Residential and employment statuses and what they mean

​Residential and employment statuses

A residential and employment status determines where you can work and live. There are 4 categories.

You can find your status on your registration card.

Moving house or job (registration cards)

Type of residential or employment status	Definition​	​Housing	​Work
Entitled​	Someone who has lived in Jersey for 10 years. See more details below	Can buy, sell or lease any property​	Can work anywhere and doesn't need permission to be employed​
Licensed​	Someone who's considered an essential employee	Can buy, sell or lease any property, apart from first time buyer restricted or social rented housing, in their own name if they keep their Licensed status	Employer needs permission to employ a Licensed person​
Entitled for work​	Someone who has lived in Jersey for 5 consecutive years immediately before the date the card is issued, or is married to, or in a civil partnership or enduring relationship with, someone who is Entitled, Licensed, or Entitled for work	Can buy property jointly with an Entitled or Licensed spouse or civil partner. Can lease Registered property as a main place of residence	​Can work anywhere and doesn't need permission to be employed
Registered​	​Someone who does not qualify under the other categories	Can lease Registered property as a main place of residence​	Employer needs permission​ to employ a Registered person​

Qualifying for or losing your Entitled status

You can gain or lose your Entitled status in different ways.

​Circumstances	Gaining Entitled status​	Losing Entitled status​
I was born in Jersey​	You must live in Jersey for a combined period of 10 years​	Once you gain your status, it's permanent​
I wasn't born in Jersey​	You must live in Jersey for a continuous period of 10 years​	You'll keep your status as long as the total amount of time you spend living away from Jersey is not more than 5 years
		​You'll gain permanent status if you've lived in Jersey continuously for 30 years up to the date that you make an application for a registration card
I wasn't born in Jersey, but moved here before I was 20 and have an Entitled parent​	You must live in Jersey for a combined period of 10 years before you're 40​	Once you gain your status, it's permanent​
I wasn't born in Jersey but moved here before I was 16​	You must live in Jersey for a continuous period of 10 years​	Once you gain your status, it's permanent​

Qualifying for Entitled status on social, economic or hardship grounds

Some people may qualify for Entitled status on social, economic or hardship grounds.

These are exceptional cases and are decided by the Chief Minister.

Find out more about residential and employment status in: 

Residential and employment status policy guidance

Reconsiderations and appeals process​

Housing Control privacy policy

Business Licensing privacy policy

Housing categories

Qualified properties include those classed as 'A-H', 'A-J' and 'A-K' before July 2013. In general, all other property is Registered, which was previously called Unqualified.

Any planning restrictions that may have been placed on a property before Ju​ly 2014 still apply. For example, restrictions on ownership and occupation by Entitled first-time buyers.