What was a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)?
Definition
Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
A Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) was the credit-card-sized residence permit issued to most non-British UK visa holders. It is no longer issued. GOV.UK states that all BRPs have now expired and have been replaced by eVisas — a digital record of your identity and immigration status, with no physical card and no photograph you can hold.
Key facts
| Status | Withdrawn. All BRPs have expired and have been replaced by eVisas. |
|---|---|
| Last issued to | People whose permission was granted no later than 31 October 2024. |
| What replaced it | The eVisa — an online record of your immigration status, viewed through your UKVI account. There is no card and no printed photo. |
| If you still hold a card | An expired BRP can still be used for a limited purpose only: to get access to your eVisa, to create a UKVI account, or to apply to extend your permission. That window lasts 24 months from the date on the card or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. |
| Proving your status | Use a share code generated from your eVisa. That is what a bank, a landlord or an employer needs — not the old card. |
What the BRP was used for
Daily identity verification inside the UK: bank account opening, NHS registration, tenancy agreements, employer right-to-work checks, age verification. The card was the proof that a non-British resident was legally in the UK. That job now belongs to the eVisa: you sign in to your UKVI account, generate a share code and give that code to the bank, landlord or employer instead of handing over a card.
What happened to the photo on the card
The photo printed on a BRP was the biometric photo captured at the Visa Application Centre during the visa appointment, not the photo uploaded with the online application. The eVisa has no printed photo at all — your facial image stays in the Home Office record and is checked against you at the border, so there is no card photo to renew, replace or worry about the quality of.
If you still have a BRP card
Do not throw it away yet and do not rely on it as proof of status. An expired BRP is still useful for one narrow purpose: getting into your eVisa. Use it to create a UKVI account, link your status, and then work from the eVisa. That limited use runs for 24 months from the date printed on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. After that the card does nothing at all.
Frequently asked questions
What do I get now instead of a BRP?
An eVisa. Long-stay UK visas — Skilled Worker, Student, Spouse, Ancestry, Youth Mobility — no longer produce a card. Your permission exists as an online record in your UKVI account, and you prove it by generating a share code rather than by showing a document.
How do I get access to my eVisa?
Create a UKVI account on GOV.UK and link it to your immigration status. If you still hold an old BRP card, its number is one of the ways to identify yourself during that process — which is the main reason to keep the expired card until you are safely inside your account.
What if I lost my BRP card?
There is no replacement card to apply for and no replacement fee, because the document itself no longer exists. Set up your UKVI account using your passport or your application details instead, and contact UKVI through GOV.UK if you cannot get in. Do not pay anyone offering to "replace" a BRP.
Can a BRP photo be reused for a UK passport application?
No. BRP photos were captured at the Visa Application Centre for residence-permit use only, and a British passport application is a separate process with its own rules. HM Passport Office wants a photo taken in the last month, 35 mm wide by 45 mm tall, with the image from chin to crown between 29 mm and 34 mm.