Glossary
ECAA (Ankara Agreement) — explained for Turkish readers
The European Community Association Agreement, or Ankara Agreement, under which Turkish nationals ran businesses and worked in the UK. Closed to new applicants in 2020.
ECAA stands for the European Community Association Agreement signed between Türkiye and the EEC in Ankara in 1963, with its 1970 Additional Protocol. Its standstill clause meant the UK had to keep the business and worker rules that existed when it joined the Community in 1973, and for decades Turkish nationals used the “Ankara Agreement visa” to set up as self-employed in the UK.
After Brexit the route closed to new applicants on 31 December 2020. People who already held ECAA leave can still extend and settle under Appendix ECAA, which asks for five years' continuous residence and knowledge of language and life. Turkish readers usually know the scheme simply as Ankara Anlaşması; there is no Turkish-side counterpart, because the agreement gave rights in the UK, not in Türkiye.
Settlement files typically include Turkish civil-status documents alongside UK business and tax records. Our guide for ECAA holders: extension and settlement lists the documents and translations involved.