I Have Lost My BRP, How Do I Obtain A New One?

Your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is an important document which evidences your immigration status as well as your right to reside, work, rent, and seek NHS treatment in the UK.

Losing your BRP can cause serious disruptions to your life, as you may not be able to evidence your immigration status (restricting your ability to travel/re-enter the UK), but also puts you in a difficult spot with third parties, such as employers, landlords, the hospital. As such, we always advise our clients to keep their BRPs safe.

In the event that you lose your BRP inside the UK and your BRP has a validity of 3 months or more, your first course of action should be to report it lost. You must report it lost within 3 months of losing it. The Home Office advises that you may be fined up to £1,000 and made to leave the UK if you do not report a BRP as lost and apply for a replacement within 3 months of losing it.

If your BRP has less than 3 months of validity, we would still encourage you to report it as lost, you can also apply for a replacement if you urgently need to travel – but see your guidance below regarding processing times. However, rather than applying for a replacement, you can also apply for a new visa (if this was your intention and you are eligible to extend or switch to a new category), explaining that your BRP was lost within the previous 3 months. 

If you lose your BRP outside the UK, you will instead need to apply for a “replacement BRP visa” that is valid for 30 days and will allow you to re-enter the UK, where you will need to apply for a new BRP. 

To apply for a replacement BRP inside the UK, you will need to submit an online application form and book a biometric appointment. Thereafter, the Home Office’s stated processing time is 8 weeks, and if you hold Indefinite Leave to Remain, it is 6 months. There is, unfortunately, no priority service available for the BRP replacement application. Furthermore, whilst not in a possession of a valid BRP, we strongly encourage our clients to avoid travelling outside the UK as they will have issues returning to the UK (especially for those who are visa nationals). 

If you have lost your BRP or have any questions in relation to replacing a lost or expired BRP, please do not hesitate to contact us for legal advice. 

How Can Gherson Help

Gherson’s Immigration Team has extensive experience advising on issues relating to BRPs. Please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 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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