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Guernsey · Relocation guide

Moving to Guernsey: immigration, housing and island administration

Guernsey is not simply an extension of a UK tenancy or visa: settle Bailiwick immigration, Population Management and the property category before making the move operational.

Content updated 11 September 2026. Individual source-check dates are listed below.

Separate entry permission from island status

A short visit, permission to work and permission to occupy a home are different questions. Start with the States of Guernsey visa guidance for nationality and purpose, then use Population Management to establish the certificate or permit you need. A UK residence document does not itself grant Bailiwick status.

For an employment move, get the employer to identify the immigration evidence, employment permit and Population Management filing it owns. Match the proposed start date and home to those decisions; do not arrive as a visitor intending to regularise restricted work later.

Separate entry permission from island status
NeedVisaAtlas route
Visa or entry checkGuernsey Visa Application Guidance
Employment permitEmployment Permit
Population and housing statusPopulation Management Permit or Certificate
Personal or family circumstancesPersonal Circumstances Certificate or Permit

Match the property to your Population Management status

Guernsey has a controlled housing system. The Open Market register is a distinct property market, while Local Market occupation depends on the household’s status and the current Population Management rules. An advert, tenancy offer or employer promise is not proof that every household member may occupy the property.

Before paying a deposit, obtain the exact address and property category, ask the agent or owner for written occupancy conditions, and check them against your certificate or permit. Keep the signed lease, inventory, proof of payment and Population Management correspondence: the same address will also feed later Revenue, school and driving administration.

Complete employer, Revenue and social-insurance setup

Make the role, employer, work location and permitted start date explicit in the contract. Employers submit Employment Permit applications through the Population Portal and link an employee using the person’s Social Security number and Population Management document. A permit tied to one employment situation should not be treated as a general right to change jobs.

New or returning residents must register with the Revenue Service before using its online services. The official registration page says Revenue issues the tax reference and Social Security number; once those exist, create an individual MyGov account with a personal email address. Give payroll the issued details and retain coding notices, payslips, overseas-income records, arrival dates and any written advice for remote or split-country work.

Budget for primary care and establish specialist cover

Guernsey primary care is not the UK NHS model. GP practices are private: first register with a local surgery, and expect direct patient charges for appointments, prescriptions and GP-provided tests. The States says appointment subsidies may apply to local residents, but eligibility is not the same thing as free primary care, so keep interim insurance until you understand the household’s position.

Secondary care normally starts with a GP or other primary-care referral, or through the Princess Elizabeth Hospital emergency department. The States says these services are funded through the Specialist Health Insurance Scheme from employee and employer social-security contributions. Confirm that Revenue registration has put each eligible family member on the correct record; carry prescriptions and clinical summaries rather than assuming a UK GP file transfers automatically.

Apply for a school place from the real island address

For a child entering a States-maintained school after a move, read the primary or secondary admissions policy and send the official Admission Form with its supporting documents to the School Admissions Team. The current page asks incoming families to file at least two weeks before the intended start date; placement still depends on the applicable catchment or partner-school model and capacity.

Reception has its own registration form and annual window. For an older child, include the recent school record, explain examination subjects or additional learning needs early, and do not promise a particular school before allocation. If your address changes, notify the admissions team because the catchment decision may also change.

Turn the first address into working local records

On arrival, keep the passport, permission, Population Management document, contract and lease available as one evidence pack. Register with Revenue if not already done, then create MyGov; arrange a local payment method only after checking identity and tax-residence requirements. Retain the previous account until wages, rent, deposits and utilities settle locally.

My Details is an address-change service for people already registered with the relevant departments. It can notify Revenue and Social Security, driving and vehicle records, Population Management and other selected services, but it does not create a newcomer’s initial registration or replace an immigration, housing or school application.

Deal with the licence, vehicle and pet before shipment

If you are moving to live in Guernsey, exchange your full foreign driving licence within 12 months of taking up residence. If the test country is on the official exchange list, an exchange may be possible; otherwise you must obtain a provisional licence and pass Guernsey theory and practical tests. The foreign licence stops covering you after that 12-month period, so start the paper or in-person application well before it expires.

Pet rules depend on origin and journey. Cats, dogs and ferrets travelling with their owners from the UK or Crown Dependencies generally do not need an import notification or pet passport for that leg. Direct arrival from the EU requires the official documents, rabies steps, approved carrier and route, plus written pre-notification at least 24 hours before arrival. Other species, commercial movements, restricted breeds and routes from elsewhere have separate licence rules: classify the movement before booking freight.

Recheck permission when life changes

Keep immigration, Population Management, employment, lease, Revenue, health and school records together. Before changing employer or address, adding a household member or spending a long period away, identify which documents depend on the old facts and obtain the relevant authority’s response in writing.

Sequence matters: immigration controls entry, Population Management controls island residence and housing, an employment permit controls the job, and Revenue and health records administer life after arrival. One approval should never be used as proof of all the others.

Your moving checklist

Tick off the tasks that apply to you. The timing is a planning order, not a substitute for the deadlines on your permission or an official instruction.

0 of 16 tasks completed

Before you move
On arrival
Your first month
Later and before renewal

Sources and checks

The linked authorities set the rules. VisaAtlas explains how the steps fit together; planning suggestions are not a decision on your immigration status, tax residence or entitlement to services.

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