Home Office Travel Documents

What is a Home Office Travel Document?

A Home Office travel document is a document that allows non-UK nationals to travel outside the UK if they cannot use or obtain a passport from their own country. A person can only apply for a Home Office travel document in certain special circumstances.

Who is eligible?

In order to be eligible to apply for a Home Office travel document, a person must be living in the UK for one of the following reasons:

(i) they have permission to stay as a refugee or stateless person;
(ii) they have humanitarian protection for a limited time after a failed asylum application;
(iii) they have discretionary leave for a limited time after a failed asylum application; or
(iv) they have indefinite leave to remain.

What are the different types of travel documents?

There are four different types of travel documents that a person can apply for, depending on their circumstances and their status in the UK:

1) If a person is a refugee, they can apply for a convention travel document;
2) If a person is stateless, they can apply for a stateless person’s document;
3) If a person is a non-UK citizen that wants to leave the UK and not come back, they can apply for a one-way document (also known as an IS137);
4) If a person has been refused a passport by their own country’s national authorities, they can apply for a certificate of travel.

It is important to note that a person must show that they have formally applied for and been unreasonably refused a passport by authorities in their country. People who have permission to be in the UK as a refugee or stateless person are exempt from this condition.

Applying for a Travel Document:

A person can apply for a travel document online or by post. If a person chooses to apply by post, they must fill in form TD112 BRP and send it to the Home Office. The form states that certain documents must be submitted alongside the application. All submitted documents must be original documents, not photocopies. Failure to provide the original documents will delay the application and may result in its refusal.

The applicant will also need to apply for a biometric residence permit (BRP) if they don’t already have one that’s up to date, as it is part of the travel document application. This is not required if a person is applying for a one-way document. Additionally, all existing non-biometric travel documents can continue to be used until they expire.

It is important to note that some countries will not accept a travel document if a person has less than 6 months’ leave to remain in the UK on the date they travel. The applicant should check that they meet the requirements of the country they are travelling to.

If an applicant’s family is applying at the same time, all postal applications should be sent in one envelope so that they can be dealt with together. A separate application and payment must be made for each person, whether it is online or by post. A person can also apply for a new travel document using form TD112 BRP if their previous document has filled up or expired.

What are the costs?

All applicants are required to pay a non-refundable fee when they send their application to the home office. We have provided an overview of this below. Please note this is separate from the fee we will charge to assist with such an application. The fee an applicant must pay depends on the type of travel document they are applying for and whether they are an adult or child:

Immigration status in the UK Type of Document Fee for an adult document and validity Fee for a child (aged under 16) document and validity
Refugee Convention Travel Document (blue) – 1951 Convention £75.00 – valid up to 10 years or in line with leave £49 – valid up to 5 years or in line with leave
Stateless person Stateless Person’s Document (red) – 1954 Convention £75.00 – valid up to 10 years or in line with leave £49 – valid up to 5 years or in line with leave
Any person who is not British wishing to leave the UK permanently One way Travel Document (IS137) £75.00 – valid for one journey out of the UK £49- valid for one journey out of the UK
Limited or indefinite leave to enter/remain (without refugee status) Certificate of Travel (black) £280 – valid for up to 5 years or in line with leave £141 – valid up to 5 years or in line with leave

How can NA Law Solicitors help?

As specialists in individual immigration, we can help you apply for your desired travel document. If you have any questions about anything mentioned in this article or have specific queries about your immigration matter, please do not hesitate to contact us for a 15-minute telephone consultation.

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