Coming to work in the UK
In this section:
- Documents you need before you can work in the UK
- Paying UK tax and National Insurance – an introduction
- Working for someone else (employed)
- Working for yourself (self-employed)
- Working in the construction (building) industry
- Tax on income and gains outside the UK
- Financial help if you are on a low wage or have children
- The National Minimum Wage
Documents you need before you can work in the UK
To visit the UK you may need a visa. If you want to work here you may need a work permit. You may also have to register with the UK Home Office UK Border Agency (UKBA) while you are here.
On this page:
- Visas
- Work permits
- If you are a student
- If you are not an EEA citizen or Swiss National but are highly skilled
- If you are from one of the new European Union (EU) member states
- More useful links
Visas
If you are not a British citizen or a European Economic Area (EEA) citizen, or a Swiss national, you may need a visa before you can visit the UK.
You can apply for a visa at a British Overseas Mission in your own country. If you are approved, the visa will be put in your passport.
Having a visa does not always mean you can work in the UK. If the visa says 'prohibited' on it you will need a work permit to work in the UK.
Find out if you need a UK visa and how to apply at the British Government website for visa services
Work permits
You don’t need a permit to work in the UK if you are any of the following:
- a British citizen
- an EEA citizen
- a Swiss national
EEA countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
If you are from another country you will need a work permit before you can work in the UK.
You can't apply for a permit yourself - your employer (the person you work for) in the UK has to apply for you. How long your permit lasts depends on the work you do and the type of permit.
Find out more about work permits at the Home Office UK BA website
If you are a student
If you're an international student you may be allowed to work here when you're studying.
If you have a student visa you can work here:
- outside term time
- up to 20 hours a week during term time (but you can work more than 20 hours if the work is part of your course or is an internship)
If you do work, you can’t:
- provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer
- take a permanent, full-time position
- run a business
- work for yourself (self-employed)
More about studying in the UK at the Home Office UKBA website
If you are not an EEA citizen or Swiss National but are highly skilled and want to work in the UK
If you are highly skilled but not an EEA citizen or a Swiss National and you want a permanent job in the UK you will need to apply under a points-based system. The points-based system for highly skilled migrants does not apply if you are applying for a temporary job.
Worker registration if you are from one of the new European Union (EU) member states
If you are a citizen of one of the countries below and you want to work for a UK employer for more than one month, you usually need to register with the Home Office UKBA under the ‘Worker Registration Scheme’.
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
If you're from Bulgaria or Romania you will usually need to get a Worker Authorisation document before you start work.
You don’t need to register if:
- you are working for yourself (self-employed)
- you have already been in employment that has been registered with the Worker Registration or Worker Authorisation Scheme for 12 months without a break
- you are working in the UK for a non-UK employer
- you have dual citizenship of the UK, Switzerland, or of another country within the EEA that is not listed above
- you are the family member of a Swiss or EEA citizen (except the countries listed above) and that person is working in the UK
- you are the family member of a Swiss or EEA citizen who is living in the UK as a student, or as a retired or self-sufficient person
If you are self-employed you must contact HM Revenue & Customs immediately to register for tax purposes. There is a fine for late registration.
Find out more about working for yourself in the UK and how to register for tax
More useful links
Working in the UK - information for EU citizens from the Home Office UKBA website
Information for UK jobseekers and employees at the Directgov website
