What replaced the UK biometric residence permit card in 2026?

A BRP showed identity details and confirmed that you held leave to remain or enter under a named route. People who received permission on or before 31 October 2024 may still hold an expired card. The card was never the permission itself; it was evidence of permission already granted by the Home Office.

You can no longer apply for a replacement BRP as your ongoing status document. If your underlying permission continues, the live record is the eVisa inside your UKVI account.

An eVisa is a digital record of identity and immigration status, including conditions such as work or study rights. When someone needs proof, you generate a share code from the official view-and-prove service and give them the code plus your date of birth. A share code lasts 90 days and can be reused during that window; you can create a new one whenever needed.

Employers and landlords check through government services rather than inspecting a chip card. Carriers and border processes also expect your current passport to be linked correctly to the account before travel.

This page explains what changed and what the old card represented. For the practical account, passport-link, and share-code steps, follow Set up a UK eVisa.

An expired BRP may still help for a limited window: until 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. Within that window, government guidance allows the expired card only for signing in to view your eVisa and get a share code, creating a UKVI account, or applying to extend permission.

It is not a substitute for showing status to an employer or landlord. Those checks need the digital share-code route. Expired cards were also phased out as travel evidence; do not plan a journey around presenting plastic alone.

If you still need permission in the first place, start with Apply for a residence permit. When time-limited leave is ending, use Renew a residence permit rather than hunting for a card reprint. Keep status access on your wider paperwork after moving checklist so banks and tenancy checks do not stall on a missing BRP.