Your BRP
A biometric residence permit (BRP) is an immigration document (visa) issued onto an ID card.
Not everyone who is issued with a Student visa will have a BRP, and you do not need to apply for it separately.
When your visa is issued after applying in the UK (visa extension)
The table below shows the circumstances in which you should expect to receive a BRP and/or a digital immigration status.
| | Visa national* | Non-visa national* |
|---|
| I was directed to and able to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app at the beginning of the visa application |
E-visa (digital immigration status) and BRP |
E-visa (digital immigration status) only |
|---|
| I was not able to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app |
BRP only |
BRP only |
|---|
*You are considered a ‘Visa national’ if you are a citizen of one of the countries on this list.
If you are issued with a digital status, you will be able to view your immigration status online. You will also be able to generate a share code which you must provide to the University, so that we can keep up to date records and verify your immigration status in the UK. In order to register on your course you will need to take your passport to in-person registration, and we will ask you to email the sharecode to immigration-support@nottingham.ac.uk along with your visa decision email from UKVI and boarding pass to evidence your date of arrival to the UK (please note, your date of entry needs to be after the start date of your Student visa).
Find out more about BRPs on the UK government website.
When your student visa is issued overseas (entry clearance)
If you applied for your visa from overseas, you will be given a vignette visa (sticker) in your passport. Where your visit to the UK is six months or less, this vignette will be valid for your whole stay in the UK and you won't be issued with a BRP or digital immigration status.
If your visa is for longer than six months, then the vignette should only be valid for a shorter period of 90 days, and your full visa would be printed on a BRP. The vignette will start up to one month before your course start date, or seven days before your intended date of travel as specified in your application, whichever is later. If you do not travel to the UK during the validity period of the vignette, then you will need to apply for a new one before you travel. You will have to pay a fee and provide your biometric information again, but you will not need to make a full new visa application.
You will also receive a visa decision letter which you should show to the border officer on arrival to the UK, along with your passport and vignette.
The visa application form will give you a choice of BRP collection points. To ensure delivery of your BRP to the University (rather than a Post Office), you should enter our Alternative Collection Location (ACL) code when prompted. Our ACL code is: 2HE427
Collecting your BRP
If you applied overseas
The BRP collection location will be stated on either your visa decision letter or in your visa application form itself (which you can retrieve by logging in to your visa application account). If your collection location is a Post Office, you will need to collect it there.
If your collection location is the University, you need to book an appointment to collect it (see below). If you have dependant family members whose BRPs have been delivered to the Unviersity, you can collect them at the same time, or your can book an appointment just for your dependant(s), if you already have your BRP.
If you applied in the UK
Once your visa application has been decided, your BRP will be delivered to the location you stated as your postal address on your visa application form, usually within 7 to 10 days. If you gave the Visa and Immigration team's address (Cherry Tree Lodge) as your postal address, you can book an appointment to collect it via the relevant link below. Please allow adequate time for the BRP to have been delivered.
How to book
If you are a new student you will need to register in-person and you can collect your BRP at the same time. This includes students on a mobility period from UNNC and UNM registering at the UK Campus. Please ensure your appointment takes place no later than three weeks after your course start date in order to meet the registration deadline.
If you are a current student, you can use the same link below to book an appointment to collect your BRP. Please only book one appointment; if you need to cancel or change the time of the appointment, there is a link to do so in the confirmation email that you will receive. Appointments take place at Cherry Tree Lodge, University Park campus (building number 13 on the campus map).
You must bring your passport and the passports of any Dependants for whom you are collecting a BRP.
Book an appointment for in-person registration and/or BRP Collection
Checking your BRP
It is essential to carefully check that the information on your BRP is accurate and promptly report any errors via the Home Office website, within 10 days of receiving it.
- Check your visa end date, which should include the full duration of your course plus a 'wrap-up period'. See our visa duration page for guidance on how long this should be. Make a note of your visa expiry date – if you need to apply for a new visa you will need to do this before your current visa expires.
- BRP holders studying a course of 12 months or more will see their BRP expiry date is 31 December 2024 as UK Visas and Immigration are moving all visa holders to digital status in 2024. UKVI have informed us that they expect to update their information on how to prove your immigration status digitally in early 2024. You do not need to do anything and your immigration status will not be affected. You MUST check your visa decision letter or email for the true end date of your visa.
- Check the biographical details (such as name, date of birth and nationality) are correct.
- Check the sponsor licence number is correct - the University of Nottingham sponsor licence number is RFDX42DB2.
- Check how many hours you are allowed to work in the UK during term-time, which should be 20 hours per week, or 10 hours per week for students studying courses below degree level.
You also need to ensure that you understand and abide by the conditions of your visa (such as registering with the police, if applicable) as this is your responsibility.
If you report BRP errors and are issued with a new corrected BRP, you must take the new BRP card to Cherry Tree Lodge to be scanned.
Book an appointment to have your BRP scanned
Keeping your BRP safe and when to carry it
Your BRP is a very important document, proving your rights to stay, study and work in the UK, so keep it in a safe place. Take a photograph of the front and back of your BRP for your reference.
You do not need to carry your BRP in your purse or wallet, and we strongly recommend keeping both your BRP and passport in your room instead, to avoid losing them. If you lose your BRP, you will need to apply and pay for a new one, which is costly and can take a long time. Each year we have students whose vacation time travel plans are impacted by having lost their BRP.
Only carry your BRP when you need to show it as proof of your immigration status. This includes:
You will be more likely to lose your BRP if you frequently carry it with you to use as proof of your age/ID. Consider applying for an alternative proof of age evidence so that you are not tempted to carry your passport and BRP around with you. One such scheme is the Citizen Card, which is endorsed by the Home Office.*
*We encourage you to do your own research about proof of age cards and the Visa and Immigration team cannot endorse or recommend a particular card or help with the application process.
Lost, stolen or damaged BRPs
If your BRP is lost, stolen or damaged, it must be reported to the Home Office. Once reported, you must apply for a replacement BRP. Failure to apply for a replacement BRP within the specified Home Office time limit may result in a fine of up to £1,000 and your permission to stay in the UK may be cancelled.
If your BRP was stolen you should also report this to the police.
When you receive a replacement BRP, you must take it to Cherry Tree Lodge so that we can take a scan for the University's records.
Book an appointment have your new BRP scanned