Lost or Stolen BRP: What to Do (2026)

Status First: Why Location and Status Type Set the Route

A migrant whose BRP is lost or stolen should not start with the replacement form. The first decisions are whether the loss occurred inside or outside the UK, whether the underlying immigration leave is still valid, and whether the migrant already has a UKVI account holding the eVisa. Each of these branches sets a different route on gov.uk. A Skilled Worker in London with a UKVI account and a stolen BRP follows a very different path from a Student visa holder whose card was taken from a hotel room in another country, even though both are described as lost or stolen.

For most migrants in 2026, the BRP is no longer the primary evidence of status because most cards expired on 31 December 2024. The eVisa held in the UKVI account is. The loss of the card matters in three narrower scenarios: where the card had not yet reached its printed expiry, where the migrant has not yet created a UKVI account, and where the migrant intends to travel internationally before the replacement is issued.

Immediate Steps Inside the UK

The migrant takes four steps in order. First, search and confirm the BRP is genuinely missing rather than mislaid in luggage, a previous address, or a former employer's records. Second, report the loss to the Home Office at gov.uk through the report-immigration-document service. Third, if the BRP was stolen, report the theft to the police and obtain a crime reference number. Fourth, apply for a replacement using the BRP(RC) service if eligible, or update the UKVI account if the card had already expired on its printed face.

The Home Office report does not, by itself, replace the card. It records the loss against the immigration file and protects the migrant if the missing card is later misused. The reporting deadline is three months from discovery. Reporting late is possible but may attract Home Office questions about credibility, particularly where the loss is alleged to have occurred long before the report.

Immediate Steps Outside the UK

A migrant whose BRP is lost or stolen while abroad cannot use the in-country BRP(RC) service. The route is to attend a UK visa application centre in the country where the loss occurred, give biometrics again, and apply for a replacement BRP visa or single-entry transit document to return to the UK. The applicant should also report the loss to local police where the card was stolen, both to support the replacement application and to mitigate identity-theft risk in the country of loss.

The replacement BRP visa is single-entry and time-limited. It is intended to permit one return journey to the UK; once back, the migrant either applies for a new BRP (where eligible) or relies on the eVisa in the UKVI account. Migrants should not attempt to travel on the missing BRP, even if the leave it represented is still valid: carriers will not accept a self-declared status without a verifiable document.

The Police Report Requirement for Stolen BRPs

Where the BRP has been stolen rather than lost, a police crime reference number is required by the Home Office. Inside the UK, the migrant reports the theft through the local police force (101 non-emergency line or in person) and asks for the crime reference. Where the theft is part of a wider incident (mugging, burglary, bag theft), the BRP can be added to the existing crime report. Outside the UK, the migrant follows local police procedure and obtains the equivalent reference, translated where required.

The reference is entered on the BRP(RC) application or its overseas equivalent. Failure to provide it where theft is claimed can cause the application to be returned or refused. Reporting theft as loss to avoid the police process is not advised: it can compromise later applications and, where investigated, can amount to a false statement on an immigration application.

Applying for the Replacement Inside the UK

The BRP(RC) form on gov.uk collects identity details, the reason for replacement, current address, and contact details. The applicant pays the published replacement fee and biometric enrolment fee where biometrics are required. After submission, the applicant attends a UKVCAS biometric service point to give fingerprints and a photograph. The new BRP is then produced and posted to the applicant, usually within around eight weeks of biometrics, although gov.uk publishes the current processing times.

During the wait, the migrant proves status to employers and landlords through the share code generated in their UKVI account at gov.uk view-and-prove-your-immigration-status. The lost BRP itself is no longer needed for these checks under the eVisa system.

Travel Implications While Replacement Is Pending

A migrant inside the UK with a pending replacement should avoid international travel until the new card or updated eVisa link is in place. The reason is practical: at boarding, the carrier system queries the eVisa against the passport linked to the UKVI account. Where the link is current and the underlying status is valid, travel is possible without the physical BRP. Where the link is missing or out of date, boarding can be refused and the migrant becomes stranded.

For migrants whose eVisa is correctly linked, the lost BRP is largely a paperwork issue, not a travel barrier. For migrants who have not yet set up a UKVI account, travel during the replacement wait is materially riskier and is generally not advised until the account is created and the eVisa confirmed.

