Collecting your BRP from the Post Office

Who is issued with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)?

If you are a non-EEA national, UKVI will place a 90-day entry-permit vignette in your passport that you use to enter the UK. You will also be issued with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), that you should collect from the nominated Post Office within 10 days of your arrival. Please keep the letter you receive when the visa is granted safe as you will need it to collect your BRP. For more information about the BRP, please visit https://www.gov.uk/brp.

Please note – if you are an EEA or Swiss national, UKVI will issue you with ‘secure digital status’ to confirm you have immigration permission as a student; you will not be issued a vignette in your passport nor will you need to collect a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) when you arrive. You can enter the UK via the e-gates which will scan the biometric chip in your passport and detect your permission to enter the UK.

 How will I know where to collect my BRP from?

Collecting your BRP is one of the first things you need to do once you arrive in the UK. Your BRP is evidence of your permission to enter and stay in the UK.

After your visa application has been decided, the UKVI will send you an email with the subject line: Your visa application: GWFXXXXXXX (the reference from your visa application). The subject line on the letter itself will be: Your application for a United Kingdom (UK) visa (vignette) has been successful.

This letter will give details of the Post Office you will be able to collect your BRP from. Check the details carefully as it should tell you that the BRP will be available two weeks from the date your visa has been issued and that you must collect the BRP before the entry permit in your passport expires, or within 10 days of arriving in the UK, whichever is the later.

Where are the participating Post Offices in Brighton and Eastbourne?

There are two Post Offices in Brighton participate in BRP collection they are:

London Road Post Office, 82 London Road, Brighton, BN1 4JF: https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you/post-office/london-road-bn1-4jf

• From Moulsecoomb Place and Mithras Halls: get bus number 24, 48 or 49 to London Road shops then walk (approx. 5 minutes).
• From Paddock Field and Great Wilkins: get bus number 25 or 25x to the Level then walk (approx. 10 minutes)
• From Varley Park: get bus number 24 to London Road shops then walk (approx. 5 minutes).

WH Smiths, Unit 2 Churchill Square, Brighton, BN1 2TA: https://www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder/2619075/brighton

• From Moulsecoomb Place and Mithras Halls: get bus number 24, 48 or 49 to Churchill Square.
• From Paddock Field and Great Wilkins: get bus number 25 or 25x to the Old Steine, then either walk (approx. 15 minutes) or catch a 24, 48, 49, 5, 5A or 5B to Churchill Square, or a 28 or 29 to Imperial Arcade (opposite Churchill Square).
• From Varley Park: get bus number 24 to Churchill Square.

All times are on Brighton and Hove Buses website Plan your journey – Brighton & Hove Buses and app.

The Post Office in Eastbourne which participates in BRP collection is:

Post Office, 110 Terminus Road, Eastbourne, BN21 3AL: https://www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder/0349070/eastbourne

I am under 18 and need to nominate a responsible adult to collect my BRP

If you are under 18 years of age, you will need to nominate a ‘Responsible Adult’ to collect the BRP with you using the online form you can find here Biometric residence permits (BRPs): What a BRP is – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). If you do not have a family member or guardian you can nominate to do this, please contact the International Advice and Support Team at visas@brighton.ac.uk and we can arrange for a member of the team to collect your BRP with you.

 

I am having problems collecting my BRP

If you have lost or never received the letter with details of which Post Office your BRP will be delivered to, or you go to the Post Office and your BRP is not there – you can report these issues to the UKVI using the link at the bottom of webpage: https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/getting-your-brp-if-you-applied-from-outside-the-uk.

If you wish to change the Post Office you collect your BRP from, you will need to arrange this directly with the Post Office branch you wish to use. This online branch finder lets you search by location – you will need to look for a branch that offers ‘BRP collection’. There is a fee payable to the Post Office for this.