Can my sponsor or legal representative collect my Biometric Residence Permit on my behalf?

When you apply for a visa to the UK and you intend to come for more than 6 months, you will usually need to visit a Post Office once in the UK to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). You must usually do this before the vignette sticker in your passport or within 10 days of arriving in the UK, whichever is later.

The BRP is your proof of legal residence in the UK, so it is an important document that you should keep safe and take with you every time you leave the UK.

Ideally, you will visit the Post Office in person to collect your BRP, and if you have any family accompanying you to the UK, they will accompany you and pick up their BRPs at the same time. However, this may not always be possible.

You can only nominate another person to collect your BRP if you have a serious illness or disability that prevents you from collecting it yourself. You will need to provide evidence of the fact that you cannot collect the BRP yourself, such as a letter from a doctor. Self-isolation because of Covid-19 is not a valid reason to delegate the collection, you will have to wait until you can collect the BRP yourself.

The person collecting your BRP will need to get permission from the Home Office to do so. The Home Office should provide this permission within 5 working days of you requesting it. The person who is collecting your BRP on your behalf will need to show your passport at the Post Office. They will also bring their own passport, EU ID card or BRP.

You can only collect your child’s BRP if you are the parent named on the entry clearance vignette. If you are not (because you are the partner of the main visa holder, for example), you need to apply to the Home Office for permission to collect the BRP. It usually takes around 5 working days for this permission to be granted.

How Gherson can assist

Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.

The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.

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