# Will copy of BRP suffice at the airport?



## Patronus (Dec 9, 2013)

Hi all,

I searched the forums and despite some some good answers by Joppa, my situation is potentially tricky and I need advice. I have to fly to South Africa on short notice and can't find my BRP. It's not stolen, I just can't find it. I'm in the very final phase of my Tier 1 visa and in Feb/March I must apply for ILR. Going through the process of getting a new BRP will take longer than just getting ILR, so applying for a replacement won't make sense. There's no time anyway, I need to fly soon. UKBA doesn't have any way of handling a situation like this. Incredible, actually, in this day and age.
Of course getting to SA is no problem, and getting into the UK is no problem, my real issue is getting on the airplane back to the UK without the BRP. I'm flying Emirates via Dubai, to the UK. I have a copy of my BRP, the question is whether it will be sufficient for Emirates to let me on the plane. Can they verify my residency status from a place like Johannesburg? I'm flying during UK daytime, so theoretically they can check with UKBA, but do they? I called UKBA who couldn't really provide advice other than saying I must report my BRP lost or stolen and get a new one. I don't want to do that because it may very well still surface, plus I have a time issue. Let's assume the BRP won't surface. I called the British consulate in SA who were of absolutely no help, in fact they took 30 minutes on the phone to eventually refer me to a document on the UKBA website which after careful examination doesn't apply to me. It is the returning resident visa, which I'm not according to the definition on the form. Plus it will apparently take 3+ weeks on the SA side to issue the visa (but clearly they don't even know which visa I need). I don't mind following the procedure but it looks like there is no reasonable procedure to follow.
What do I do? It's not the type of trip that I can get out of.

Thanks


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Don't report the BRP as lost just yet and go to S.A. _without_ the photocopy of the BRP.

When you get to the UK border upon your return, just tell the Immigration Officer that you have forgotten it. They'll have to do some checking and you may be delayed while they check, but they will let you back in. Don't worry about doing things this way... I can assure you that you _are *not*_ the first person to leave the UK without their BRP and you certainly won't be the last one either. 

ETA: the airline really shouldn't have any issue with the BRP... their main concern is that a) you have a passport and b) it's still valid.

This won't have any adverse effect on your ILR application next year.

If the card hasn't re-surfaced by the New Year, then report it as being lost.


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## Patronus (Dec 9, 2013)

Hi WestCoastCanadianGirl,

The airlines are obliged to check that you have the correct visa for the destination country. If they slip up they get massive fines, so they are overly cautious. With my SA passport they either want to see a visa or BRP. I have to present it to the airline every single time I depart back to the UK, irrespective of the country that I fly from. Recently in Turkey I had to show it I think 3 or 4 times during the process or checking in, boarding, etc. In SA you have to show it 2 or 3 times: once before you get into the check-in queue, then at the check-in desk and again before you enter the plane. The airline won't let you through without it.
As I said in my original post, if I can get to the UK border, no problem. The problem is getting on the plane and I want to know if a copy of my BRP will suffice. Will Emirates be able to check my residency status on-line or otherwise.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

There is always a risk involved in leaving UK without your BRP, and boarding a flight back to UK will pose a big question. You must show documentary evidence of being allowed to enter UK, such as a visa or BRP, as South Africans are visa nationals. Showing a photocopy of your BRP is unlikely to work.
So my recommendation is to apply for a replacement or cancel/postpone your trip. If you don't replace a lost BRP, you can be fined up to £1,000 or they can cut short your stay in UK, as it's an immigration offence.


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## Patronus (Dec 9, 2013)

Thanks for the reply, Joppa. I can't cancel or postpone my trip unfortunately.

I don't foresee problems at the UK border. I fly very often for work so a border official recently told me to always carry a copy of my BRP in case I lost it while overseas, in order to get back in. I hope this situation has not changed in recent months?

My question was whether airlines such as Emirates in SA can verify my residency in order to allow me on the plane. I guess the answer is unknown. My next question is therefore whether they can verify this type of thing in France because I can probably fly to Paris and get on a plane/train to the UK from there. I do have a valid Schengen visa so getting to France is no problem. Do they have access to the fingerprint database and/or BRP index on the French side?

Back to the reply from Joppa. My first choice would be to report my BRP as lost when I arrive in SA and to follow the procedure correctly, and to get back into the UK using a (temporary) replacement BRP or whatever visa they issue under such circumstances. It just looks like it will take a long time and nobody there seems to know the process. I don't mind reporting my BRP as missing, and following the correct process, if it actually turns out to be missing, however I'm unsure what will happen when I apply for a replacement BNP when I'm back in the UK and two weeks later I apply for ILR. Does my ILR application get held back because I applied for a (by then obsolete) Tier 1 BNP?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Don't worry about replacing lost BRP and ILR application.
I still think you are facing a big hassle trying to board your return flight. Airlines don't normally check with UKBA about individual passenger's immigration status - it's up to you to provide appropriate official documents such as a visa or BRP. While some UK airlines have been known to contact the UKBA office at the arriving airport to find out about a passenger's eligibility for entry, I don't known if Emirates will do so. It's easier for them just to refuse you and tell you to get official document.
Probably it's a good idea to come via Eurostar as there is UK border control at Gare du Nord.


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## Patronus (Dec 9, 2013)

Joppa, thanks for your help. If my BRP is picked up by someone and handed in to the police, is there any chance that it will be cancelled without my knowledge? A distant but real risk is making it all the way to the UK border and then I show them a copy of a BRP which has been reported as lost/stolen/cancelled (not by me) on their system. And then I have a problem!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Probably not, unless you have reported to UKBA as lost, and these things take time.


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