FAQ

What is the difference between Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), Permanent Residence (PR) and a Registration Certificate (RC)? What is the difference between a biometric residence permit (BRP) and a biometric residence card (BRC)?

There is an extremely important difference between these statuses / documents.

• If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP) stating you have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or Indefinite to Enter (ILE), then you have a UK Immigration status, and you do not have to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Confusingly, if you have settled status under the EUSS, this is also a form of ILR.
  
  See our FAQ "Is settled status the same as indefinite leave to remain? I already have ILR. Do I need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled status?" for  important information, including that if you have a BRP you might need to apply for UKVI account to get access to your eVisa - an online version of your ILR.
   

• A UK-issued permanent residence (PR) document, registration certificate (RC) or an EEA residence card (BRC) on the other hand, are documents evidencing now expired EU status, and are no longer valid now that the UK is no longer a member of the EU. These documents are not a UK Immigration status.
  
  For EU citizens, these documents are typically found in a small blue cardboard folder, entitled “UK RESIDENCE DOCUMENTATION FOR A NATIONAL OF AN EEA STATE”. Within the folder, there will be a sticker marked “Document Certifying Permanent Residence” or “Registration Certificate”.
  
  For non-EU family members of EU citizens, these documents are typically a credit-card sized plastic card, with the words “RESIDENCE CARD” (not “RESIDENCE PERMIT”) at the top, and “RESIDENCE CARD OF A FAMILY MEMBER OF A UNION CITIZEN” along the bottom. They are called biometric residence card, or BRC.
  
  If you hold this status, you should have applied for status under the EU Settlement Scheme before 30 June 2021. If you have not done so, you should still make an application as soon as possible, as the Home Office is accepting late applications for those who have ‘reasonable grounds’ to apply late, and one of the reasonable grounds listed on this Government webpage is “you had permanent residence status or a residence document that stopped being valid after 30 June 2021, and you did not know you needed to apply to the scheme”.
  
  You will not have rights in the UK until you receive a Certificate of Application. See a summary of rights affected at: https://www.the3million.org.uk/rights-table.
  
  See this Government webpage for details on making a late application.