Biometric Residence Permit UK

To live permanently in the UK, you must apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), provided you meet the eligibility requirements and other relevant conditions. It is also referred to as ‘settlement’ in the UK in immigration terms.

Foreign nationals holding ILR in the UK can live, work and study in the country for an indefinite period, without the need to renew their visa or obtain a new visa. They can also apply for social benefits in the UK provided they are eligible. It also paves your way to UK citizenship eventually.

Apart from ILR, there are certain other ways for foreign nationals to settle permanently in the UK, such as the EU Settlement Scheme, UK Ancestry visa route etc.

Page Contents

• How to Live Permanently in the UK?
• Common Immigration Routes for Settlement in the UK
• Other Ways to Apply for a UK Residency
• What Is a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) UK?
• What is a UK eVisa?
• Getting Your BRP If You Applied From Outside the UK
• Reporting a Problem With Your BRP
• What If My BRP Gets Lost or Stolen?
• Biometric Residence Permit Expiry and Renewal
• How to Prove Your UK Immigration Status Without a BRP
• How Total Law Can Help
• Frequently Asked Questions

Depending on your immigration circumstances, there are various settlement pathways in the UK. The following are the most common routes that qualify for permanent residency:

• Family reunion: You can apply for ILR in the UK if your spouse/partner, parent(s) or child are British citizens or hold the ILR status in the country. Widowed spouses/partners of British citizens, EEA citizens with pre-settled status in the UK or persons with ILR in the country are also eligible to apply for settlement
• Work: Foreign nationals legally and continuously living and working in the UK for a specified period may be eligible to apply for ILR (except for work visas under the Global Business Mobility route)
• Residency via business or talent: Foreign entrepreneurs and people with exceptional talent can also apply for ILR in the UK, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements. The following UK business/talent visas qualify for permanent residence:
• Global Talent visa
• Innovator Founder visa
• Tier 1 (Investor) visa (closed for new applications)
• Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa (closed for new applications)
• UK Ancestry route: Commonwealth nationals may come and settle in the UK through the UK Ancestry visa route, if they meet its specified conditions
• EU Settlement Scheme: EEA and Swiss nationals and their eligible family members may be able to apply through the EU Settlement Scheme for settlement in the UK

Foreign nationals meeting any of the following criteria may be able to apply for ILR provided they fulfil other relevant conditions:

• They hold a refugee status in the UK, or have humanitarian protection or Discretionary Leave
• They have previously had ILR in the UK, and are now returning to the country
• They have served in the UK armed forces
• They have rightfully lived in the UK for at least 10 continuous years (also known as ‘long residence’)
• They have a UK visa on the basis of their private life
• They were born in the UK and have lived in the country continuously up to the age of at least seven years

A BRP is a physical document that proves a foreign national’s immigration status and permission to remain in the UK. Typically, a BRP will show:

• The holder’s name, their digital image, date and place of birth, gender, nationality, and signature
• A biometric chip
• Their immigration status in the UK and any conditions of stay, if applicable
• If they can access public funds
• Their leave expiry date
• The permit’s place and date of issue
• Unique permit number

Your National Insurance (NI) number may also be printed on the back of your BRP.

Apart from being an identity document, a BRP proves your rights in the UK as a foreign national resident. You can use your BRP to open a bank account in the UK. However, you cannot use your BRP to prove your right to work or right to rent in the country.

An eVisa is an online record of a foreign national’s immigration status in the UK and the conditions of their permission to enter the country or stay.

The UK immigration system is going digital. As part of this initiative, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is replacing physical immigration documents (such as a BRP) with online records. This is called an eVisa.

An eVisa is more secure than a physical immigration document like a BRP as the former cannot be stolen or tampered with, or be misplaced. It also makes it easier to prove your permission status at the border control.

You can also share your permission status with concerned third parties (e.g., your landlord in the UK) using eVisas. However, please note that to access an eVisa, you will first have to create a UKVI account.

Most BRPs are due to expire when the new system is introduced. Until then, you must carry your BRP while travelling abroad. You will need your eVisa after your current BRP expiry date to prove your immigration status in the UK.

If you have applied for your current visa from outside the UK, you will have to collect your BRP once you have entered the country. Your visa decision letter will mention whether you will need to collect the same from a particular Post Office branch or from your sponsor (in case you have chosen that option while applying for your visa).

Please collect your BRP before the vignette sticker in your passport expires, or within 10 days of entering the UK, whichever is later. Please carry your passport or the travel document that has your vignette sticker in to collect your BRP.

Only people over 18 are allowed to collect a BRP. You can collect a child’s BRP only if you are nominated by the Home Office (even if you are their parent). However, if you are also collecting your own BRP at the same time and your name is mentioned on your child’s vignette sticker, you do not have to be nominated.

It is not possible to get your BRP replaced. If you notice any problem on your BRP while collecting the same, please set up access to an eVisa and check if the details are correct on the same. If not, please report an error with your eVisa.

If your current BRP is expiring on 31 December 2024 but you have permission to remain in the UK longer than that, you do not have to report the same. Instead, please set up access to your eVisa so that you can prove your immigration status online once your BRP has expired.

Additionally, if you have applied for your visa from within the UK and there are errors regarding the length of your visa or its applicable conditions, you can ask for an administrative review.

It is mandatory to report to the Home Office in case your BRP gets lost or stolen. There may be a fine of up to £1,000 if you do not report it. You may even be asked to leave the UK.

If you happen to find or get back your lost/stolen BRP after reporting it, please cut the permit into pieces–particularly through your personal details, the royal coat of arms, and the gold biometric chip–and dispose of it.

If your BRP is expiring but you have permission to stay in the UK longer than that, please set up your access to your eVisa before your BRP expires. However, in case your permission to remain in the UK is expiring, you must apply to extend your leave, or obtain a new type of permission.

Please keep your expired BRP with you, as you may require the same to be used as evidence if you apply to remain in the country.

With the UK immigration system going digital, it is recommended you set up an access to your eVisa without further delay through your UKVI account (create one if you do not have it already). Once you have set up your eVisa access, you can use the online record to prove your UK immigration status instead of a BRP.

If you are outside the UK and you can neither use your BRP (e.g. lost, stolen, or expired) nor set up access to your eVisa or update your UKVI account, you may be able to either get a temporary visa or apply for a Returning Resident visa, depending on your circumstances.