The UK would have to make a fresh application to join the EU under Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Article 50(5) expressly sends a former member seeking to return to that process: there is no automatic restoration of the UK’s former membership. Rejoining would require EU-level approval, agreement on admission terms, and ratification by every contracting state.
What legal process would the UK have to follow?
Article 50(5) TEU states that if a country that has withdrawn from the EU asks to rejoin, its request is subject to the Article 49 procedure. The UK would therefore need to apply again and negotiate its admission rather than resume its previous membership. Read Articles 49 and 50 of the consolidated Treaty on European Union.
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- Submit an application to the Council. Article 49 allows any European state that respects the EU’s Article 2 values and is committed to promoting them to apply for membership. The European Parliament and national parliaments are notified of the application.
- Secure the required EU approvals. The Council must act unanimously after consulting the European Commission and obtaining the consent of the European Parliament. Parliament gives consent by a majority of its component members.
- Negotiate admission conditions and treaty adjustments. The terms would have to be agreed between the UK and the EU member states; Article 49 does not supply a prewritten UK return package.
- Complete ratification. The accession agreement must be ratified by every contracting state, according to each state’s constitutional requirements.
The European Parliamentary Research Service describes a broader accession sequence that can include a questionnaire, a Commission opinion, candidate status, screening, negotiations, and the closure of negotiating clusters before an accession treaty is signed and ratified. That is a general map, not a guaranteed timetable or a UK-specific schedule; the Treaty sets the legal requirements, while the details of a future application would depend on the process at the time. See the EPRS overview of enlargement issues, as of November 2025.
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What membership criteria would the UK have to meet?
The Treaty’s threshold is that an applicant be a European state that respects the values in Article 2 TEU and is committed to promoting them. The European Commission also identifies the Copenhagen criteria and the EU’s capacity to integrate a new member as relevant enlargement considerations. Those are standards for assessment, not a finding that a hypothetical UK application would automatically pass or fail. Any application would need to be assessed at the time. Article 49 TEU and the Commission document on enlargement and membership criteria set out the relevant framework.
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Would the UK get its former opt-outs and budget rebate back?
Not automatically. The UK’s previous arrangements concerning the euro, Schengen, justice and home affairs, and the EU budget rebate could arise in negotiations, but the available sources do not establish that any would be retained or offered again. Article 49 requires agreement on the conditions of admission and related treaty adjustments, so these are questions for negotiation, not entitlements. The House of Commons Library briefing on the UK applying to join the EU identifies the former arrangements as issues relevant to discussion.
How does the current UK Government’s position affect the question?
In a written answer published on 23 June 2026, the UK Government said it would not return to the Single Market, Customs Union, or freedom of movement. It also described work to reduce trade barriers and red tape, including on food and drink, electricity, and linking emissions trading schemes. These are the Government’s stated political positions as of that date, not permanent treaty rules that bind a future government. Read the Government’s written answer.
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The UK and EU also established a new strategic partnership at their 19 May 2025 summit, in the context of a post-2024-election reset. Closer cooperation under that partnership is distinct from EU membership and does not replace the Article 49 accession process. The European Parliament’s UK fact sheet describes the partnership and the Government’s stated position on the Single Market, Customs Union, and free movement.
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No. The European Commission records that the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, concluded under Article 50 TEU, entered into force on 1 February 2020. It established the framework for the UK’s departure; Article 50(5) directs any later request to rejoin to the separate Article 49 procedure. See the European Commission’s overview of the Withdrawal Agreement.
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What is settled, and what would remain open?
| Settled by the Treaty or stated policy | Would depend on a future application or political decision |
|---|---|
| A former member seeking to return must use Article 49, under Article 50(5). | The timing and detailed sequence of a UK application; the cited sources establish no timetable. |
| The Council must approve unanimously, following Commission consultation and with European Parliament consent. | The negotiated admission conditions and any treaty adjustments. |
| The accession agreement requires ratification by every contracting state under its constitutional requirements. | Whether the UK could recover any former arrangements concerning the euro, Schengen, justice and home affairs, or the budget rebate. |
| The Government said on 23 June 2026 that it would not return to the Single Market, Customs Union, or freedom of movement. | Whether a future UK government would change that position and what terms the EU would agree to. |
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