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I am a US citizen living in the UK on a Tier 1 visa. I've just submitted a passport renewal application because my US passport expires soon, and assuming there are no hiccups in that process, I should have my new passport in 10 working days. I understand that I need to report my change of circumstances and update my BRP within 3 months.

An opportunity to attend an event in Slovenia has arisen that will take place a few weeks after the arrival of my new passport, but I'm struggling to find information on how long the process of updating my BRP will take. If I am unable to update it before the trip to Slovenia, will I have trouble re-entering the UK with my new US passport and my current BRP?

Tangential question: may I report the change of circumstances and update my BRP at the same time or must I do one before the other?

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  • Is a new passport really a "change of circumstances"? It's not listed on gov.uk/change-circumstances-visa-brp, as far as I can see. – phoog Dec 5 '19 at 15:35
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    @phoog Yes, it's in the help text of the CoC form: "Passport details: If a new passport has been issued, provide the passport number, place of issue, date of issue and the date of expiry of the new passport" – Der Dec 5 '19 at 20:26
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Yes, you can travel immediately using your new passport. You will not have your BRP replaced just for a renewed passport. The point of the BRP, and part of the reason for replacing visa vignettes with a separate card, is that it is independent of your passport validity.

It's hard to find positive evidence for this, but note that the change of circumstances instructions don't even mention that you need to inform UKVI about your new passport, and most importantly, it is not listed as a circumstance under which you must apply for a new BRP.

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  • That page doesn't, but the form itself does. – Mark Johnson Dec 5 '19 at 16:20
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    @MarkJohnson Yes, but all of the circumstances where a new BRP are needed are given, and a new passport isn't among them. And if UKVI thought it critical that BRP holders tell them when they get a new passport, they'd put it on the webpage, not hide it in a PDF. – MJeffryes Dec 5 '19 at 16:22
  • Since the form is a document, I personally would rely on the information stated in the legaly binding form. – Mark Johnson Dec 5 '19 at 16:27
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Unfortunately the Migrant change of circumstances form is not very clear about the BRP process. The contained link, that may have explained this, is now invalid

What is clear, is that the form must be used to report the changed passport:

Passport details: If a new passport has been issued, provide the passport number, place of issue, date of issue and the date of expiry of the new passport.

That may be followed up with an automatic replacement of the BRP or a notice what to do next.

From the images I have seen, the BRP does not contain the passport information, so there may be no need to replace it.

Until then, I would suggest taking the advice given in the Transfer your visa from your passport topic:

Travel to and from the UK
You can use the valid visa in your expired passport when you’re travelling to and from the UK. You’ll need to travel with your expired and your new passport.

This would probably only be needed when the system entry the Immigration officer may be checking has not yet been updated.

Sources:

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  • What is the source of the text in the quotation blocks? I do not see either quotation on any of the linked pages. The first link, in any event, does not apply to this question because it is about replacing a visa (that is, a sticker in the passport) with a BRP, which is not the case here. – phoog Dec 5 '19 at 15:39
  • @The first quote (and broken link) is from the form Migrant change of circumstances ; the second from Transfer your visa from your passport link ; The links were added so one could se for onesself that they don't handle this condition. Thus the nearest solution offered by them is the visa solution. – Mark Johnson Dec 5 '19 at 15:55
  • Can't you link to the form itself then? That would make the answer much clearer. – phoog Dec 5 '19 at 15:58
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    @MarkJohnson The inference I draw from "they don't handle this condition" is that it doesn't matter that you've changed passport. – MJeffryes Dec 5 '19 at 15:59
  • @MJeffryes I am assuming that is the case, since the passport number is not on the card. But that is my assumption and not a known fact. – Mark Johnson Dec 5 '19 at 16:07

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