To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what publications the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) provide for nationals of Bulgaria and Romania explaining the procedures for confirming their status as self-employed persons to the relevant United Kingdom authorities; what evidence is required by the BIA to establish that such nationals are self-employed; and what penalties have been imposed on such nationals who have not satisfied the BIA that they are self-employed. (179154)

The Home Office has produced a booklet for Romanian and Bulgarian nationals entitled ‘Living and Working in the UK’, detailing the rights and responsibilities of ‘A2’ nationals from 1 January 2007. Further information on what documentation to apply for, relevant criteria and application forms can be found on the BIA website.

A ‘self-employed person’ is someone who has established themselves in the UK in order to pursue activity as a self-employed person. Examples of evidence to prove such status includes:

Invoices showing payment for services or contracts to provide services

Evidence from HMRC of national insurance special reference number

Evidence from HMRC of registration for tax

Evidence from HMRC of national insurance contributions

This list is not exhaustive. More information can be found on the HMRC website here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/selfemployed/

If a Bulgarian or Romanian national falsely claims to be a self-employed person, they are not residing in the UK in accordance with the Accession Regulations and may be subject to prosecution and/or a Fixed Penalty of £1,000 may be issued. We do not routinely record this information.