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Advice and Counselling Service

Lost documents

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.

 

My passport has expired 

My passport expired in the UK 

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. 

My passport expired outside the UK 

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 is lost/stolen

My passport was lost/stolen in the UK  

If your passport has been lost or stolen in, report it to the police immediately. You should do this at your local police stationor online. For details go to theMetropolitan 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.  

My passport is lost/stolen outside the UK 

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 onan 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". SeeUKCISA'sguidancefor more information. 

When your passport is issued, you should inform UKVI the new passport details by completing theMCC form if you have a BRP, if you have an eVisa you need to register your new passport details on your UKVI digital account  

Replacing a sticker or stamp in your passport

**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: 

  • complete application form TOC 
  • police report and crime reference number (if your passport has been stolen) 
  • photocopy of your old student visa if you have one, or you can write a letter stating the start and end date of the student permission that was in your old passport 
  • alternative form of ID - for example a driving licence and letters addressed to you (eg from the bank,or Queen Mary. See the TOC form for examples). 

My BRP is lost or stolen

**The UK Visas and Immigration wills soon 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. ** 

BRP lost or stolen before 31 December 2024

If your BRP is lost, stolen or damaged you should report this on the online form onthe 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.  The Home Office will contact you within one working day from reporting it. 

To prove your status in the UK without a BRP, you will need to create your UKVI to access your eVisa. An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status which you can use to prove your status, instead of a biometric residence permit (BRP). Having access to your eVisa will allow you to prove your rights in the UK without the need of a physical document and will ensure straightforward international travel. 

 

If I lose my passport and/or decision letter before I have collected my BRP

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. 

What do I do if my old immigration permission was about to expire?

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. 

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