Entrepreneurs
Registered for business within three months
This page explains what evidence you should provide that you have registered for business, if you are applying to extend your permission to stay in the United Kingdom as a Type 1 Entrepreneur under the points-based system.
On this page
Full details of all requirements are in the immigration rules at paragraphs 245H-N of part 6a and Appendix A which you can find on the right of this page. You must read the policy guidance before you apply under this category. You can download the guidance and application form from the Applying section.
To have a registered United Kingdom business, you must have:
- registered as self-employed with HM Revenue & Customs; or
- registered a new company in which you are a director; or
- registered as a director of an existing company.
Depending on your circumstances, you must provide one or more pieces of evidence from the following list.
If you are self-employed
You must provide one of the following:
- your original welcome letter from HM Revenue & Customs, containing your unique taxpayer reference number (if you registered as self-employed); or
- your small earnings exemption certificate from HM Revenue & Customs (if you took advantage of the HM Revenue & Customs small earnings exception).
In either case, the original, dated document should be sent.
If your previous entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain was granted under the Tier 1 Entrepreneur category, you must have registered with HM Revenue & Customs within three months of your 'entrepreneur start date'. HM Revenue & Customs will issue the welcome letter or the small earnings certificate at any time up to six weeks from the date you first contacted them. Therefore we will accept a letter or certificate that is dated up to five calendar months from your entrepreneur start date. For example, if your entrepreneur start date was 1 May 2007, the letter or certificate must be dated on or before 30 September 2007. If you provide documents dated more than five calendar months after your entrepreneur start date, you will not score points and any remaining leave may be curtailed.
If your previous permission to stay was granted under one of the former Business Person or Innovator categories, you do not need to show that you registered within three months. You will score points if you can show that you are registered at the time when you apply to extend your permission to stay.
If you are a director of a new or existing company
You must send the current appointment report from Companies House. This will list the directors of the company and the dates of their appointment.
If your previous entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain was granted under the Tier 1 Entrepreneur category, you must have registered as a director within three months of your 'entrepreneur start date'. If you did not do so, you will not score points and any remaining leave may be curtailed.
If your previous permission to stay was granted under one of the former Business Person or Innovator categories, you do not need to show that you registered within three months. You will score points as long as you can show that you are registered at the time when you apply to extend your permission to stay.
If you were given previous permission to stay under the business person or innovator categories
If you are a business person or innovator, you do not need to show that you registered within three months. You will score points if you can show that you are registered when you make you extension application.
Terms explained
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Entrepreneur start date
If you were granted entry clearance as a Tier 1 Entrepreneur, your entrepreneur start date is the date when you entered the United Kingdom (if you can produce evidence of your date of entry) or the date when you were granted entry clearance (if you cannot produce evidence of your date of entry). If you were already in the United Kingdom when you became a Tier 1 Entrepreneur, your entrepreneur start date is the date when you were granted leave to remain as a Tier 1 Entrepreneur.