Any person from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) that plans to live in the UK will need to apply for a UK Residence Card. This means that if your Thai wife is planning on going to live in England she will receive one within 30 days of arrival. Sometimes referred to as a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), Thai wives and Thai girlfriends will need to apply is the following circumstances:
- If they plan to come to the UK for more than 6 months
- If their visa is extended for longer than 6 months
- If your Thai wife applies to settle in the UK
- If their visa needs transferring to a new passport
- If you apply for certain Home Office Travel documents
If the application is made in the UK the fee is £65 for each applicant so effectively, if the application was for your spouse and a dependent child, it would be £130. The application can be completed at certain larger Post Offices where there will be an additional fee of £19.20. Here the applicant will need to give biometric information such as having a digital photo taken of their face, fingerprints will be scanned and a signature given. If everything is correct, the application for a UK Residence Card will be completed in around 5 minutes.
In addition to the biometric information mention above, they will also need to provide two recent photographs, her current passport, one passport-sized photo of her British sponsor, the sponsor’s passport, and proof of the relationship such as a marriage certificate. Once you have supplied all the information, including the biometric information, you should receive your UK Biometric Residence Permit within 10 days. The card will be valid for 5 years from the date of application.
If you haven’t received your BRP within the aforementioned 10 days, you should email the Home Office on BRCDelivery@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk including your Thai Girlfriend’s full name, date of birth, and passport number. You should also include a case reference number, telephone number, and address.
Naturally, once the applicant has received her card she should check that all the information is correct. Failure to do so could cause serious problems in the future. If an error is noticed, you or your Thai girlfriend should email the Home Office immediately on BRerror@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk giving details of the error along with supplying the same information as outlined above for a missing card.
If the UK Residence Card is lost or stolen it should be reported to the police immediately as well as informing the Home Office on BRLost@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk. If the card is damaged in any way, the Home Office should be informed on BRerror@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk where details will be given as to how your Thai wife should proceed.
At Thai Express visa we can help guide you through the process of applying for a UK Residence Card either if you or your Thai girlfriend is in Thailand or in the UK. If this is a service that you are interested in, you can call our Pattaya office on 038 420 313, email us at info@thaivisaexpress.com, or alternatively, you could contact us via our website. We look forward to hearing from you and of being of greater assistance.