Identity-Theft Mitigation

A lost or stolen BRP carries personal data: name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, BRP number, and a photograph. Once reported lost or stolen, the card is invalidated in Home Office systems and cannot be used to evidence valid status under the digital right-to-work or right-to-rent flows, because those flows query the live Home Office record rather than the card itself. This is one of the structural reasons the eVisa rollout reduces identity-theft exposure compared with the pre-2025 BRP system.

The migrant should still take general identity-theft precautions: alerting their bank if the BRP was carried with banking documents, checking credit reports where available, and watching for unexpected correspondence. The Information Commissioner's Office publishes general guidance on personal data exposure and what to do where personal data has been compromised.

Replacement Versus eVisa Update: Choosing the Right Route

The right route turns on the BRP's printed expiry date. Where the BRP had not yet reached its printed expiry when lost, the BRP(RC) replacement route applies, and the migrant pays the fee for a fresh card. Where the BRP had already reached its 31 December 2024 expiry, replacement is not the right route; the migrant updates or creates their UKVI account so the eVisa stands as the evidence of status. The Home Office returns mis-routed BRP(RC) applications for expired cards back to the UKVI account creation process, but the fee is not always refunded.

Dependants and Children

A child dependant whose BRP is lost is reported by the parent or legal guardian, who also manages the child's UKVI account where one has been created. The child still needs the report, the police reference where the loss was theft, and the replacement application in their own name where the card had not expired. Where the parent's leave is the basis of the child's leave (for example, a Skilled Worker dependant), the child's eVisa is linked to the parent's underlying leave but maintained as a separate account.

Replacement Fees and Timing

Fees are published on the gov.uk visa fees table. The replacement fee is paid online at application; a separate biometric enrolment fee may also apply. Standard processing inside the UK is published as up to eight weeks; priority and super priority services are not generally offered for BRP replacement. From outside the UK, processing depends on the visa application centre and country and is published by the relevant centre.

Link to the eVisa Transition: Why Card Loss Is Becoming a Smaller Issue

The eVisa transition reduces the structural significance of BRP loss. Where the underlying status is held in the UKVI account, the migrant's ability to prove status, work, rent, and travel does not depend on continued possession of any card. The 2025 rollout was explicitly designed to remove the single-point-of-failure that a lost or stolen BRP previously represented. Migrants who experience BRP loss in 2026 typically resolve the practical consequences within the UKVI account flow rather than through a card replacement at all.

When to Take Specialist Advice

A migrant with complex circumstances should consider regulated immigration advice. Complex factors include: applications close to the ILR qualifying date, dependants whose leave is tied to the lost-card holder, situations where leave was granted overseas and is not yet linked to a UKVI account, and cases where the BRP was used as ID for transactions that need to be reversed (a tenancy, bank account opening, or employment offer). Regulated advisers are listed on gov.uk through the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.

Disclaimer

This article is general information about UK rules and processes at the time of writing. It is not legal, immigration, tax, or financial advice. Rules and figures change. Verify the current position with the relevant authority (gov.uk, HMRC, FCA, or a regulated adviser) before acting on anything here.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly should a lost or stolen BRP be reported?

Within three months of discovery, using the report-immigration-document service on gov.uk. Stolen cards also require a police crime reference number, obtained from the police force where the theft took place.

Can the migrant travel internationally while a replacement BRP is pending?

Generally not advisable. Carriers verify immigration status digitally through the eVisa linked to the passport in the UKVI account. Where the account is correctly set up, travel is technically possible, but the safer course is to wait until the replacement card or confirmed eVisa link is in place.

What happens if the BRP is lost overseas?

The migrant attends a UK visa application centre in the country of loss, gives biometrics, and applies for a replacement BRP visa or single-entry travel document to return to the UK. The standard in-country BRP(RC) replacement route is not available from outside the UK.

Does a lost BRP put the migrant at risk of identity theft?

The Home Office invalidates the card once loss is reported, so it cannot be used to pass digital right-to-work or right-to-rent checks. General identity-theft precautions still apply, particularly where the BRP was carried with banking or financial documents.

Is there a fee to replace a lost or stolen BRP?

Yes. The replacement fee is published on the gov.uk visa fees table and is paid online when the BRP(RC) application is submitted. A biometric enrolment fee may also apply where biometrics need to be retaken.

Does the eVisa transition mean a lost BRP no longer needs replacement?

Often, yes. Where the BRP had already reached its 31 December 2024 printed expiry and the migrant's status is held in a UKVI account, the eVisa is the primary evidence of status and a replacement card is not issued. The migrant focuses on the UKVI account rather than the BRP(RC) form.