Refugee travel document

You can apply for a refugee travel document if either:

· you have refugee status in the UK

· you originally came to the UK on a family reunion visa to join someone who has refugee status

How long it will be valid for

Your document will usually be valid for up to 10 years if you’re settled in the UK (known as having ‘indefinite leave to remain’). If you have permission to stay (known as ‘leave to remain’), your document will usually be valid up to 5 years.

If you’re 15 or under, the document will usually be valid for up to 5 years.

Countries you can travel to

You can usually travel to all countries except:

· the country you’re from

· any country you sought asylum from

Before you travel

Check which documents you’ll need before you book your travel.

Ask the authorities of the country you’re visiting or travelling through if:

· the country accepts refugee travel documents

· you need a visa to enter the country

Fees

It costs:

· £82 for adults (it’s free if you were born before 1 September 1929)

· £53 for children 15 or under

Stateless person’s travel document

You can apply for a stateless person’s travel document if you have been recognised as stateless in the UK.

How long it will be valid for

Your document will usually be valid for up to 10 years if you’re settled in the UK (known as having ‘indefinite leave to remain’). If you have permission to stay (known as ‘leave to remain’), your document will usually be valid up to 5 years.

If you’re 15 or under, the document will usually be valid for up to 5 years.

Countries you can travel to

You can usually travel to all countries on a stateless person’s travel document.

Before you travel

Check which documents you’ll need before you book your travel. Ask the authorities of the country you’re visiting or travelling through if:

· the country accepts UK stateless person’s travel documents

· you need a visa to enter the country

Fees

It costs:

· £82 for adults (it’s free if you were born before 1 September 1929)

· £53 for children 15 or under

Certificate of travel

You can apply for a certificate of travel if one of the following is true:

· you have permission to stay (known as ‘leave to remain’) or are settled in the UK (known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’), and you have been refused a passport or travel document by your country’s national authorities

· you are in the UK with humanitarian protection and it’s been officially accepted you have a fear of your country’s national authorities as part of your asylum application

· you are in the UK on a family reunion visa because you’ve joined someone who has humanitarian protection

· you were born in the UK as the child of someone with refugee status and you have permission to stay but do not have refugee status yourself

· you have an important reason to travel and your country’s national authorities are unable to issue you with a passport or emergency travel document quickly

You must provide evidence of why you need to travel urgently, as well as evidence that your passport or emergency travel document application was refused.

The following situations are examples of valid reasons why you might need to travel urgently:

· essential employment, business or educational trips (but not holidays)

· compelling or compassionate reasons - for example, a family member is seriously ill or has died

· religious reasons

Proving you have been ‘unreasonably refused’ a travel document

Depending on your circumstances, you might need to prove that you’ve applied for a passport from your country’s national authorities and your application was ‘unreasonably refused’.

You must provide evidence of this if one of the following is true:

· you do not have permission to be in the UK as a refugee or stateless person

· you have humanitarian protection but it has not been officially accepted that you have a fear of your country’s national authorities

Your application is not considered ‘unreasonably refused’ if one of the following is true:

· you applied incorrectly or without enough supporting evidence to confirm your identity and nationality

· you are required to complete military service in your home country

· you have a criminal record in your home country

· you did not comply with tax rules in your home country

You do not have to prove that you’ve been ‘unreasonably refused’ a passport if one of the following is true:

· you have been granted humanitarian protection and it’s been officially accepted you have a fear of your country’s national authorities

· you must be in your country to apply for a passport

· your country’s national authorities cannot issue passports in the UK or send an application to your own country to be processed

How long it will be valid for

A certificate of travel is usually valid either:

· for up to 5 years if you’re settled in the UK (known as having ‘indefinite leave to remain’)

· until the end of your permission to stay in the UK (known as having ‘leave to remain’)

It may be shorter if it’s being issued for exceptional reasons.

Countries you can travel to

You can usually travel to most countries with a certificate of travel.

If you have been given humanitarian protection because it’s been accepted you have a fear of a country’s national authorities, you cannot travel to that country.

Before you travel

Check which documents you’ll need before you book your travel. Ask the authorities of the country you’re visiting or travelling through if:

· the country accepts certificates of travel

· you need a visa to enter the country

Fees

It costs:

· £280 for adults

· £141 for children 15 and under

One way travel document

You can apply for a one way travel document if you meet all of the following criteria:

· you are not a British citizen

· you do not have a valid passport or travel document from the country you’re from

· you are not in the process of being deported from the UK

· you want to leave the UK permanently

· you do not have outstanding criminal proceedings in the UK

You do not need to be settled in the UK (known as having ‘leave to remain’) to apply.

How long it will be valid for

The document will be valid for 12 months from the date it’s issued. It’s for a single journey out of the UK - you cannot use it to come back.

Before you travel

Check which documents you’ll need before you book your travel. Ask the authorities of the country you’re visiting or travelling through if:

· the country accepts one way travel documents

· you need a visa to enter the country

Fees

It costs:

· £75 for adults

· £49 for children 15 and under

Family members

Each family member must apply for their own travel document separately.

If your child is not a British citizen.

If your child is not a British citizen, they may be able to apply for a travel document if all of the following are true:

· they have the same permission to stay in the UK as their parents

· they have a biometric residence permit (BRP)

· they meet the relevant eligibility criteria for the travel document they’re applying for

If your child was born in the UK

Your child may be able to become a British citizen, and be entitled to a British passport, if they were born in the UK to a parent who:

· was settled in the UK (known as having ‘indefinite leave to remain’) on the date of the child’s birth

· was a British citizen on the date of the child’s birth

Apply

The type of travel document you can apply for depends on what kind of permission to stay you have - for example, if you have refugee status or are recognised as stateless.

You can find what kind of permission to stay you have on your BRP or your Home Office decision letter.

If you apply for the wrong type of travel document, your application will be refused and you will not get a refund. You’ll have to submit a new application and pay the fee if you want to apply again.

It’s taking longer than usual to process applications because of the invasion of Ukraine.

How to apply

Do not send your BRP - you’ll need to keep this as proof of identity.

If you have a compassionate reason for travelling

If you urgently need a travel document for compassionate reasons, send additional supporting evidence by email. Compassionate reasons for travelling include:

· you are seriously ill

· a family member or friend is seriously ill or has died

· you - or someone you care for - need to travel abroad for medical treatment that cannot be delayed

Attach a scan or photo of a letter confirming the reason for your travel. The letter must:

· be from a doctor or hospital

· be on headed paper

· be in English, or be accompanied by a certified translation

· include your name

· include, where relevant, the name of the sick or dead person and their relationship to you

You can send a death certificate but it must be accompanied by the letter confirming the reason for your travel.

Where to send your supporting email

Send your email with supporting evidence to the Home Office travel document enquiries team.

Put ‘New application enquiry – urgent compassionate case’ and your name in the subject line.

Withdrawing your application

You can withdraw your application at any time. In most cases you will not get a refund.

You might be able to get a refund of your application fee if both of the following are true:

· you withdraw your application within 7 days of submitting it

· you do not need to provide biometric information or go to a visa application centre as part of your application