Arrival in the Isle of Man from 1 January 2021

Visiting the Isle of Man from 1 January 2021

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will continue to be able to travel to the Isle of Man for holidays or short trips without needing a visa. Before travelling to the Isle of Man, you will have arrived into a UK port and will have been subject to immigration checks as you crossed the UK border. More information on what you need to know about crossing the UK border from 1 January 2021 can be found on the UK’s website.

As the Isle of Man is part of the Common Travel Area, once you have crossed the UK border you can move freely to visit the Isle of Man without the need for a further visa.

You will not be able to use your EEA or Swiss national ID card to enter the UK from 1 October 2021. However, you can continue to use your national ID card to enter the UK until at least 31 December 2025 if you:

  • have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

  • have a frontier worker permit

  • are an S2 Healthcare Visitor

  • are a Swiss Service Provider 

Visiting the Isle of Man directly (not from the UK)

When entering the Isle of Man from outside the Common Travel Area after 1st January 2021, you will need to present your passport or ID card (if eligible, see below for more information) to the Border Officer on arrival. You will also need to provide:

  • Confirmation of status issued under the UK or Isle of Man EU Settlement Scheme prior to 31 December 2020 or

  • A visa issued under the immigration rules if entering for a period of over six months or for any purpose other than visiting or

  • Any evidence requested by an Immigration Officer to satisfy that you qualify for leave to enter as a visitor for up to six months, for example evidence of sufficient funds and your return ticket

You will not be able to use your EEA or Swiss national ID card to enter the Isle of Man from 1 October 2021. However, you can continue to use your EEA or Swiss national ID card to enter the Isle of Man directly on a journey from outside the Common Travel Area until 31 December 2025 if you hold either pre-settled or settled status or an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit issued under the EU Settlement Scheme (under either the Isle of Man, UK or Channel Island's respective EU Settlement Schemes). British Gibraltar ID cards and Irish passport cards may also continue to be used.

British or Irish citizens (including ‘dual citizens’) will continue to be able to enter and live in the Isle of Man as they do now.

Working in the Isle of Man from 1 January 2021

Arriving in IOM from UK

If you wish to come and work in the IoM from 1 January 2021 having lived in the UK or Channel Islands and you hold leave under the UK or Channel Island's EU Settlement Schemes, you can do so without having to make an application for a Worker Migrant visa.

You or your prospective employer will need to determine whether you will require a work permit in the Island. Information and questions relating to work permits can be found on the Department for Enterprise website

If you were living in the UK before 31 December 2020 and were eligible to apply for the UK EU Settlement Scheme, but didn't, you can apply for the Isle of Man EU Settlement Scheme up to the 30 June 2021.

Arriving in IOM from outside UK

If you wish to come to work in the Isle of Man from 1 January 2021 and you also live outside the UK and Channel Islands, you must make an entry clearance application as a Worker Migrant, Worker ICT Migrant or Worker (Seasonal) Migrant under the immigration rules.

Worker Migrant visa holders will not require a separate work permit, however their dependant's will need to apply for a work permit.

If you are an Irish citizen, nothing will change and you will be able to continue to enter, live and work in the Isle of Man as now, which may mean you do require a work permit.

Information and questions relating to work permits can be found on the Department for Enterprise website

Living in the Isle of Man from 1 January 2021

If you are an EU citizen and you want to live in the Isle of Man from 1 January 2021 you must make an entry clearance application for settlement under the immigration rules.

If you are an Irish citizen, nothing will change and you will be able to continue to enter, live and work in the Isle of Man as now.

Family members can apply under the EU settlement scheme.

Common Travel Area

The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an administrative arrangement between the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) which is implemented in UK domestic law in statute.

The CTA was developed to facilitate the principle of free movement for British and Irish citizens between the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. It ensured that British and Irish citizens continued to benefit from a mutual enjoyment of rights. There are no routine passport controls on routes from within the CTA to the UK. The UK approach, based on the UK legal framework, is for border checks to be undertaken at the first point of entry to the CTA.

Schedule 4 of the Immigration Act 1971 as extended to the Isle of Man, makes specific provisions to ensure that the immigration laws of the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are integrated. In practice, this means that where a person has been granted leave to enter or remain in the Crown Dependencies and then proceeds directly to the UK, or the other way around, that leave and any conditions attached to it is treated as if it had been granted in the UK.