What happens if I lose my BRP while I am outside the UK?

If your BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) is lost whilst you are overseas, you should not travel to the UK until you have applied for and obtained a temporary entry vignette.

This is the case even if you hold a non-visa national passport.  

Applying for a temporary entry vignette requires you to submit the relevant online application form, pay the official application fee and, thereafter, attend your nearest visa application centre to provide your biometrics.

Temporary entry vignette applications usually take between 15-20 working days to process. Priority services may be available in certain countries for an additional fee to reduce processing times.

Once you have obtained your temporary entry vignette, you must travel to the UK within its validity period and, thereafter, apply to renew your BRP from within the UK.

The temporary entry vignette is for single use only and, therefore, you will only be able to travel again once you have obtained your renewed BRP.

If you hold ILR, renewing a BRP can take up to 6 months. If you do not hold ILR, renewing a BRP can take up to 2 months.

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.

©Gherson 2022