Titled-owner residence permit duration now depends on property value; Family Residence Permit default rises to ten years

Gazetted on 2 October 2026, this regulation amended Articles 12(c), 13(2) and 14(2)(b)(iv) of the Residence Permits and Visas Regulation. Materially: a titled foreign property owner's residence-permit duration, previously a flat five years with no income condition, is now tiered by the property's value — 10 years at or above £300,000 sterling (or the equivalent), 5 years below that threshold, with no income condition either way; the Family Residence Permit's general default duration rises from five years to ten; and foreigners under six years of age are added to the list of people exempt from needing a residence permit at all, with a transitional provision waiving any fines already accrued against under-6s present in the country for unauthorised stay.

Before

Titled-owner property-linked residence permits ran a flat five years, no income condition, regardless of the property's value. The Family Residence Permit's general default duration was five years. Foreigners under six had no specific residence-permit exemption of their own.

After

Titled-owner property-linked residence permits run 10 years at/above £300,000 or 5 years below it, still with no income condition. The Family Residence Permit's general default duration is ten years. Foreigners under six are exempt from needing a residence permit, and any fines already accrued against under-6s in the country for unauthorised stay are waived.