Collect your biometric residence permit (BRP)

Visas for travel

If you have made your visa application overseas, when UKVI approves your visa application, you’ll get a vignette. UKVI pastes this into your passport. We call this your travel visa. 

You have permission to come to the UK within 90 days of receiving your travel visa. However, you must travel to the UK before the latest date of acceptance detailed on your CAS number. 

The travel visa allows you to enter the country, but it is not proof that you can live and study here. 

A biometric residence permit (BRP) confirms your right to live and study in the UK and you must collect this as soon as you can once you have arrived in the UK.

Collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)

You can collect your BRP from a nominated Post Office when you arrive in the UK. Your visa decision letter will tell you which Post Office you need to visit. If an agent is filling in your visa application on your behalf, it is important that you ask them for the decision letter before you travel to the UK. 

To collect your BRP, you’ll need to take the following documents with you to the Post Office:

• UKVI decision letter
• passport
• travel visa

You must normally collect your BRP within ten working days of arrival in the UK.

• Collecting your BRP if you made your visa application overseas
• Collecting your BRP if you made your visa application in the UK

Collecting your BRP if you are under 18

If you are under the age of 18, you must nominate a responsible adult to collect the BRP with you. If your parent of guardian is travelling with you to the UK, we recommend you nominate them to collect the BRP with you. If you cannot nominate your parent of guardian, please contact Immigration@mmu.ac.uk.

Check your Residence Permit

When you have collected your BRP, check it carefully.

If any information is incorrect, you will need to report a problem to UKVI within 10 days of collecting it. You may have to pay for a replacement card if you report the error later.

If your immigration permission goes beyond 31st December 2024, you will be issued a BRP that is only valid until this date, even though your immigration permission is longer. This is because after this date digital immigration permission will replace all BRPs.

If you lose your Permit

If you lose your BRP, report your loss to UKVI. If you need support doing this, email immigration@mmu.ac.uk.

Please let us know via VisaCompliance@mmu.ac.uk that you have lost your BRP.

Once you have received a replacement, you must also send clear, colour copies of the front and back of the new BRP to VisaCompliance@mmu.ac.uk.