My BRP has been lost or stolen, what do I do?

The process for dealing with a lost or stolen Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) differs depending on whether the BRP was lost in the UK, or while abroad.

BRP lost in the UK

Those who have lost their BRP or had it stolen whilst inside of the UK, must first report this to the Home Office via the relevant section of the GOV.UK website. It is important that you are certain that your BRP has been lost or stolen prior to reporting this to the Home Office, as doing so will invalidate your BRP, and should it later be found or returned, you will not be able to use it to travel, as the Home Office cannot revalidate a BRP once reported lost or stolen.

Once reported, you must make an application to the Home Office for a replacement BRP. This must be done within 3 months of reporting your BRP as lost or stolen. The Home Office can issue fines of up to £1,000 if this deadline is not adhered to.

Applying to replace your BRP does not extend or alter your visa status, it is simply an application to have a new physical BRP issued to you, and, therefore, the expiry date of your leave in the UK will not be altered.

You should not travel outside of the UK without a valid BRP, as your BRP is the only valid immigration document which will allow entry back into the UK. Therefore, you must wait until your new BRP has been delivered to you.

The processing times for BRP replacement applications vary depending on the type of leave held. For those with temporary grants of leave, BRP replacement applications can take up to 8 weeks to be decided. If you hold Indefinite Leave to Remain, such applications can take up to 6 months to be decided. At present, the Home Office is not offering a priority service for such applications. 

BRP lost abroad

Should one be abroad and have lost their BRP, the process is slightly different. Further information about the process from overseas can be found in our recent blog, here (https://www.gherson.com/blog/what-happens-if-i-lose-my-brp-while-i-am-outside-the-uk/).

How Gherson can assist

Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in dealing with all aspects of BRP applications. 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, 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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