Ukraine schemes: visas, biometrics and passport renewals
Information about visas for people travelling to Northern Ireland under the Ukraine Schemes and passport renewals.
Visa requirements
Information on how to make an application and about UKVCAS can be found at the following links:
- Apply for a visa under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine)
- UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals
- UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services
After you’ve applied
You will need to wait for a decision from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) on your application before travelling to the UK.
You will need to book an appointment to have your biometric information taken - facial photograph and fingerprints - at a visa application centre, as part of your application.
Home Office aim to make a decision as quickly as possible. You will be contacted when a decision has been made.
When your application is approved, you’ll need to return to the visa application centre to collect your visa before you travel to the UK.
This visa will allow you to board a plane or other form of transport to the UK.
If your visa application is refused because your sponsor does not meet the eligibility requirements for the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and you still want to come to the UK, you will need to find a new sponsor and put in a new application.
If you applied to the Ukraine schemes before 7 December 2023 and were issued a standard permission to travel letter by UKVI, you have until 12.01 am (GMT) on 13 February 2025 to travel to the UK.
If you intend to travel to the UK before 13 February 2025, you must contact your sponsor, or the family member who originally agreed to host you, before you travel, to make sure you have accommodation in place for your arrival.
You should only travel to the UK if you have confirmed you have accommodation arrangements in place.
From 13 February 2025, you will no longer be able to travel to the UK using your permission to travel letter.
From this point, the permission to travel letter you have been issued will cease to be valid for travel on airlines, trains, by road, or on ferries to the UK, and you may be refused permission to enter the UK.
If you decide to seek temporary sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine schemes on or after 13 February 2025, you will need to submit a new application under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, which remains open and free to apply to.
You can find out more information on GOV.UK:
Arrival
If you have collected your visa (from a VAC outside the UK) before you travelled, or have confirmed digital status in the 'UK Immigration: ID check' app, you do not need to get your passport stamped on arrival to the UK.
If you arrive with a permission to travel letter before 12.01 am (GMT) on 13 February 2025, UK Border Force officers will stamp your passport with a six-month entry stamp on arrival.
If you come to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland, you will need to get a stamp in your passport from Drumkeen House, Belfast.
To check if you need a stamp, you should email Drumkeen House with your name, date of birth and passport number:
If you do need a stamp, you will be given a day and appointment time to go to Drumkeen House.
If you have travelled into Northern Ireland, via the Republic of Ireland, before you have received confirmation from UKVI that your application for the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme has been successful, you will not be given a passport stamp.
Biometric Residence Permits (BRP)/ eVisas
Biometric information is a photo of your face and your fingerprints.
If you applied to the Ukraine schemes after 7 December 2023, you will have provided biometric information as part of the visa application process at a visa application centre (VAC) outside the UK.
You will then have been advised to collect your Biometric Resident Permit (BRP) once in the UK.
As of 31 October 2024, the Home Office has stopped issuing BRP cards.
Instead, an eVisa will be provided to prove a person’s immigration status.
An eVisa is an online record of immigration status. You can find out more about eVisas at:
New applicants will need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa, or, in some circumstances, have the accounts created for them by the Home Office.
Applicants will be provided with further information on this in their decision email or letter.
Using an eVisa does not affect your immigration status, or the conditions for you to enter or stay in the UK.
You should keep your UKVI account up to date with personal details and travel documents.
If you previously received a BRP you can continue to use this until it expires.
Keep your expired BRP, you can use this to create a UKVI account and access your eVisa. You can create a UKVI account before you submit your application.
Ukraine Schemes
If you are in the UK on the Ukraine schemes and do not have a UKVI account, you are encouraged to create one to access your eVisa.
You can do so at the following link:
If you are in the UK on the Ukraine Schemes and already have digital status, you should keep your UKVI account up to date with personal details and travel documents.
If you applied before 7 December 2023 and did not go to a VAC as part of your application, biometric information will need to be provided.
You should provide biometric information within six months of arrival in the UK.
You will automatically be contacted with a link to an online form that advises how to do this at your nearest service point:
Visa application centre services in Belfast are located at the following address:
Regus, Forsyth House,3rd Floor, Office 327,
Cromac Square,
Belfast,
BT2 8LA
- Find directions: Regus, Forsyth House
Opening hours at this UKVCAS service point are 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday.
Issues with your BRP/ eVisa
If you encounter issues when creating your UKVI account and accessing your eVisa you should Contact UK Visas and Immigration for help.
If you believe the Home Office has made an error with your eVisa you can report an error at:
If you are vulnerable and need support accessing your eVisa, you may be able to get additional help to create a UKVI account and access your eVisa.
Further information
Renewing your passport
Your passport is an important document which may be needed for a number of reasons - for example, identification and travel outside the UK.
If you need to renew your existing passport, you do not need to travel to Ukraine to do this.
There are other ways available as follows:
You can apply at a Ukrainian Consulate Office in either London or Edinburgh.
You can apply at one of the state migration services, passport service offices in Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Wroclaw), Slovakia (Bratislava) or Czechia (Prague).
It is planned to open a further office in Germany.
You can also book an appointment via the Ukrainian Department of Foreign Affairs.
Choose your city (such as London or Edinburgh - or the relevant city in any other country). Then choose the reason for consulate services - for example, extend passport or renew passport.
Note, you can also sign up for notification of new appointments.
More information is available at the following links:
Help is available
It's important to know that you are not alone and there will be support to answer questions or give you information should you need it.
If you need to speak to someone you can contact the Department for Communities Make the Call team:
- phone: 0800 232 1271
- email: makethecall@dfcni.gov.uk
Advisers will do their best to help you. If they are unable to answer your questions, these will be passed on to others who are offering wraparound support, who will contact you to help you.
If you need advice or support on visa arrangements, you can contact the UK Visa Helpline:
- phone: 0808 164 8810
More information
You can find out more about applying for a visa under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme on the following page: