# Forgot to take biometric resident permit on holiday



## Anwesha (Apr 20, 2014)

Hi , 
I and my husband have indian passports with Indefinite leave to remain in UK. We are on a holiday to Germany. I realised I have left my resident permit at home while on flight. Please advice on what is the procedure to return to london. 
I am worried Easyjet flight people from Munich airport will not allow me to board the flight back home if I cant show them the permit.
I do have a scan copy of the card with me.
Will they accept the scan copy? 
Please help urgently.
Anwesha


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## ashkevron (May 1, 2012)

I don't know how resident permits work but unless you have the UK visa in the passport it's unlikely they would accept a scanned copy, you should probably ring them and ask. But you also have to worry about the border in the UK. Can you not get someone to send it to you via DHL or something? They are a bit pricey but normally very fast and reliable.


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## Anwesha (Apr 20, 2014)

Hi, 
No unfortunately I will not be able to get it via courier. Unless my husband goes back and sends it to me.in which case I will be stranded here alone.


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## ashkevron (May 1, 2012)

I don't know, maybe Joppa or someone else will know but the forum is a bit quiet today. Maybe you could ring British embassy on Tuesday and ask them and they could provide you with something. If it was me, I'd ask my husband to go by plane and return with the card, but there may be easier solutions. Or you could stay for additional two days at the end of your holiday and your husband could go back as planned and courier it to you. It's not the end of the world even if you have to stay for a couple of days on your own, just don't let it destroy your holiday.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

UK border is relatively easy, as they can verify you do have BRP. The only thing is it will take time, maybe 10-20 min while they take your fingerprints and check their database.
Your real problem, as you have said, is with easyJet check-in for your return flight. They will not let you board the flight without UK visa or BRP, as they have to follow a procedure for checking travel documents and can be fined heavily (£5,000 to £10,000) for carrying undocumented passenger. All you can do is to go to the airport early (say 3 hours before your flight), find an easyJet agent and ask them to contact the UK Border Force at the UK arriving airport and get confirmation you can be admitted. If it doesn't work, you can either get someone to send your BRP, or travel to Paris, book an Eurostar ticket to London and get admitted into UK at the UK border control before you board the train. Someone did this recently and was successful. This will obviously cost you extra train fares.


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## Anwesha (Apr 20, 2014)

Hi,
As expected easy jet did not let me fly. Mu husband went back n used feedex to courier my brp. I will be flying back tomo once I receive it. Meanwhile visited and toured the city of munich. 
The important thing is that - we did go early and told the easyjet person available there. He contacted the easyjet visa liason officer who told a no. 
My husband went back and asked to meet the chief immigration officer at gatwick airport. The immigration officer was a very nice person and told specifically that since I had indefinite leave to remain no one could deny me flying back. The easyJet person should have contacted the immigration office at gatwick which he didnt do. They went thro all call lists but could not find any call from easyjet person. 
If he had done that or if we knew the process we could have insisted on him contact ing the chief immigration officer at Gatwick but since we didnt know we had to take his words.
On the whole for everybodys knowledge I have shared my experience here.
Please insist on contacting the chief immigration officer at your landing airport and they could issue the permission for you to fly.
I have got feedbacks from others that british airways flight personnel are not that bad. Even though all airlines have the same procedure. They know exactly how to n whom to deal with in such cases . At least they are customer friendly being a big company. 
Anyways experience makes you learn.
Never forget ur brp.
Anwesha


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

So just as I have predicted. It's standard procedure for the airline to contact the CIO at the UK arriving airport to ask about a passenger's admissibility. I even saw in a documentary easyJet staff do it at Luton when someone's passport was damaged and they rang the immigration office at the arrival airport (in France I seem to remember) whether it's ok for the passenger to fly.
Your case was difficult because you are a visa national. An American or Australian wouldn't have faced the same problem as they don't need a visa to enter UK as visitor, and their BRP details can be verified at the UK border.
Munich is very nice - one of my favourite German cities.


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## caesarsoprano (Dec 28, 2014)

Thank you all very much for this posting. Your experiences and advice has saved us on our way back from Cyprus. We contacted the immigration officer at Gatwick and on arrival at the Cypriot airport, the duty officer rang him to confirm my wife's details. She was given clearance and I am hoping there is no further problem at check-in. A greater amount of stress with a very small baby! Thank you again.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Since the original post and replies, there has been a change in rules and those who failed to take their BRP or lost it while abroad now needs to get 'replacement BRP visa' before returning to UK. It costs £72 and is valid for one way entry only. See https://www.gov.uk/replace-brp. Or if there is enough time, someone can courier your BRP in time for your return journey.


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## caesarsoprano (Dec 28, 2014)

This is only for lost BRPs. You can only apply on return to the UK hence of course they would let you enter on checking details at the admitting airport.


