Summary: New applications under the Ankara Agreement (European Communities Association Agreement, ECAA) have not been accepted since 1 January 2021. Turkish businesspersons and workers who already hold ECAA permission can still extend, bring or keep family members with them and, after five years, apply for settlement. This page brings together the rules in force as at November 2026 and our related guides.
The Ankara Agreement is an association agreement between Turkey and the European Community, and it was the basis for a distinct UK route allowing Turkish nationals to set up and run their own businesses. The route closed to new applicants following the UK’s departure from the European Union, but the position of those already holding ECAA permission is protected by Appendix ECAA of the Immigration Rules.
In practice, ECAA today concerns extending existing permission, family members’ applications and the move to settlement, not new visa applications. For those without ECAA permission who wish to set up a business in the UK, the route to consider is the Innovator Founder visa.
What Are the Requirements for an ECAA Extension?
An extension can only be made from inside the UK while the applicant’s ECAA permission is still valid. There is no Home Office fee for the application. According to gov.uk, a decision can usually take up to six months.
For business persons, Appendix ECAA Extension of Stay requires a genuine and viable business that has been established in the UK and is genuinely being operated. The assessment considers together whether the applicant has made a proportionate investment of their own funds, whether they can meet their share of the business’s liabilities, and whether the profits are sufficient to support the applicant and any dependants without recourse to public funds.
The rules also require that business person permission is not, in substance, disguised employment. Where the business relies largely on a single client, or the applicant is in practice working as someone else’s employee, the Home Office may question the application on this basis.
Where the application succeeds, business persons are granted up to three years and may continue to extend for as long as they meet the requirements. ECAA workers are subject to separate requirements linked to the time spent with the same employer.
We address common questions on extensions in our guide to Ankara Agreement extension applications.
How Do Partners and Children Apply Under the ECAA?
The rules a family member applies under depend on whether the partner has previously held ECAA permission. Because this affects both the requirements and the fees, it is the first point to settle before an application is made.
Partners who were granted ECAA dependant permission, or who applied successfully, before 31 December 2020 can continue to extend as dependants under Appendix ECAA. The Home Office does not charge a fee for these applications.
Partners who have never held ECAA permission must instead apply under Appendix FM, the family visa rules, and the English language and financial requirements of Appendix FM apply. The financial requirement is £29,000, with the earlier £18,600 threshold continuing to apply under transitional provisions for those granted permission on that basis before 11 April 2024. Family visa applications attract an application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge; current amounts are available in our visa fees calculator.
Children under 21 can apply as dependants of a parent with ECAA permission. The age limit does not apply on extension where the child was last granted permission as that parent’s dependant. The child must not be leading an independent life, and those under 18 must have suitable care and accommodation arrangements.
When Can an ECAA Holder Apply for Settlement (ILR)?
Appendix ECAA Settlement requires five years’ continuous residence for business persons and workers. The most recent period must have been spent with ECAA permission, and earlier time in certain routes, such as Tier 1 (Entrepreneur), may also count. Time spent outside the UK is assessed under Appendix Continuous Residence; our ILR calculator helps work out the earliest application date and days outside the UK.
At the settlement stage, business persons must still show a genuine and viable business that they have genuinely operated and intend to continue operating in the UK. Applicants must meet the English language and Life in the UK requirements, with children under 18 exempt. As at November 2026, the settlement application fee is £3,226 per person.
On earned settlement, the Home Secretary stated in the House of Commons on 2 November 2026 that no changes to settlement are planned for those on the ECAA route and that, as a closed route, it falls outside the new framework. This is a ministerial statement; the text of Appendix ECAA Settlement has not changed, and how the exemption will be reflected in the rules is expected to become clear through the Statements of Changes due from December 2026. We cover this in more detail in our earned settlement article.
The timing of a settlement application also matters. If the application is refused while existing leave is still valid, section 3C does not arise and an in-time application for administrative review does not extend that leave. We explain this in our article on administrative review and section 3C.
How Do You Move From Settlement to British Citizenship?
As a general rule, those with settlement can apply for British citizenship once at least twelve months have passed since settlement was granted. This waiting period does not apply to those married to a British citizen. Limits on time outside the UK, the English language and Life in the UK requirements and the good character assessment are considered separately at this stage.
We set out the requirements and how the application date is calculated on our British citizenship page.
Frequently Asked Questions About the ECAA
Can an ECAA holder change business?
Business persons can continue running their existing business, start another, or join an established business as a partner or director. In each case, the extension application must show that the business is genuine and viable. For ECAA workers, changing job or employer is subject to restrictions linked to the time spent with the same employer.
Can an extension be made if the business is making a loss?
The rules require the business to generate enough profit to support the applicant and any dependants without recourse to public funds. Whether a loss-making business meets this requirement is assessed by looking at the business as a whole and the reasons for its position, which is why such cases benefit from review before an application is made.
Can the applicant travel abroad while an application is pending?
If the applicant leaves the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before an extension or settlement application is decided, the application is treated as withdrawn. Travel plans should be considered alongside the application timeline.
Can ECAA holders access public funds?
ECAA permission is granted on the condition of no recourse to public funds. This condition falls away once settlement is granted.
Would You Like to Discuss Your Ankara Agreement Application?
You are welcome to contact Visavis to review the timing and position of your extension, partner or child application, or settlement application, or to use the eligibility test below. For a final assessment of your case, please speak to our adviser.
Sources:
- Immigration Rules, Appendix ECAA: Extension of Stay: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-ecaa-extension-of-stay
- Immigration Rules, Appendix ECAA Settlement: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-ecaa
- Home Office, Appendix ECAA Extension of Stay caseworker guidance, version 3.0 (11 November 2025): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/turkish-ecaa-guidance-appendix-ecaa-extension-of-stay
- gov.uk, Turkish Businessperson visa: https://www.gov.uk/turkish-business-person
- gov.uk, Indefinite leave to remain if you’re a Turkish Worker or Businessperson: https://www.gov.uk/turkish-worker-business-person-settlement
- Hansard, House of Commons, 2 November 2026, “Immigration: Earned Settlement”: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026-11-02/debates/09F388D2-539E-4B0A-ABE2-D3195B14AF0E/ImmigrationEarnedSettlement
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