What should I do if the British BRP is lost? How to switch to eVisa and how to prove your identity

Last week, a reader sent a message in the middle of the night, saying that her wallet was stolen in the center of Manchester. The bank card could be reported as lost, and the passport could be replaced, but only the BRP - she looked through GOV.UK and could not find the entrance to "application for replacement".

She thought she didn't find the right page. In fact, the entrance to was really closed down to .

Can I still get a replacement if the British BRP is lost? No more

The Ministry of the Interior will stop issuing BRP cards from October 31, 2024, and also cancel the "Application for Reissue of BRP" service from September of the same year. In other words, if the card is lost, stolen, or the washing machine breaks, will not send you a new one .

It sounds scary, but take a deep breath first: your British visa status (immigration status) itself has not been lost at all. The card is just a "certificate carrier" from beginning to end, and the real permission record is in the database of the Ministry of Interior. Now this record is presented in the form of eVisa, which can be seen by logging in to the UKVI account.

The card is the key and the identity is the house. Losing your keys doesn’t mean losing your house – you just need to replace the electronic lock.

The loss of BRP must still be reported, and the maximum penalty for failure to report is £1,000.

This one is particularly easy to overlook. Although it cannot be reissued, GOV.UK clearly requires that if BRP is lost or stolen, you are still obliged to report to UKVI, even if the card has expired. The consequences of not reporting are straightforward - fines of up to £1,000 and, in serious cases, being asked to leave the country.

If it is stolen in the UK, there are two things to do: call 101 or report the crime to the police online and get the crime reference number; then search "report a lost or stolen BRP" on GOV.UK to submit the report. The whole process is free and takes only ten minutes.

Don’t underestimate the string of police report numbers. In the future, if there is a discrepancy in the identity record, or if you are asked about this gap when applying for permanent residence (ILR), it will be written evidence that you "actually handled it at that time".

If you don’t have BRP, how can you create a UKVI account and get eVisa?

Many people are stuck at this step: the guide page for registering a UKVI account says "Please enter the BRP number" - the card is gone, where did the number come from?

The good news is that number BRP is not the only entrance. You can also use:

🔹 passport or travel document number – the most common alternative
🔹 visa application reference number (application reference number) - look at the application email from that year, or the confirmation letter sent to you by the lawyer/agency
🔹 expired old BRP - expired cards can still be used to create accounts within a certain period, the specific deadline is subject to the instructions of GOV.UK

If you don’t have any of these three things, it’s not a dead end. GOV.UK’s explanation is: Even if you don’t have any ID documents, you can still create a UKVI account, and the system will tell you how you need to verify your identity. Before digging through boxes to find old emails, go to gov.uk/evisa and go through the process.

When registering, use the "UK Immigration: ID Check" App to swipe your face + swipe your ID. The entire eVisa creation process is free of charge . Anyone who charges you money and says it can "handle eVisa" can be transferred directly.

How does eVisa prove British visa status? How to use share code

After the account is established, the landlord wants to see it, HR wants to see it, and the bank wants to see it - what do you give? The answer is share code (share code) .

Log in to your UKVI account, enter "View and Prove", select the purpose to generate the corresponding code: Make sure to distinguish clearly in the upper right corner, right to work and right to rent are two different codes, cannot be used interchangeably. The generated code is usually valid for 90 days. After giving it to the other party, they can verify it online with your date of birth.

Practical suggestion: Save the path to generate share code in your phone bookmarks. Renting a house, signing a contract on the day you join the job, and opening a bank account. These three scenarios will basically ask you for it on the spot. It is very embarrassing to find the page temporarily.

Lost the person BRP abroad? First check which passport is tied to eVisa

This is the link that is most likely to cause trouble and is also the easiest to prevent.

eVisa is bound to the passport number. Changed a new passport but did not update the UKVI account. This is currently the number one reason for being denied boarding. - The airline system cannot find the British identity corresponding to the passport in your hand, and the counter does not dare to let you go. In the end, you can only change the ticket.

The solution is simple: use the "update your UKVI account details" service on GOV.UK to add the new passport to the account. This service is also free. The key is not to wait until the day before departure - allow at least two weeks for processing. GOV.UK also has a dedicated page called "Check your eVisa is correct before you travel." Spending five minutes checking your name, passport number, and identity category before traveling is much more cost-effective than an hour explaining to ground staff at the airport.

If the situation is complicated - for example, the person is already abroad, BRP is lost, and the UKVI account cannot be established - don't bear it yourself. For £5 on justiscript.com you can get a written response from a practicing UK lawyer to a specific question within 24 hours, in either Chinese or English, which is more reliable than asking around on a forum to piece together an answer.

BRP Loss Emergency Checklist: You Can Complete It Today

1️⃣ Report the crime to the police and write down the crime reference number (stolen within the country)
2️⃣ File a lost/stolen report on GOV.UK for BRP - it is a legal obligation
3️⃣ Create a UKVI account with your passport number or application reference number and activate eVisa
4️⃣ Check whether the name, passport number, and identity expiry date on eVisa are correct. If there are any errors, report an error immediately to
5️⃣ Generate a share code test run to confirm that it can be used

The last words from my heart: BRP is gone, and your permanent residence countdown will not be reset. The number of consecutive years of residence is calculated based on the time you have been legally in the UK, not the existence time of the card. If you really want to confirm how many days you have until ILR and whether the number of days you have left the country has crossed the line, you can use the "永居计算器" APP to accurately calculate the number of days, which is more reliable than counting the calendar by yourself.

This article is for reference only. Please consult a licensed attorney for specific questions. Policies and fees are subject to the latest announcement of GOV.UK.

[Data source] gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits｜gov.uk/evisa/set-up-ukvi-account｜gov.uk/guidance/making-sure-your-evisa-is-correct-before-you-travel

💬 Let’s talk about your eVisa switching experience : Did you pass it successfully in one go, or were you stuck on scanning your face on the ID Check App or updating your passport number? Which step takes the longest? Let’s talk about it in the comment area. The pit you have stepped on may very well be the path that others will take tomorrow.

📌 If you find it useful, collect this article , and then dig it out when you really lose the card and follow it, which will save you a lot of panic.

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