The information on this webpage explains what to do in the event that your documents are lost or stolen. When you receive a new identity or immigration document, you should send a copy to the Student Enquiry Centre so that your record can be updated.
Contact your embassy in London to obtain a new one.
If your immigration permission was on an entry clearance or residence permit sticker (vignette) in your passport, you are not required to apply to transfer your immigration permission to your new passport. You can travel to and from the UK using your new and old passports, but you must carry both documents. Alternatively, you can apply to replace the sticker that you had in your old passport, by applying for a BRP. You can transfer your immigration permission to a BRP by applying for a ‘transfer of conditions’ on a TOC form
If your immigration permission was issued as a BRP and you are issued a new passport, you should contact UKVI to notify them of the change, you can do this by completing the MCC form.
If you have an eVisa, you can update your passport details on your UKVI account to ensure straight forward international travel.
If you receive a new passport when you are overseas, and your immigration permission is on a BRP card, then you will need to complete the MCC form when you return to the UK or update your UKVI digital account if you have an eVisa. You should also inform the Immigration Compliance Team at Queen Mary about your new passport details so that your record can be updated. You can email them: immigrationcompliance@qmul.ac.uk
If your passport has been lost or stolen in, report it to the police immediately. You should do this at your local police station or online. For details go to the Metropolitan Police website.
You will need to complete a form explaining what happened. The police will give you a copy and if your passport was stolen, they will give you a crime reference number. This is an important document. Please note that you will not get a crime reference number if you have lost your passport or if your passport has been damaged.
Contact your embassy in London to obtain a replacement passport. If your passport has been stolen, you may need your police report to do this but make sure you keep a copy.
Contact your country's embassy or high commission in the country where you are now, to arrange for a replacement passport.
If your immigration permission was issued on an entry clearance or residence permit sticker (vignette) for the duration of your stay in the UK, you will need to apply for a "Vignette Transfer". See UKCISA's guidance for more information.
When your passport is issued, you should inform UKVI the new passport details by completing the MCC form if you have a BRP, if you have an eVisa you need to register your new passport details on your UKVI digital account
**The UK Visas and Immigration will stop the production of vignette stickers in 2025. **
When you get a new passport from your embassy, you will have to apply to UKVI to transfer your old immigration permission from your old passport. You will not get a new sticker in your passport. This will be replaced with a BRP. This means you will need to attend an appointment at UKVI or a Post Office even if you apply by post to submit biometric information (have your fingerprints scanned and your photo taken).
You need to submit the following documents:
**The process to replace your BRP will remain in place until Autumn 2024 when the UK Visas and Immigration will stop the production of BRPs, until then, please keep your BRP card safe. You can buy a proof of age card or a totem card to prove your age. **
If your BRP is lost, stolen or damaged you should report this on the online form on the UK government website. You should be sure your document is lost/stolen before making the report as it will be cancelled immediately, and it won’t be valid even if you find it again.
You must apply for another BRP within three months of reporting the loss or theft of your original BRP, using the online form BRP(RC).
You should complete the BRP(RC) form online to apply for a replacement BRP.
You will need to enrol your biometrics again during this process of the replacement BRP application. It will take approximately eight weeks to receive your new BRP card.
You do not need to include your passport with your supporting documents if you are applying to replace a lost/stolen BRP and no other details have changed, and your last BRP card was issued no more than two years ago.
After you have submitted your application, you will upload your documents on the UKVCAS website and make an appointment to enrol your biometrics. There will be an additional charge for some appointments.
Immediately report the loss or theft to the police in the country where it happened.
If you have lost your BRP, report the loss or theft to the police and obtain a police report, then notify the UKVI that your BRP has been lost or stolen. The form to do this can be found on the UK Government website.
Apply for a Single-entry visa to replacement a BRP visa, which you can use once to return to the UK. The visa does not replace your lost or stolen biometric residence permit. Select 'BRP transfer vignette' on the visa type question.
When you arrive back in the UK, you will need to apply for a new biometric residence permit within 1 month of your arrival. See the UK Government website.
Standard BRP replacement applications have a service standard of up to eight weeks for a decision to be made, although sometimes it can be quicker than this. You should factor in an additional week for the BRP to be issued and sent to you. Therefore, you should allow up to two months before you can expect to have a replacement BRP issued.
If you have urgent travel plans, you should consider applying for a replacement BRP using the Super Priority service or applying for a single entry BRP replacement visa outside the UK.
You do not need a BRP to leave the UK, but you will need a BRP or a single entry visa to replace BRP to return. See the information above on what to do if my BRP is lost or stolen.
If you submit a BRP(RC) standard application and then discover that you need to travel urgently, you must either:
UKVI will not normally provide any updates or expedite applications which are still within the service standard.
If you lose your decision letter after arrival in the UK, before collecting your BRP, if you know where you need to collect your BRP from, just take your passport with the vignette in to collect your BRP, and explain that you have lost the decision letter.
If you do not know where you are required to collect your BRP from, or if you lose your passport, after arrival in the UK and prior to BRP collection you should complete the Report a problem with collecting your BRP form to report your situation to UKVI. They will write to you in five working days with instructions telling you what you need to do next.
If your visa was successful but you didn't receive your decision letter, please check your spam folder, if you cannot find it, email DecisionLetterRequests@fcdo.gov.uk to request a copy, don't forget to provide your personal details and GWF.
If your leave is valid for less than eight weeks, and you would have been making an extension application in the UK anyway, you can apply to extend your stay in the UK with your new blank passport (without completing either of the forms explained above) completing the appropriate form to extend your leave. We advise you to contact a welfare adviser who can help you with the application.
We understand that if you are due to leave the UK within eight weeks of losing your visa vignette, you are not required to submit a TOC form. In this case, your old passport (if you still have it), a copy of your visa vignette and/or any letter from UKVI with your permission to be here are evidence of your status.