UK resident.
- Claim made annually; unused years do not roll over; temporary years abroad are skipped.
- If the 4 years began before 6 April 2025, claims are available from 2025 to 2026 to the last year of the period.
Exclusions
- UK-source income stays taxable.
- Foreign earnings and foreign specific employment income are not eligible, though Overseas Workday Relief may apply.
- A claim loses Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax tax-free allowances, Marriage Allowance, Married Couples Allowance and Blind Person's Allowance.
Tax residence
Qualifying resident means UK tax resident under the Statutory Residence Test and within the first four years of UK residence after at least a 10-year period as non-UK tax resident.
Visas
Immigration permission does not qualify anyone; eligibility is tax residence only.
Other taxes
National Insurance, VAT, payroll, UK-source income, treaties and home-country taxes are outside the claim.
Checked against official sources on Change log
Similar visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 4 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Common Travel Area: rights of UK and Irish citizens · Cabinet Office and Home Office, GOV.UK · checked 2026-10-10
- Immigration Act 1971, section 3ZA: Irish citizens · legislation.gov.uk (UK Parliament) · checked 2026-10-10
- Your questions answered on Trade in Services and the Common Travel Area · Department of the Taoiseach, gov.ie · checked 2026-10-12
- Brexit and Ireland · Citizens Information (Government of Ireland) · checked 2026-10-12
Tracked since 2026-10-11. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.