Lost/stolen passports or BRPs
If your passport or Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) has been lost or stolen, the procedures will differ depending on document type and whether they were lost/stolen inside the UK or overseas.
Lost/stolen passport or visa outside the UK
This section is for you if:
- You have a vignette (visa) in your passport that covers the whole length of your permission to be in the UK, or
- You will have a BRP after you enter the UK, but have lost your passport before travelling to the UK and collecting your BRP.
If you have a BRP, and have lost your passport and BRP, follow steps one to three in this section and then follow the instructions under 'Lost/stolen BRP outside the UK' below.
Where your passport has been lost/stolen outside the UK and contains your current UK visa you should:
1. Report it to the local police and obtain a police report.
2. Get a replacement passport from your country’s embassy (in the country where your passport was lost/stolen).
3. Activate your eVisa OR apply for a replacement BRP visa if you cannot do this:
4. Apply for a Vignette Transfer to get a replacement UK visa printed inside your new passport.
You must provide a student status certificate and the police report (translated to English) detailing the loss of your passport in your application.
You may be required to return to your home country to make this application, for example if your permission (visa) for the country you lost your passport in may expire before you receive the replacement visa, or if you cannot get a new passport in that country.
Where your replacement visa is issued inside a temporary/emergency travel document you should transfer your visa into your full replacement passport after you return to the UK.
Lost/stolen passport or visa inside the UK
Where your passport has been lost/stolen inside the UK and contains your current UK visa you should:
1. Report it to the local police and obtain a police report.
2. Apply for a replacement passport from your country’s embassy.
3. Contact Student Registry to update your new passport details.
4. Apply for a Transfer of Conditions (TOC) to transfer your current (lost) visa to a BRP.
Where your lost/stolen passport contains your 30 day entry clearance vignette and you have not collected your BRP you should:
1. Report it to the local police.
2. Apply for a replacement passport from your country’s Embassy.
3. Report it to the UKVI using their online form.
4. The UKVI will then inform you on how to collect your BRP.
Lost/stolen BRP outside the UK
Where your Biometric Residence Permit has been lost/stolen outside the UK you should:
1. Report it to the local police and obtain a police report.
2. Report it to UKVI using their online form.
3. Activate your e-visa or apply for a replacement BRP visa if you cannot do this.
You must provide your passport and a police report (translated to English) detailing the loss of your BRP in your application.
You can use your temporary BRP only once to return to the UK. You must apply for a permanent replacement BRP within one month of arriving back in the UK.
Lost/stolen BRP inside the UK
Where your Biometric Residence Permit has been lost/stolen inside the UK you should:
1. Report it to the local police.
2. Report it to UKVI using their online form.
3. Activate your eVisa:.