Lost Documents

Lost or stolen passports in the UK

If you are certain that your passport is lost or stolen, please contact us for advice immediately, by emailing us. 

If you think you might have lost your passport, allow five working days for your passport to be handed in to the police or UEA security.  Check your bag, room and accommodation and contact the Library, Security, Norfolk Police and places you have recently visited.  If you still cannot find it after five working days, please contact us.  

You should also report your lost or stolen passport to your embassy or passport office.
 

Lost or stolen passports abroad

If you have lost your passport or had it stolen you should report this to the local police where your passport was lost or stolen. You must get a police reference or report.  If you are in your home country, you can apply for a passport as you normally would.
 

Get a new passport

Check your country’s government embassy website in the UK or other governmental website to find out how to apply for a new passport. All countries have different procedures.

Once you get a new passport you must let UKVI know by completing a change of circumstances form. This is something Student Life can help you to complete if you are unsure of anything.

You should also contact the Student Visa Compliance Team by email to inform them you have a new passport.

If you are certain that your BRP card is lost or stolen, please contact us for advice immediately.  

If you think you might have lost your BRP card, allow five working days for your visa to be handed in to the police or UEA security.  Check your bag, room and accommodation and contact the Library, Security, Norfolk Police and places you have recently visited.  If you still cannot find it after five working days, please contact us.
 

Report a lost or stolen BRP card

You must inform us if your BRP card has been lost or stolen by emailing Student Life.  

You must report your lost or stolen BRP card to the police as soon as possible wherever it went missing.  If it was lost or stolen in Norwich, you can report it online. You must make sure you get a police report number or a crime reference number if your BRP card was stolen. If your BRP visa was lost, you cannot get a crime reference number.

You must also report your BRP card as lost or stolen to the Home Office and apply for a replacement within three months of losing it.  Failure to do this may result in a £1,000 fine or a shortened visa.
 

Apply for a new BRP card

Student Life can help you to apply for a replacement BRP card and can provide you with a help guide so you know which documents you might need to provide alongside your visa application.  Please email us to request our help guide and for assistance with your visa application.

You can apply for a replacement BRP card online. This takes approximately eight weeks using the standard service. If you want a faster service, you will need to pay an extra fee.

You will receive a document checklist at the end of your application with a list of documents you will be required to submit. 

These may include: 

• Passport 
• Police report or reference number, if your passport was stolen 
• Any Home Office letters about your visa 
• Proof of identity (for example, bills, bank statement, letter confirming registration with a doctor). 
• Letter of consent 
• Police Registration Certificate 

Once you have completed and sent your online application, you will need to book an appointment at the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services to have your documents scanned and to give your biometrics. There is an additional fee for this service. 

You can use the following address to have your new Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) delivered to UEA for us to check it has no errors: 

UEA Postroom – Student Life Team 
University of East Anglia 
Norwich Research Park 
Norwich 
NR4 7TJ 

We will email you to collect your visa as soon as we receive it. 

This information is only relevant if your visa was in your passport and you lost it in the UK. The visa you got from your home country is called an Entry Clearance visa and is a sticker in your passport.

You must report your lost or stolen passport and visa vignette to the police as soon as possible wherever it went missing.  If it was lost or stolen in Norwich, you can report it online. You must make sure you get a police report number or a crime reference number if your visa vignette was stolen. If your visa vignette was lost, you cannot get a crime reference number.

You must have a new passport before you can apply for a new visa.  See ‘Lost Passports’ above for information on how to apply for a new one. 

You must inform us as soon as possible if your BRP card has been lost or stolen abroad by emailing Student Life. Student Life can help you to apply for a replacement BRP card and can provide you with a help guide so you know which documents you might need to provide alongside your visa application. Please email us to request our help guide and for assistance with your visa application.

If your passport has also been lost or stolen, you must get a new passport or temporary travel document before getting a replacement visa. You can see ‘Lost Passports’ for information about how to apply for a new one.
 

Report a lost or stolen BRP card

You must report your lost or stolen BRP card to the police as soon as possible.  If your BRP card has been lost or stolen abroad, you should report this to the local police where your BRP card was lost or stolen. You must get a police reference or report.

You must also report your BRP card as lost or stolen to the Home Office as soon as possible.
 

Apply for a BRP Replacement (Single Entry) Visa

Once you have your new passport or temporary travel document (if you also lost your passport) you can apply for a visa to return to the UK.  When you apply for a replacement BRP visa from outside the UK, you get a single journey visa in the form of a sticker in your passport.  You can only use this visa to return to the UK once.  Once you have returned to the UK, you will have to apply for a replacement BRP.

Student Life can help you to apply for a replacement (single entry) visa and can provide you with a help guide so you can find out more about how this process works.  Please email us to request our help guide and for assistance with your visa application.

You can apply for a BRP replacement (single entry) visa online. If it is available, you should pay the extra fee to use a faster service, as the standard service can take approximately eight weeks.

How to apply

You can apply online for the Replacement BRP (Single Entry) visa.

You will need to attend an interview at a Visa Application Centre. This process can vary in different countries. In some countries they may offer a premium service, which will be quicker but cost more.  You can find a visa application centre near you on the Gov UK website.

You will receive a document checklist at the end of your application with a list of documents you will be required to submit. 

These may include: 

• Passport/temporary travel document
• Confirmation of Studies Letter – you can print this from your eVision page.
• Police Report 
• All documents must be in English or translated into English if needed. You should be able to find local official translators online.

When you have received your Replacement BRP (Single Entry) visa to return to the UK and have arrived back in the UK, you must apply for a replacement BRP visa within one month.

Your university course

If you miss more than two weeks of your course, you may need to interrupt your studies (take a break from your course) and start again at a later date. It is a good idea to email your School as soon as possible to let them know of your situation.

For any questions regarding the conditions of your visa and the visa implications of an interruption to studies, please email Student Life.
 

Time considerations

It may take several weeks to get your new passport and a replacement visa.  If your bank card has been stolen you should contact your bank to let them know and arrange financial support for yourself while abroad.  If you need advice regarding financial support, please email Student Life.

If you have lost your BRP card and passport whilst on holiday (not in your home country) you may prefer to travel to your home country once you have a new passport and apply for a BRP Replacement (single entry) visa from there.  It can take several weeks to get a replacement visa and you may prefer to, and find it cheaper to, travel home and apply and wait for your replacement visa from there.
 

Travel insurance

If you have travel insurance, it may cover replacement passports and visas.  Save all your receipts for translations, postage, and the passport and visa replacement fee. Your insurance might also cover your hotel bills and living costs whilst you are stuck abroad. Check the details of your travel insurance policy carefully.

• Student Life Team – student.life@uea.ac.uk
• Gov UK – information if your BRP is lost or stolen
• Find your local embassy – to apply for a new passport