A BRP expiry date and a visa expiry date are not the same thing. Your card may say it expired on 31 December 2024, but your visa permission can still run for years. Reviewing your expired BRP UK options early is the safest way to avoid problems at borders, with employers, or with landlords.
Does an Expired BRP Mean My UK Visa Has Ended?
The expiry of your BRP does not end your immigration permission. The Home Office issued most BRPs with a uniform end date of 31 December 2024, regardless of when your actual visa runs out. Your true leave to remain is shown in your Home Office grant letter, not on this card.
If your card has expired but your visa has not, you remain lawfully in the UK. The card itself, however, is no longer accepted as evidence. Since 1 June 2025, expired BRPs hold no legal weight at the UK border.
How to Get Your eVisa: The Step-by-Step Process
What an eVisa Is
An eVisa is the digital record of your immigration status that has replaced the physical BRP card. You access it through a free online UKVI account, run by UK Visas and Immigration. Setting up the account is the action every expired BRP holder needs to take.
What You Will Need
- Your expired BRP card, or the BRP number if you have lost it
- Your current passport
- An email address you can access
- A phone with a camera, or a webcam on a laptop
The Five Steps
- Go to gov.uk/evisa and click "set up a UKVI account"
- Download the free "UK Immigration: ID Check" app on your phone
- Use the app to scan your BRP card or passport to confirm your identity
- Set up your account details, including a recovery email and phone number
- Sign in to your UKVI account online to view your eVisa
The whole process is free. There is no fee to switch from a BRP to an eVisa.
Expired BRP UK Options: Two Critical Deadlines
Two dates decide how easy or hard your move to the eVisa will be.
The 18 Month Rule
Expired BRP UK options narrow sharply after a deadline. You have 18 months from your BRP expiry date to use the expired card to set up your account, with the cut-off for most holders at 30 June 2026. A Y & J Solicitors regularly advises those who have left this step late.
Linking Your Current Passport
Linking means saving your current passport details inside your UKVI account so the Home Office and airlines can match you to your eVisa. If you have renewed your passport since your last visa application, log in and update the passport details. Airlines run automated checks at check-in, and a mismatch can lead to refused boarding.
Proving Your Status After BRP Expiry
- Go to the "View and Prove" service on gov.uk
- Sign in to your UKVI account and choose the purpose of the check
- A share code is generated, valid for 90 days
- Send the code along with your date of birth to whoever needs it
- The service is free and you can generate as many codes as you need
A share code is the 9-character code you give to employers and landlords so they can check your immigration status online.
Travelling To and From the UK
Carrying an expired BRP no longer helps you travel. Since June 2025, it has held no value at UK borders. The only thing that matters at check-in is whether your eVisa can be matched to the passport you are carrying.
Your expired BRP UK options at the airport are limited if your account is not set up or your passport is not linked. If you are wrongly denied boarding, ask the airline to call the Home Office Carrier Support Hub, which runs 24 hours a day. Holders of indefinite leave to remain face the same digital checks as everyone else.
If You Cannot Access Your eVisa
Some problems do need professional help. A refused share code, a missing eVisa, or a passport mismatch at the airport can stop you from working or travelling for weeks. A Y & J Solicitors act swiftly on these cases when there is a question of delays, and you cannot afford to wait too long. If your situation raises any of these questions, contact us for a free initial consultation.