You may get a discount or exemption if you have a 'relevant association' with a visiting force.

What 'relevant association' means

You'll have a 'relevant association' if you're a:

  • member of the visiting force  
  • member of a civilian part of the force
  • dependant of a member of that force and not a British citizen or ordinarily resident of the UK

If you're liable for Council Tax

If you're a member of a visiting force and you would ordinarily be responsible for paying Council Tax, the property you live in will be exempt.

It does not apply if the dependant of the member of the visiting force is a British citizen.

If a member of a visiting force moves in with you

You can apply for a 25% discount if you're the only adult living in the property and a member of a visiting force moves in with you.

You'll need to apply for a discount or exemption. You will not get it automatically.

You must pay Council Tax while you wait for us to decide if you're eligible for a discount. If you do not pay, we'll start the Council Tax recovery process.

Who can apply

The visiting force you're associated with must be from a country where the Visiting Forces Act 1952 applies.

What you need to apply

You'll need to fill in and send us the application form with proof that you're eligible for the discount.

Proof we need

Confirmation that you have a relevant association with the visiting force.

This can be either a:

  • certificate issued under Section11 of the Visiting Forces Act 1952
  • letter on headed paper from the visiting force confirming that you're a member or dependant of a member of that force

We also need to know the names of everyone living in the property.

Apply

Download and fill in the application form:

Members of visiting forces Council Tax discount application form
PDF ‐ 53.16 KB

Send your application by post or email to:

Royal Borough of Greenwich
Revenues Service
The Woolwich Centre
35 Wellington Street
London SE18 6HQ

Email: counciltax@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

What happens next

It can take up to 21 working days for us to process your application and decide if you're eligible.

We may ask you for more proof.

If you're eligible for the discount, we'll send you an updated bill.

You must tell us within 21 days about any change in your circumstances that may affect your entitlement to a discount or exemption. If you do not tell us, you could get a £70 fixed penalty.

If we decide you're not eligible, we'll tell you in writing. You can appeal our decision.