Visas and Immigration for study in the UK

Collecting your BRP

When you arrive in the UK, you'll need to collect your BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) from the university or a local Post Office.

When you make a Student Visa application from outside the UK, you will usually be granted a short visa in your passport (called a vignette). Your vignette should normally be 90 days in length, and will allow you to enter the UK.

The rest of your visa duration will be recorded on a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). You can collect your BRP when you arrive in the UK. The BRP is a card which holds information about you, your visa, and also your biometric data in a chip.

PLEASE NOTE: Your BRP is not the same as your student ID card. Your student ID is called a Greenwich Gateway card, and can only be used at the university and partner colleges (further information here). Your BRP is an official government document that demonstrates your immigration status in the UK.

Collecting your BRP

When you make your application you will need to choose when to collect your BRP from. You will need to use a code (called an ACL code) from your CAS to make this choice (please note that this code is campus specific). We recommend you use this code to choose the university for collection of the BRP.  Alternatively, you can choose to have it delivered to a local Post Office.

The address of your BRP collection point will be shown on your decision letter.

You must collect your BRP within 10 days of arriving in the UK, or before the expiry of the visa in your passport (whichever is the latest date). If you do not collect your BRP, you can potentially be given a fine, so it is very important that you collect it as soon as you can.

Collection from the university

If you choose to collect your BRP card from the university, it will be available to collect from the Student Centre on your specific campus.

To collect your BRP, you must have your passport, visa vignette, and also the decision letter issued by UKVI.

During the first 3 weeks of term, this is how you can collect your card from the Student Centres at the following campuses:

  • Greenwich Campus - Book a slot using the QR codes once on campus
  • For collection at the Avery Hill or Medway Campuses – the Student Centres will have information on what times BRPs can be collected from each day

Note: Term dates can be found here.

Collection from the Post Office

If you would like to collect your BRP from the Post Office, you can use their branch finder to locate the branch closest to your accommodation. Please note that only some Post Offices will offer this service.

If you collect your BRP from the Post Office, it's important to note that you will need to provide a copy of both the front and the back of your BRP to the university. This is because the university is required to keep a copy of your BRP.  You will be able to provide a copy of the BRP by visiting a Student Centre or by contacting the Student Visa Compliance Team at: studentvisa@gre.ac.uk

The nearest Post Office to the Greenwich Maritime and Avery Hill campuses that offers BRP collection is the Lewisham Branch: 59 Riverdale Lewisham Centre, SE13 7EP (Google Maps link)

The nearest Post Office to the Medway campus that offers BRP collection is the Chatham Branch: 17-19 Military Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4JG (Google Maps link)

To collect your BRP, you must have your passport, visa vignette, and also the decision letter issued by UKVI.

BRP errors

Your BRP will include:

  • your name, date and place of birth
  • the data of your fingerprints and a photo of your face
  • your immigration status and any conditions of your stay
  • whether you can access public funds, for example benefits and health services

Please check these details are correct. Any errors need to reported to UKVI within 10 days. You should also inform the university by visiting the Student Centre.

You can contact the International Student Advice Service for guidance if you have a query with the information on your BRP.

Under 18s

If you are under the age of 18, you will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult when you collect your BRP. You cannot collect it yourself.

To do this at the Post Office, you must nominate someone you trust who can go with you. They will need to provide evidence of their identity. Please allow enough time for the nomination to be approved.

If you collect your BRP from the university, you do not need to nominate someone.

Dependants

If you are travelling to the UK with dependants, you will need to show their passport(s) and their decision letter(s) to collect their BRP(s).

Further information

For further information please see UKVI guidance on collecting your BRP.