Do you need to replace your BRP card?

If your biometric residence permit is lost or stolen, the very first step you must take is to report it missing. You can do this from inside or outside the UK. Although you can report it stolen from anywhere in the world, you can apply for a replacement once you are in the UK.

For ways to prove your immigration status while you wait for a replacement BRP please find more information at the link HERE.

You must report your lost or stolen BRP within 3 months of losing it. Once you have reported it missing, the Home Office will contact you within working day.

What to do if your BRP is missing and you are in the UK

1. You must report it missing but do not have to apply for a replacement if you do not plan on being in the UK after it has expired (if the expiry date is within 3 months, otherwise you must apply for a replacement)

2. You must apply for a replacement immediately if you plan to leave the UK and come back anytime in the 3 months after the BRP is missing

What to do if your BRP is missing and you are not in the UK

1. You must immediately report your BRP missing

2. You will not be able to apply for a new BRP from outside the UK, but you can apply for a ‘replacement BRP visa’ allowing you to enter the UK just once. Once you enter the UK you will have to apply for a more permanent BRP.

3. This usually happens within three months of reporting your BRP missing. Unless however, you’ve a reason for not being able to come back to the UK within that time. For example, travel restrictions due to the global pandemic.

You can seek private immigration advice from a specialist firm such as Taylor Hampton.  By consulting an independent solicitor regulated by the SRA, you can be sure of professional advice and confidentiality. The same applies to corporate clients. Taylor Hampton assists numerous corporate clients.

If you have found your BRP AFTER your report it missing, you cannot cancel your new BRP. You must send your old BRP back to the Home Office in an envelope. You must cut the BRP into little strips when sending it back to the Home Office.

For More information:

There are other ways in which to prove your immigration status without a BRP. For more information on how to report your BRP missing and on applying for a replacement BRP contact Leena Chouhan at [email protected]