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

caesarsoprano said:


> This is only for lost BRPs. You can only apply on return to the UK hence of course they would let you enter on checking details at the admitting airport.


No, this is what it says.....

_Replace your BRP if you’re outside the UK
You can’t apply for a new BRP until you’re back in the UK. Instead, you must apply for a ‘replacement BRP visa’ which you can use once to re-enter the UK. A replacement BRP visa costs £72._

And of course the warning of £1000 fine and/or removal of permission to stay if you fail to do so.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

caesarsoprano said:


> This is only for lost BRPs. You can only apply on return to the UK hence of course they would let you enter on checking details at the admitting airport.


No. The rule has changed completely since April 2014 and there is no more verifying at UK border to let you back in. Whether you forgot your BRP or lost it while abroad, you MUST get replacement BRP visa and enter with it - there is no other way. This is the danger of reading an older thread and thinking it applies to you. There are newer threads - including one just a day or so ago - where people left UK without their BRP or lost their BRP and hasn't yet been replaced and had to apply for one-way visa to re-enter UK.


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## perfectisboring (Feb 9, 2013)

Joppa said:


> No. The rule has changed completely since April 2014 and there is no more verifying at UK border to let you back in. Whether you forgot your BRP or lost it while abroad, you MUST get replacement BRP visa and enter with it - there is no other way. This is the danger of reading an older thread and thinking it applies to you. There are newer threads - including one just a day or so ago - where people left UK without their BRP or lost their BRP and hasn't yet been replaced and had to apply for one-way visa to re-enter UK.


This is all true! I lost my BRP card abroad (I'm on a FLR(M) visa for two years) and I have to get a replacement BRP visa to get back into the UK and get a new card. Every resource I checked said I would not be admitted back in without this visa. So, it's best to play it safe and get the visa rather than trying to fly and being refused.


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## caesarsoprano (Dec 28, 2014)

Interesting. We were thankfully allowed through but best to stick to these rules if they have come into place. Unfortunately with the holiday period our local consulate was closed and it was difficult to know where to turn to. All the best!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes, I have heard of anecdotal accounts of people without BRP (lost, forgot to take etc) being readmitted without replacement BRP visa, but the rule is very clear and if you happen to meet a particularly fussy immigration officer, being turned away is a real possibility, and they have the legal power to do so.


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## caesarsoprano (Dec 28, 2014)

Glad this forum has been updated. It comes up pretty high in a Google search so other people may well refer to it.


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## satha1122 (Apr 8, 2015)

hi pretty urgent!!!
I have the same problem forgetting my BRP in England and I got an airplane back to London this Saturday, really wanna make sure the current rule, will I be able to let in???
Many many thanks!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Not without replacement BPR visa. Or get someone in UK to courier your BRP to you through FedEx etc. You may just get it in time.


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## cherryvv (Dec 16, 2014)

Hi, I am recently successfully granted uk spouse visa and has received the bimetric residence permit card. My Malaysian passport visa stated as multi entry. 

Urgent, Could someone advise if i can travel to any other european countries by holding card above, thinking of traveling to Greece next month for holiday. 

Do i need to apply Schengen visa?? 

If no need to apply any visa, does it mean that i can just book my flight using my current passport number and its detail would do?? 

Btw, I will travel with my british husband together.

Thank you very much, urgent!

Thank you.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

You need Schengen visa if your nationality requires it. Only those who are in UK under the EU rules with residence card can travel through Schengen area without separate visa if they are travelling together, or they are joining their EEA partner at the destination. The good thing is your visa should be readily granted and you don't have to pay for it, though for some countries escaping application or handling charge can be difficult, as they use commercial partner to handle applications. And with luck they may issue a multi-entry visa valid a year or more, so that you don't have to get a new visa each time you travel, though each visit is limited to 90-in-180 days.


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## cherryvv (Dec 16, 2014)

Dear Joppa thank you so much for quick reply. 

The Schengen Visa
I checked abv website that my nationality Malaysia is not require to apply. Is that all right? 
Does it mean that i can just book my flight using my current passport number and its detail would do??

I will be traveling with my husband (uk citizen). 

Thank you, I have looked at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk but no anwer for it.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Malaysians don't need Schengen visa for travel for 90-in-180 days, so you can book with your Malaysian passport details.


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## cherryvv (Dec 16, 2014)

Joppa you are star. xxx


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## cherryvv (Dec 16, 2014)

One more quick question, if i have further questions abt travelling details in furture, which goverment webs or contact number i can check? 
below webs have no or no much details: 
https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk 
The Schengen Visa 

Thank you again xx


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Or here?


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## cherryvv (Dec 16, 2014)

Yeah yes you and this site have been guiding me a lot. Most helpful site, Brilliant!!


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