If you request for your passport to be returned, delivery will take 20 working days from the date of your request.

If you have sent documents to us by recorded or special delivery and would like to confirm receipt, you can use the track and trace facility on the Royal Mail website.

You do not need to contact us to check the progress of your application.

We will contact you as soon as a decision has been made or if we require further information. Our staff cannot provide any information about your application if you applied less than 6 months ago.

Return of documents

If you applied for a visa from outside the UK

Select the relevant country on the Visa application centres overseas page. The 'Contact us' link can be found on the left hand side of the page.

If you applied under Tier 2 or Tier 5 of the points based system.

You can find information on this website about requesting the urgent return of your documents if you have applied under Tier 2 or Tier 5 of the points-based system.

If you are a Bulgarian or Romanian national and have applied for a work permit or accession work card.

You can find information on this website about requesting the urgent return of your documents if you have applied under the schemes for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals.

To request the return of documents from any other application for permission to stay in the UK or an application for British Citizenship

If you have applied under any other route and would either like to request that your documents are returned or would like to withdraw your application, you should complete the Return of document request form. You are advised to email a Word document of the application to RODRequests@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk as we do not accept scanned copies.

Only the document holder can request their documents back unless it is a withdrawl of an application which then has to be from the main applicant.

Please include your name and reference number in the subject line of the email when you submit the request form. Please do not include any additional information in the email as this will not be responded to.

For all applications other than European and nationality applications, if you request the return of documents, your application will be automatically withdrawn and your application fee will not be refunded. For certain application types travel on an applicant's passport will invalidate the application and it would be deemed withdrawn. Please check the guidance notes relevant to your application type for further details. Please ensure you take a photocopy of your document before sending it to us especially if you are likely to require a copy while your case is under consideration. We cannot send you photocopies of your documents.

Requesting the return of documents for European and nationality applications will not speed up the decision-making process as all cases are considered in strict date order.

Documents are normally returned within 20 working days but it is recommended that you do not book travel until you have received your documents.