Au Pair Visa Requirements for the UK

Au pairs from the 25 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and au pairs that are Swiss nationals have the right of free movement and residence in the UK. However, nationals of the all new member states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia) except Cyprus and Malta, who wish to work for more than one month for an employer in the UK, need to register under the Worker Registration Scheme.

US citizens cannot go to the UK as au pairs, however, au pairs from the US may obtain a blue card from BUNAC. A blue card is issued and sponsored by BUNAC and acts as an entry visa to allow US university students to work in Britain for up to six months maximum.

Au pairs from countries that are members of the commonwealth (see the complete list of countries below) will need to obtain a holiday work visa. The working holidaymaker scheme is an arrangement that allows a Commonwealth citizen aged between 17 and 30 to come to the United Kingdom (UK) for an extended holiday for up to two years. You will be permitted to work, but as the main purpose of your stay is assumed to be a holiday, you will be expected to take a holiday during your stay. Nationals from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea and the USA are required to get Entry clearance if they intend to stay in the UK for longer than six months.

Members of the commonwealth

Nationals of Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Macedonia, Monaco, Romania, San Marino and Turkey can enter the UK as an au pair in the UK’s au pair scheme if they are between the ages of 17 - 27. However, Nationals of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania and Turkey must get an au pair visa (maximum 2 years) before they travel to the UK. Nationals of the other countries who do not need a visa to enter the UK will have to satisfy the Immigration Officer that you qualify for entry. You will then be given permission to stay in the UK for six months. An au pair wishing to extend their stay to be longer then 6 months will need to apply for a residence permit at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

If you are unsure about whether you need a visa or not the UK Visa website has a tool that tells you if you need a visa and what forms you need to fill out to get the visa you require.

Information on visas in:
Australia / Austria / Belgium / Canada / Denmark / France / Germany / Ireland / Italy / Netherlands / New Zealand / Norway / Spain / Sweden / Switzerland / US