BRP stands for biometric residence permit (BRP).
A biometric residence permit (BRP) contains a range of information about the holder such as:
Their name;
Date of birth;
Place of birth;
Their biometric information (facial image and fingerprints);
Their immigration status along with any conditions of their stay;
Their entitlement to any public funds (i.e. benefits or health services).
Some BRPs will have a National Insurance (NI) number printed on the back of them, however, this is not a feature of all BRPs. The inclusion of the National Insurance number depends on various factors, such as when the BRP was issued and the holder’s immigration status.
You will usually require a biometric residence permit if you have:
Applied to come to the UK for longer than 6 months;
Extended your visa to longer than 6 months;
Applied to settle in the UK;
Transferred your visa to a new passport; or
Applied for certain Home Office travel documents.
A biometric residence card is used as a means of identification and proof of your right to stay, study, or work in the UK.
When applying for a BRP, you will need to submit your biometric information (a facial image and fingerprints). To submit your biometric information, you will be firstly required to provide your biometric information (a facial image and fingerprints). To do this, you will need to:
Have a photo taken of your face.
Put your fingers on a glass screen to be scanned.
You will not be required to remove your head covering when having your photo taken, and if you don’t have fingers, you will only need to have your photo taken.
If you're applying from outside the UK, you'll need to visit a visa application centre to provide your biometric information. If you're applying from within the UK, you can visit a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service (UKVCAS) service point or Service and Support Center (SSC) to complete this step.
How long it takes to get your biometric residence permit will depend on where you submitted your immigration or visa application.
If you applied from within the UK, it should take around 10 working days to get your biometric residence permit once you have received your Home Office decision letter which confirms your right to stay in the UK. Your BRP will be sent to your address.
If you applied outside of the UK, you'll need to collect your BRP in-person once you arrive in the UK. This must be done before the vignette sticker in your travel document expires, or within 10 days of arriving in the UK (whichever is later). Your decision letter will specify whether you need to collect your BRP at a designated Post Office branch or from your sponsor, and you must be at least 18 years old to do so.
If your BRP has not arrived then you can contact the delivery company (TNT) if the following applies:
Your BRP has not arrived within 10 working days of you getting your decision letter; and
You missed the delivery of your BRP.
When you contact TNT, you will need to following information to hand:
The postcode of the address which you provided in your application; and
Your consignment number (the permanent reference number for the shipment).