A European Economic Area Family Permit (short: EEA family permit) was an immigration document that assisted the holder to enter the United Kingdom as a family member of a citizen of a contracting state to the European Economic Area agreement or a Swiss citizen. They were issued by the UK immigration authorities under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 (UK). In theory, possession of a family permit was not mandatory and permission to enter the UK could still be sought at the frontier,[1] but non-EEA nationals who neither possessed a visa nor a family permit would have found it difficult to arrive at the UK border as many carriers refused boarding to passengers who did not hold a family permit, as they may have been fined by the British authorities for carrying a visa-required national without a visa or family permit. In addition, family members were sometimes refused entry to the UK for failure to have a family permit. A family permit could be issued for a short visit or to enable
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