Home Office extends use of expired BRPs on the UK Immigration: ID Check app – a sign the eVisa transition is still unfinished

Previously, applicants could only use a BRP if it had expired less than 18 months earlier. It now appears that applicants can continue using an expired BRP where it expired less than 24 months ago, potentially avoiding the need to attend a biometric appointment in person.

BRPs were officially phased out on 31 December 2024 as part of the government’s move to a fully digital immigration status system based on eVisas. In theory, the shift away from physical cards should have reduced dependence on BRPs altogether. In practice, however, the digital process has not yet caught up. 

The majority of migrants who are not EU nationals cannot use their passport to verify their identity through the app, but instead must use their old BRP – even though the document itself has expired.

There had been a general expectation that by mid-2026 the Home Office would have updated the process so that non-EU applicants could verify their identity digitally without relying on a defunct physical document. Instead, by extending the period for which expired BRPs can still be used, the latest change suggests that the government is not yet ready to move to a fully online-only system in practice. The extension may be a pragmatic solution for applicants, but it also underlines the continuing gap between the policy ambition of eVisas and the operational reality of the application process.

At present, the UK Immigration: ID Check app can generally be used by applicants who are permitted by their route to verify their identity digitally. This includes EU, EEA and Swiss nationals using a biometric passport, certain British National (Overseas) applicants using an eligible passport, and other in-country applicants who can rely on biometric reuse by scanning an expired BRP.

Applicants who cannot use an eligible biometric passport or an acceptable BRP through the app will usually still need to attend a biometric appointment in person as part of the application process.

Importantly, this is another reason why applicants should now keep hold of their previous physical BRPs. Previously, the Home Office advised that applicants should return their expired BRPs to a specified address, and that failing to do so could result in having to pay a penalty of £1,000. That position has now changed, and the government’s current advice is that applicants should keep their expired BRP, to help with future applications to stay in the UK.

For applicants and advisers alike, the message is clear: despite the formal end of BRPs, these cards continue to be needed in parts of the immigration system. The Home Office’s apparent extension from 18 months to 24 months will be welcome news for those who may otherwise have needed to book and attend an appointment, but it also reinforces that the transition to eVisas is still very much a work in progress.

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