Lost passports and visas

If your passport and/or Tier 4 or Student Visa is lost or stolen the first thing you should do is to report this to the local police. Whether this is in the UK or abroad you should normally be issued with a police report or a crime reference number, which you will need when applying to replace your missing documents.

Passports

If your passport is lost or stolen whether in the UK or abroad you will need to apply to your Embassy or Consulate for a replacement passport or travel document. Once you have obtained this, if you also have to replace a missing Tier 4 Visa, then the procedure you follow depends on whether you are inside the UK or abroad, and the format that was used to issue your visa.

Visa issued inside passport

If lost when you are abroad

If your lost/stolen visa was issued as a sticker (vignette) on to a page in your passport and this passport is now missing you will have to make a new Tier 4 application and submit the full application fee to the British Embassy in the country where visa was lost or stolen. You can apply online.

As you are applying for a replacement visa you would not normally have to submit evidence of maintenance, and you should use your old CAS number that you used to apply for the visa that is missing. If you need a note of your CAS number you can obtain a copy either from your school or from ISAO. You will have to provide details of the police report in your application. Once your replacement visa has been issued into your new passport you can then make arrangements to travel to the UK.

If you are overseas on a Schengen visa, you must ensure that your lost passport/visa does not lead to you staying in that country after your Schengen visa has expired. In some cases this may mean that you have to return to your home country before applying to come back to the UK.

If lost whilst in the UK

Once you have obtained your new passport you will need to submit a Transfer of Conditions (TOC) application to the Home Office at a cost of £161. Please contact the Student information desk to arrange to see an advisor for assistance on completing your TOC application, and guidance on the supporting documents required.

Visa issued on a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card

If lost when you are abroad

If your lost visa was in the form of a BRP visa card you will first need to report the loss to the Police and then apply for a Replacement BRP in order to get in to the UK and finally apply for a replacement card.

Reporting the loss

If your BRP visa card is lost or stolen abroad you must first contact the local police, report to them the circumstances under which the card has gone missing, and obtain a police report or crime reference number. You must then apply for replacement BRP to enter the UK, as detailed below.

Replacement BRP Visa to enter UK

The Replacement BRP Visa will only be valid for one month and it does not replace the lost visa - it is only designed to get you back in to the UK. You can apply online at a cost of £154(or local currency equivalent). In your application for your Replacement BRP visa you should choose the following options when creating your online application form:

Reason for visit - Other
Visa type - Others
Visa sub type - Replacement Biometric Residence Permit

When completing your online application you will have the opportunity towards the end of the form to provide additional information on the circumstances under which your BRP card has been lost or stolen, and details of the police/crime report.

Replacing the BRP visa card

Once you have returned to the UK you will need to apply to the Home Office for a replacement BRP visa card at a cost of £56 using online BRP Replacement Form. You should apply as soon as possible after you are back in the UK so that you do not forget to do this. Failure to apply for your new BRP card within one month of returning to the UK can lead to a fine of up to £1,000. If you need assistance when completing the online form please contact the Visa Advice and Compliance team by going to FAQs, selecting BRPs and then submitting an enquiry via the Student Portal.

If lost while in the UK

If your BRP visa card is lost or stolen in the UK you must first contact the local police, report to them the circumstances under which the card has gone missing, and obtain a police report or crime reference number. You must then report the loss to the Home Office and apply for replacement by completing the online form. The cost of the replacement BRP£56. You should apply as soon as possible so that you do not forget to do this. Failure to apply for your new BRP card within the three month deadline after card loss can lead to a fine of up to £1,000. If you need assistance when completing the BRP(RC) application form please contact the Visa Advice and Compliance team by going to FAQs, selecting BRPs and then submitting an enquiry via the Student Portal.

Student information desk

Our Visa Advice and Compliance team are available to answer your enquiries through the Student Portal. You can also view frequently asked questions (FAQs) for many topics related to International students studying at our Scottish campuses.