Expired BRPs and BRCs will not be accepted as evidence of immigration status when travelling to the UK from 2 June 2025
The Home Office announced yesterday that it is extending the 'grace period' for individuals transitioning to the eVisa system. Initially set to end on 31 March 2025, the grace period will now continue until 1 June 2025.
Image credit: WikipediaThe extension applies to individuals holding Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) or EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs) that expired on or after 31 December 2024. As long as they still have valid underlying immigration status, these individuals can continue using their expired documents for international travel until 1 June 2025.
The Home Office indicated, however, that 1 June 2025 will now be the effective new eVisa deadline and there will be no further extension of the grace period. The Home Office press release stated: "From the 2 June 2025, expired BRPs and EUSS BRCs will no longer be acceptable evidence of immigration status when travelling to the UK." The Government had previously said the end of the grace period would be 'kept under review'.
As we reported earlier on EIN, the Government announced in December 2024 that it would no longer proceed with the full implementation of eVisas from 1 January 2025, as originally planned, due to concerns that the cliff-edge deadline could create another Windrush-style scandal.
Yesterday, the Home Office said over 4 million people have now successfully transitioned to an eVisa, though an estimated 600,000 people are still yet to switch from their physical document to an eVisa.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, said the figures showing a significant majority of people had made the switch were encouraging. She added: "We continue to listen carefully to feedback, and our confirmation that expired immigration documents can be used for travel until June this year will help to further ensure the transition to eVisas continues to be as smooth as possible."
The Home Office continues to urge people who have yet to create an account to access their eVisa to do so as soon as possible. An updated Home Office media factsheet here has more information.