Passport and visa problems

You should, of course, obtain evidence, eg police report, of loss or theft (if relevant/possible). You will also likely need to obtain a new passport.

With the roll-out of eVisas in 2024-2025, information from the Home Office is changing and being updated regularly. However, see gov.uk information on Transfer your visa from your passport or replace your visa. We will continue to seek clarity on this from UKVI.

Following applying for a new passport, you can choose to replace your visa with an eVisa. See gov.uk information on Transfer your visa from your passport or replace your visa, and UKCISA’s eVisas page for further details.

If the error could prevent you from entering the UK (e.g. your name, nationality or 'valid from' date) you can contact the Home Office International Enquiry Service to request the error be amended in order to travel to the UK. Please note, you will be charged or asked to make payment to use this service. Alternatively as soon as you become aware of the error, you may wish to contact the Visa Application Centre (VAC) where you made your application in order to have your vignette amended. It is also recommended to seek advice from your institution.

Where at all possible, errors on your vignette should be spotted and corrected before you come to the UK. With the introduction of eVisas, it is currently not clear what process you should follow, if you spot an error on your vignette once you are in the UK. Instructions on what to do are still contained within a Home Office document called Entry Clearance Basics ECB 19. However, following the roll-out of the eVisa system in 2024-2025, we are awaiting clarity from UKVI on this process.

Gov.uk information on Transfer your visa from your passport or replace your visa states: “You can use the valid visa in your expired passport when you’re travelling to and from the UK. You’ll need to travel with your expired and your new passport.” Alternatively, it states “If you’re outside the UK you can choose to transfer your visa to a new passport online (it costs £154). You’ll need to prove your identity at a visa application centre to complete your application.”

Gov.uk information on Transfer your visa from your passport or replace your visa states: "You can choose to replace your visa with an eVisa". For further details see UKCISA’s eVisas page.

Your vignette is only likely to be lost or stolen if you have lost your passport too – because your vignette is glued into your passport. Information specifically about what to do if your 90-day vignette is lost or stolen, is unclear. However, it seems likely you will need to obtain evidence of your lost/stolen passport, eg police report of loss or theft. You will then need to obtain a new passport. Only then will you be able to remedy the issue with regards to your vignette.

Information about applying for a new vignette from outside of the UK is still contained within the Home Office guidance for staff Entry Clearance Basics ECB17 (at ECB17.3). However, following the roll-out of the eVisa system in 2024-2025, we are awaiting clarity from UKVI on this process. Information on gov.uk in Transfer your visa from your passport or replace your visa states “If you’re outside the UK you can choose to transfer your visa to a new passport online (it costs £154). You’ll need to prove your identity at a visa application centre to complete your application.”

Your 90-day vignette will be placed in your passport. If you lose your passport (and 90-day vignette), or have it stolen, you will have to report the loss or theft to the police. You will then also need to apply for a new passport.

Following making the report to the police, you will be required to update your UKVI account with the details of your new passport using the Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details service.

Whether or not you should then apply to replace the 90-day vignette in your new passport is unclear. With the roll-out of eVisas, we are awaiting clarity from UKVI about this process.

If the error could prevent you from entering the UK (e.g. your name, nationality, or 'valid from' date) you can Contact UKVI for help to request the error be amended in order to travel to the UK. Please note, you will be charged or asked to make payment to use this service. Alternatively as soon as you become aware of the error, you may wish to contact the Visa Application Centre (VAC) where you made your application in order to have your vignette amended. It is also recommended to seek advice from your institution.

If you weren’t able to correct the error with your 90-day vignette whilst outside the UK, check if your eVisa also contains the same error. If your eVisa contains the same error, you will need to Report an error with your eVisa.

There is no requirement to transfer evidence of your permission to your new passport, in order to travel to the UK, if you still have your previous passport containing the vignette. You will be required however to link your new passport to your UKVI account in order to travel to the UK.

