Get your visa, immigration or citizenship documents back

You can ask for your passport and other documents to be returned if you’ve sent them with your application but need them urgently.

How you do this depends on whether you applied in the UK or not, and what type of application you’ve made.

You might have to cancel your application - you’ll be told if you have to do this when you ask for your documents back.

If you applied outside the UK

Contact UK Visas and Immigration.

You won’t get a refund if your application has been processed.

If you applied in the UK

Complete the online form to get your documents returned.

You can’t use the online form if either:

• your application has been refused and you don’t have permission to stay (‘leave to remain’) in the UK
• you’ve applied for asylum

You’ll usually get your documents back within 10 working days.

You can get your documents back quicker if you ask for a faster decision on your application. This costs £400, in addition to the application fee you’ve already paid.

If your application has been refused and you don’t have leave to remain

Follow the instructions on your refusal notice or contact the Voluntary Returns Service.

Voluntary returns service
voluntaryreturns@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 004 0202
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm
Find out about call charges

If you’ve applied for asylum

Contact your caseworker to ask for your documents back.

If you don’t receive your documents

You can report that you haven’t received your documents if they’ve not been returned after 10 working days.

If you applied for British citizenship before 1989

Your passport would have been sent to your country’s embassy in the UK.

Cancel your request

Use the cancellation form if you no longer need your documents returned.

You can’t cancel your request if it’s already been processed.