If you have decided to visit the UK, then whether you are a student, businessman, or a simple tourist, you should apply for a biometric residence permit.
What is a BRP?
A biometric residence permit or BRP acts as evidence to prove your right to live in the UK. It is an identity card that identifies a person’s legal immigration status. Whether you are a EEA national, then you will be identified by the employers.
What is Included in a BRP?
This permit is made of a polycarbonate card. It also contains chip to make it more secure against theft and abuse.
A BRP contains a person’s biographic details including their name, date, and place of birth. It also contains the biometric information consisting of your photograph and fingerprints.
It includes your immigration status and the conditions for your stay in the UK (if any). In some cases, it also states a person’s National Insurance or NI number.
Conditions to Apply for a BRP:
You will be issued a BRP automatically once your immigration visa is approved. This means that you do not have to separately apply for a BRP. Your BRP will be issued free of charge. It is valid till your stay or up to a maximum of 10 years.
This is especially important for people with foreign nationalities. Because it is a safe way to prove your residence in the UK. You will be issued a BRP if the following conditions are approved:
Apply for your stay and extent your visa for more than 6 months.
- Apply for a residence permit in Uk.
- Transfer your visa to a new passport.
- Apply for certain home office travel documents.
When will I receive my BRP?
Well, it depends on whether you applied from inside or from outside of the UK. If you applied from within the UK, you will get a decision letter. It will state whether you are allowed to reside in the UK or not. If you are allowed, then the BRP will be delivered to your address in 7-10 days.
However, from outside of the UK, then you will have to get your BRP once you are in the UK. Remember that you will have to be over 18 to get your BRP. You must collect it in the first 10 days of your arrival. The location for the collection will be mentioned in the decision letter.
You will have to bring your passport or travel document which contains the vignette sticker. A vignette sticker is a sticker you get after the approval of your visa. You have a deadline of 90 days to enter the UK after getting the vignette sticker.
Do you know the most easiest way of getting a work permit in the UK?
BRP of a child:
In the case of a child, a parent or guardian must be nominated by the Home Office. The nomination is done within 5 working days to collect the child’s BRP. But, if the guardian is already collecting his own BRP and has his name in the child’s BRP, then he needs no nomination.
Nomination for your BRP:
You can also nominate someone else to collect your BRP if you are not able to. To nominate someone else, the following conditions must apply:
- They must have their own passport.
- Along with your passport.
- An EU nationality card.
- And a BRP.
This person can also be nominated by an organization, representative, or educational institution. If your nominee is approved, he will be informed within five working days.
In case of no BRP:
If your BRP has not arrived, you can use your passport with a vignette sticker or travel document to verify your identity. Or you can contact the Home Office to verify for you.
If your BRP did not arrive after 10 days or you missed the delivery, contact the TNT delivery service. They will look into the problem and rearrange the delivery.
However, you have to provide a postcode from your address in the application and your consignment number. A consignment number is a 9 digit number received in an email by the Home Office or TNT.
If TNT is of no help, contact the Home Office immediately. But you must apply from within the UK. Your delivery letter should prove that you will receive the BRP 10 days ago.
You need to provide your biographic information (name, date, and place of birth), along with your email or postal address and decision letter.
Reporting a problem related to BRP:
Sometimes, you can also face a problem like:
- The post office lost your BRP or it was not there.
- You cannot prove your identity due to the loss of your passport or travel document.
- Or you have lost your decision letter and forgot your collecting location.
In such cases, the Home Office will email you and guide you within 5 working days. If due to some issue, you have to leave the UK and then re-enter, you have to apply for a replacement BRP visa. This visa lets you re-enter the UK only once and it costs about 154 pounds.
You need to report it lost or stolen within 3 months of the expiry date of the BRP. You can also extend your visa and automatically get a new BRP. This can also be applied if your visa is expired.
Replacing visa with a BRP:
If your passport or travel document is lost or your personal information is changed, then you can replace your visa with a BRP. But it must be done from within the UK. The charge for the replacement depends on your visa status.
You have to make an appointment with the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to replace it with BRP and provide the biometric information.
Conclusion
In short, a Biometric residence permit is a secure way to ensure your safetyand prove your identity to reside in the UK. It is also free of cost. Every person residing in the Uk or thinking about it, should definitely get a BRP.
