ILR outside the UK: how long can you stay away?
Two years in a row with indefinite leave to remain, 5 years with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (4 for Swiss citizens). Past that, the status lapses: you’d need a Returning Resident visa or another visa to come back to live.
When do you need to be back in the UK?
Pick your status and the day you leave or left. You get the last day to be back before the limit runs out.
ILR and settled status outside the UK: the limits at a glance
| Status | Time away | How it’s counted | Past the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) | 2 years in a row | Outside the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man | ILR lapses |
| Settled status (EUSS) | 5 years in a row | 4 years for Swiss citizens and their family | Settled status lapses |
| Settled status (EUSS), Swiss citizens | 4 years in a row | Swiss citizens and their family members | Settled status lapses |
| Pre-settled status (EUSS) | 5 years in a row | Breaking continuous residence before that can also lose it | Lapses after 5 years; can be cancelled sooner |
ILR outside the UK: how long you can be away
GOV.UK sets these limits on time outside the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man:
| Your status | You lose it after more than |
|---|---|
| Indefinite leave to remain | 2 years in a row |
| Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme | 5 years in a row |
| Settled status, Swiss citizens and their family | 4 years in a row |
| Pre-settled status | 5 years in a row — and it can be cancelled sooner |
Away for less than 2 years with ILR, you keep it and can come back, as long as you had ILR when you last left and didn’t get financial support from the Home Office to leave.
Pre-settled status: continuous residence
With pre-settled status you must keep your continuous residence in the UK, or the Home Office may cancel it. On a first application, continuous residence meant being in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 6 months in any 12; one absence of up to 12 months for an important reason — such as childbirth, serious illness, study or an overseas work posting — doesn’t break it.
Who keeps ILR for longer
- Members of the armed forces posted overseas, and partners who join them on the posting.
- Some UK government and British Council staff abroad, whose partner is a British citizen or settled in the UK.
If your ILR has lapsed: the Returning Resident visa
To come back to live in the UK, you can apply for a Returning Resident visa. It costs £726. You need to show strong ties to the UK — for example, that you or your family have lived here most of your life — and why you’ve lived outside the UK. A partner or children apply separately.
With settled or pre-settled status lost, you’d usually need a visa to live and work in the UK, unless you can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme again as a family member.
Does earned settlement affect ILR you already have?
Earned settlement, the plan the government set out on 2 November 2026, is about how long it will take to reach settlement and what you’ll need to get it. The government says it won’t take settlement from anyone who already has it, and lists the EU Settlement Scheme among the routes the reforms don’t affect. Its response doesn’t mention the 2-year limit above. If you’re still on the way to ILR: Earned settlement: will ILR change to 10 years?
Before ILR: a different limit
Until you have ILR, many settlement routes allow no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months — check your trips with the ILR absences calculator. Once you have it, British citizenship has its own absence limits. Other countries’ limits: residence permit absence rules by country.
How FlySee counts it
FlySee doesn’t have a tracker for keeping ILR yet — its UK settlement tracker counts the 180 days a year allowed before you apply. Its Log records every day you’re outside the UK and rebuilds past trips from your photos. The calculator above counts years from the day you leave, outside the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.