As an EEA national in the UK for 5+ years, how do you get a "permanent residence card" or "document that shows you have permanent residence"?

Question

If you're thinking of applying to become a British Citizen, two of the requirements are:

• been granted indefinite leave to stay in the UK (this means there’s no specific date that you have to leave) or permanent residence if you’re an EEA national (and you have a permanent residence card or document that shows you have permanent residence)
• had indefinite leave to stay in the UK for the last 12 months (or permanent residence if you’re an EEA national with a permanent residence card or document that shows you have permanent residence)

From my reading, that means that if you're a citizen of an EEA country, you don't need to apply for or be granted indefinite leave to stay, instead you need something around permanent residency.

However, when you follow the link given about permanent residence cards, it only talks about family members of EEA nationals in the Eligibility section. I can't see anything there about EEA nationals themselves.

If you're an EEA national who's been in the UK for 5+ years, and you're pondering applying to become a British Citizen, what should you be doing on the proof of permanent residency front? Do you ignore the eligibility section on the "Apply for a UK residence card" page and apply for the card anyway? Or is there an alternate route you should be taking? Perhaps the document that shows you have permanent residence or section kicks in here?

Answer 1

You should be able to ignore the eligibility section and simply submit the application form -- you are automatically eligible as a EEA citizen.. If you have been working or otherwise certified during those five years, the following statement (in section 3) should apply to you:

I’ve lived in the UK for a continuous period of five years as an EEA national qualified person, the family member or extended family member of a qualified person, or a combination of these.

If that is so you need to complete the appropriate sections of the form (namely 5, 9, 16, 17, 18 and 19), where you will give all the details about your life in the UK, with any required documentation.