Transfer your visa from your passport or replace your visa states: “You can use the valid visa in your expired passport when you’re travelling to and from the UK. You’ll need to travel with your expired and your new passport.”

Alternatively, it states “If you’re outside the UK you can choose to transfer your visa to a new passport online (it costs £154). You’ll need to prove your identity at a visa application centre to complete your application.”

There is no requirement to transfer evidence of your permission to your new passport, in order to travel to the UK, if you still have your previous passport containing the vignette. You will be required however to link your new passport to your UKVI account in order to travel to the UK.

With the roll-out of eVisas, what you must do if you replace a passport that contains a 90-day vignette once you are in the UK is not clear. However, Transfer your visa from your passport or replace your visa states: “You can choose to replace your visa with an eVisa”. However, it is not clear if this action is necessary for those people who will already have been instructed to set up an eVisa as part of their immigration application process. We await further clarity from UKVI on this process.

Gov.uk has information on If your expired BRP is lost or stolen.

You are no longer able to obtain a replacement BRP. You must however report the circumstances online. Failure to do so can result in a £1,000 fine. You must obtain any evidence of the loss or theft (such as a police report) if relevant. The Home Office will contact you within one working day of making the report.

You are no longer permitted to travel to the UK with an expired BRP. In order to travel to the UK, and also in order to prove your immigration status in the UK, you will need to create a UKVI account to access your eVisa. Your UKVI account must be up to date, and your current passport must be linked to your UKVI account. Please see UKCISA's eVisas page for information about how to set up a UKVI account.

If you are unable to set up access to your eVisa, or are having difficulties updating your UKVI account, it seems likely you will need to obtain a replacement BRP visa. The replacement BRP visa will allow you to travel to, and enter, the UK only once and will cost £154. Once in the UK, affected individuals should continue to try to pursue remedying any issues with their eVisa and UKVI account. Please see the UKCISA's eVisas page for information about this.

Gov.uk has information on If your expired BRP is lost or stolen.

Whilst you are no longer able to replace your BRP in these circumstances, it is mandatory that you report the circumstances online. Failure to do so can result in a £1,000 fine, and also the risk of being made to leave the UK. You must obtain any evidence of the loss or theft (such as a police report) if relevant. The Home Office will contact you within one working day of making the report.

In order to prove your immigration status in the UK, you will need to create a UKVI account in order to access your eVisa. Please see the eVisas page for further details of how to create a UKVI account and access your eVisa.

See UKCISA's eVisas page for information about what you can and should do, if wishing to travel once you have set up your eVisa, or whilst you are still trying to set-up your eVisa.

The Home Office stopped issuing BRPs on 31 October 2024. If you applied for permission outside the UK and received a BRP prior to this discontinuation, and subsequently discover that there is an error with your BRP, If there's a problem with your expired BRP advises that you cannot use the BRP and must destroy it. The gov.uk information further advises that you will need to check if you can get access to an eVisa, and that you must check if the details on the eVisa are correct. If, once you have created your UKVI account, you notice that there is also an error with your eVisa you will need to Report an error with your eVisa.

The Home Office stopped issuing BRPs on 31 October 2024. If you applied for permission inside the UK and received a BRP prior to this discontinuation, and subsequently discover that there is an error with your BRP, If there's a problem with your expired BRP advises that you cannot use the BRP and must destroy it. The gov.uk information further advises that you will need to check if you can get access to an eVisa, and that you must check if the details on the eVisa are correct. If, once you have created your UKVI account, you notice that there is also an error with your eVisa you will need to Report an error with your eVisa.

If the error is in relation to the length of your permission or the conditions of your permission, gov.uk information at Ask for an administrative review | If you're in the UK states you can ask for an administrative review in order to correct the error. You must apply for an administrative review within 14 days of getting the decision, and there is a fee of £80 in order to submit the application. UKVI will refund the fee if it agrees that an error was made.

You can no longer replace your BRP, because BRP production has now stopped.

If you have a new passport, see gov.uk info on how to Update your UKVI account details with the details of your new passport and other personal details.