United Kingdom | eVisa grace period extended

The U.K. government announced expired physical documentation will be accepted for international travel until June 1, 2025, for visa holders making the transition to the new eVisa system.

Key Points:

• As BAL reported, a grace period was previously announced until March 31, 2025, for visa holders making the transition to an eVisa.
• The government stated that carriers will now be allowed to accept a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or a Biometric Residence Card issued under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS BRC) that expire on or after Dec. 31, 2024, as valid evidence of permission to travel until June 1, 2025.
• Officials stated that effective June 2, expired BRPs and EUSS BRCs will no longer be acceptable evidence of immigration status when travelling to the U.K.

Additional Information: According to Home Office statistics, over four million U.K. visa holders have successfully created an account to access their eVisa, and an estimated 600,000 people have yet to switch.

The Home Office is transitioning to a new eVisa system to create a streamlined digital border and immigration system. The grace period is designed to ease the shift to the digital system and address technical issues faced by some visa holders. Officials stated that this update does not affect the way that Border Force conducts its passenger checks and that passengers will remain subject to the usual immigration checks and requirements.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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