Immigration Corner | Travel documents from the British Home Office for non-British

Dear Mr Bassie,

I am not British and living in the United Kingdom. I do not have a passport, but I understand that I may still be able to get a travel document from the British Home Office. Please advise if this is so.

VM

Dear VM,

Persons can apply for a document to travel outside the United Kingdom if they are not British and cannot use or get a passport from their country. Persons should note that before travelling, they should check that the country that they want to visit will accept a travel document and whether they need a visa.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a travel document persons must be living in the United Kingdom for one of the following reasons:

• They have permission to stay as a refugee or stateless person

• They have humanitarian protection for a limited time after a failed asylum application

• They have discretionary leave for a limited time after a failed asylum application

• They are settled there permanently; this is known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’.

Persons must show that they have formally applied for and been unreasonably refused a passport by authorities in their country, unless they have permission to be in the United Kingdom as a refugee or stateless person.They will need to provide evidence that supports their application and should provide original documents, not photocopies.

There are four different types of travel documents that persons can apply for, depending on their status. These are Refugee, Stateless, Person wants to leave and not come back or refused a passport by their own national authorities. The adult fee and child fee for the first three categories are £75 and £49respectively. For the fourth category it is £280 and £141. Please note that persons will not get a refund if the application is withdrawn or if it is refused.

Persons can apply online for a new document to travel outside the United Kingdom, or if the existing document is full or has expired.

Persons will need to apply for a biometric residence permit (BRP) if they do not already have one that is up to date. This is part of the travel document application. However, they will not need to do this if applying for a one-way document.

If a person’s family are applying at the same time, those persons must each apply online and pay separately and send all their applications and supporting documents in one envelope so they can be dealt with together.

Report and replace Travel documents

Persons must report a lost or stolen travel document to the police and to UK Visas and Immigration, even if they do not want a replacement. They can only replace the document if they are in the United Kingdom. Please note that persons may be asked to confirm their identity and immigration status with biometric data before gettinga new document.

When reporting and replacinga travel document in the UK persons will need eithera police report and crime reference if they have reported the loss of the document or details of where and when they last had your travel document. Persons can apply online for a new document.

To report a lost or stolen travel document overseas, persons will need to report the lost or stolen document to the nearest UK visa application centre. Those persons will need eitherthe police report if they have reported the document lost/stolen ordetails of where and when they last had theirtravel document. In addition, they may have to give their fingerprints to confirm their identity.

Please note that persons may have to apply for a visa if they want to return to the United Kingdom. Those persons will get a temporary travel document if they are allowed to return. Upon returning to the United Kingdom, they can apply for a new travel document online.

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com