Passport has expired, do I have to transfer my visa to a new passport?
One of the most commonly asked question! Variation includes 'Do I have to
transfer my ILR to a new passport?' Or 'Do I have to do anything with my
Biometric Residence Permit (visa card) if my passport has expired?'.
The short answer would be 'No, you don't have to. You can travel with both passports'. UK visas don't expire if passport has expired (bar one exception I can think of, below).
If your passport has expired but you have an ILR stamp in the old one (Indefinite Leave to Remain, permanent residency), then you don't have to do anything. You can just travel with both passports. Or you can transfer an ILR to a new passport if you want to, though now it will be a visa card and not a stamp in the passport.
If your passport has expired but you have a limited leave to remain (visa but not a permanent one) in the old passport, then again you don't have to do anything. You can just travel with both passports. Or you can transfer to a new passport if you want to, though now it will be a visa card and not a stamp in the passport. This applies to all visa categories, such as if you have Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 4, Tier 5 visas, for example, or Spouse/Partner visa, or Ancestral etc. There is no obligation to do anything.
If your passport has expired but you have a Biometric Residence Permit (visa card, not a stamp in the passport), connected to the old passport, then again you don't have to do anything.
In all the above cases you can apply to transfer a visa, if you wish so. In most cases it will be a visa card (except European applications and those on humanitarian or discretionary grounds).
There is no particular benefit in doing so, except if you lost your passport and a visa with it; or except when an ILR stamp is an old ink stamp issued many years ago and you get asked about it every time at the airport or have to carry too many old passports.
Different rules apply if you lost your passport but it is not a subject of this post.
If you have a visa under European law, such as an EEA Residence Card (5 years) or Permanent Residency under the European law, then you don't have to do anything at all when your passport expires. There is no procedure to transfer a visa stamp, it would also be like a new application but there is no need to do so, instead you can travel with both passports.
Documents like Blue, Yellow etc certificates of Bulgarian/Romanian citizens are in a separate booklet, not in the passport. They don't need to be replaced when passport changes.
Exception: as above, UK visas don't expire when passports expire. However, I can think of one exception: a 'visa', stamp in the passport, called Certificate of Entitlement to a Right of Abode. This one is issued for the duration of the passport only and needs to be replaced every time a new passport is issued.
For more advice or visa applications contact us on info@1st4immigration.com or visit www.1st4immigration.com
The short answer would be 'No, you don't have to. You can travel with both passports'. UK visas don't expire if passport has expired (bar one exception I can think of, below).
If your passport has expired but you have an ILR stamp in the old one (Indefinite Leave to Remain, permanent residency), then you don't have to do anything. You can just travel with both passports. Or you can transfer an ILR to a new passport if you want to, though now it will be a visa card and not a stamp in the passport.
If your passport has expired but you have a limited leave to remain (visa but not a permanent one) in the old passport, then again you don't have to do anything. You can just travel with both passports. Or you can transfer to a new passport if you want to, though now it will be a visa card and not a stamp in the passport. This applies to all visa categories, such as if you have Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 4, Tier 5 visas, for example, or Spouse/Partner visa, or Ancestral etc. There is no obligation to do anything.
If your passport has expired but you have a Biometric Residence Permit (visa card, not a stamp in the passport), connected to the old passport, then again you don't have to do anything.
In all the above cases you can apply to transfer a visa, if you wish so. In most cases it will be a visa card (except European applications and those on humanitarian or discretionary grounds).
There is no particular benefit in doing so, except if you lost your passport and a visa with it; or except when an ILR stamp is an old ink stamp issued many years ago and you get asked about it every time at the airport or have to carry too many old passports.
Different rules apply if you lost your passport but it is not a subject of this post.
If you have a visa under European law, such as an EEA Residence Card (5 years) or Permanent Residency under the European law, then you don't have to do anything at all when your passport expires. There is no procedure to transfer a visa stamp, it would also be like a new application but there is no need to do so, instead you can travel with both passports.
Documents like Blue, Yellow etc certificates of Bulgarian/Romanian citizens are in a separate booklet, not in the passport. They don't need to be replaced when passport changes.
Exception: as above, UK visas don't expire when passports expire. However, I can think of one exception: a 'visa', stamp in the passport, called Certificate of Entitlement to a Right of Abode. This one is issued for the duration of the passport only and needs to be replaced every time a new passport is issued.
For more advice or visa applications contact us on info@1st4immigration.com or visit www.1st4immigration.com
