MontyMariner
Well-known member
As you may be aware, we are fast approaching a critical point for some passengers who travel to the UK using a physical immigration document. As a result, you may encounter some visa national passengers whose immigration status is documented in a digital form, known as an eVisa.
The majority of UK biometric residence permits (BRPs) and biometric residence cards (BRCs) will expire on 31st December 2024, and passengers who currently hold BRP/Cs will be travelling on eVisas.
The sPCR web user service will return a ‘Valid Permission to Travel Found’ message when the Home Office is able to automatically confirm a valid digital permission (whether an eVisa or an ETA) for the passenger. Skippers, operators, and agents should rely on this message as satisfactory evidence that a passenger has a valid UK immigration permission, and no further visa checks are necessary to establish the passenger’s permission to travel.
However, we are keen to ensure that travel is not disrupted for passengers with eVisas. Therefore, as a transitional measure, biometric residence permits (BRPs) and EU Settlement Scheme biometric residence cards (EUSS BRCs) which expire on or after 31st December 2024 can also be accepted as evidence of permission to travel to the UK provisionally until 31st March 2025. This will be kept under review. Other expired immigration products are not acceptable proof of permission to travel.
In the first instance, skippers, operators, and agents should rely on the ‘Valid Permission to Travel Found’ response via the sPCR web user service as satisfactory evidence that a passenger has a valid UK eVisa or ETA. Where a ‘Valid Permission to Travel Found’ message is not received, for a passenger who has a biometric residence permit (BRP) or EU Settlement Scheme biometric residence card (EUSS BRC) which expires on or after 31st December 2024 this can also be accepted as evidence of permission to travel to the UK provisionally until 31st March 2025. This will be kept under review.
Skippers, operators, and agents should ask the passenger to present their BRP/C card and:
The majority of UK biometric residence permits (BRPs) and biometric residence cards (BRCs) will expire on 31st December 2024, and passengers who currently hold BRP/Cs will be travelling on eVisas.
The sPCR web user service will return a ‘Valid Permission to Travel Found’ message when the Home Office is able to automatically confirm a valid digital permission (whether an eVisa or an ETA) for the passenger. Skippers, operators, and agents should rely on this message as satisfactory evidence that a passenger has a valid UK immigration permission, and no further visa checks are necessary to establish the passenger’s permission to travel.
However, we are keen to ensure that travel is not disrupted for passengers with eVisas. Therefore, as a transitional measure, biometric residence permits (BRPs) and EU Settlement Scheme biometric residence cards (EUSS BRCs) which expire on or after 31st December 2024 can also be accepted as evidence of permission to travel to the UK provisionally until 31st March 2025. This will be kept under review. Other expired immigration products are not acceptable proof of permission to travel.
In the first instance, skippers, operators, and agents should rely on the ‘Valid Permission to Travel Found’ response via the sPCR web user service as satisfactory evidence that a passenger has a valid UK eVisa or ETA. Where a ‘Valid Permission to Travel Found’ message is not received, for a passenger who has a biometric residence permit (BRP) or EU Settlement Scheme biometric residence card (EUSS BRC) which expires on or after 31st December 2024 this can also be accepted as evidence of permission to travel to the UK provisionally until 31st March 2025. This will be kept under review.
Skippers, operators, and agents should ask the passenger to present their BRP/C card and:
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