Eligibility

There are different tests which apply depending on both:

• the applicant’s nationality; and 
• the date on which they began living in their country of residence

The majority of applications are expected to be from UK nationals living in Scotland.

UK nationals should be treated in the same way as European Economic Area (EEA) nationals if both of the following statements are true:

• they have been living abroad in another EEA member state or Switzerland since before 1 January 2021; and
• they have satisfied the conditions of the relevant settlement scheme in their country of residence

If these two statements are true, then the individual is a member of the ‘protected cohort’ under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, Swiss Citizens' Rights Agreement or EEA EFTA Separation Agreement. This group retains their rights under EU social security coordination rules despite EU exit. Individuals from EEA member states or Switzerland living in the UK become a member in the same way. Find out more in Personal scope of the EU coordination rules.

If the individual is:

• a UK national not in the ‘protected cohort’;
• a national of a country which is not in the EEA, a ‘third country national’; or
• a national of an EEA member state or Switzerland who is not in the ‘protected cohort’

then they must satisfy all of the following criteria:

• they are ordinarily resident in Scotland;
• they are also habitually resident in the Common Travel Area (CTA);
• they are present in the CTA on the date their application is made;
• on the date of their application, they have been present in the CTA for at least 26 of the preceding 52 weeks; and
• they are not ‘subject to immigration control’.

The Common Travel Area (CTA) includes the whole of the United Kingdom, the whole island of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey).

If the individual is either:

• a national of an EEA member state or Switzerland, has the UK as the competent state for the payment of their benefits, and is in the ‘protected cohort’;
• a member of the family of an individual described above;
• in some more rare and complex cases a third country national

then they must satisfy one of the following sets of criteria instead.

Find out more about Competent State.

Find out more about Personal Scope of the EU coordination rules.

EEA and Swiss nationals in the protected cohort and living in the UK must:

• be ordinarily resident in Scotland;
• be habitually resident in the UK; and
• be subject to Title III of Part 2 the Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU.

Individuals of any nationality who are in the protected cohort living in Europe must:

• be habitually resident in the EEA or Switzerland;
• have the UK as the competent state for the payment of their benefits; and
• have a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland.

Nationals of the Republic of Ireland or Gibraltar also benefit from UK international social security agreements. These broadly replicate the terms of the EU rules.

Individuals moving between Ireland and Scotland are therefore exempt from the requirement to be ordinarily resident in Scotland, if they:

• are habitually resident in the Republic of Ireland;
• have a Genuine and Sufficient Link to Scotland; and
• are a UK or Irish national.    

This means that individuals who live in Ireland can be eligible for CSP, as long as the UK remains the competent state for payment of that individual’s benefits.

Individuals living in Scotland who have moved there from Gibraltar are exempt from the requirement to be present in the Common Travel Area for 26 of the past 52 weeks, as long as they are:

• ordinarily resident in Scotland; and
• habitually resident in the United Kingdom.

These individuals can be of any nationality.

Individuals living in Gibraltar can be eligible for CSP, if:

• they are habitually resident in Gibraltar; and
• they have a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland.