Police Registration

Some international students who are studying for six months or more are required to register with the police upon arrival in the United Kingdom (UK). You will then be issued with a Police Registration Certificate which is often referred to as a PRC.

Who needs to register?

You must register if you are from the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

You don’t need to register if you have dual nationality with one of these countries and a country that’s not on the list.

How to register

When you arrived into the UK you should have been issued with a temporary vignette (sticker in your passport) which was valid for only 30 days and a decision letter confirming your grant of leave. If the statement ‘Police registration within seven days of arrival’ or ‘Register/Report to the Police’ you should have booked an appointment to register.

You can either register with these two documents or if you have now been issued with a Biometric Residence Card (BRP) you should have registered with the police within seven days of collection of your card.

You should include a copy of your BRP card and your 30 day vignette with the police registration form. If the requirement is stated on your decision letter you should also include a copy of this letter with the form and take the letter with you to your police registration appointment. If you do not take the letter the police may not be able to register you.

You will be asked to complete an online form.

Updating your Details

Once the form has been submitted, you will receive an email within 10 working days inviting you to register with the police.

You need to take the following documents with you:

Passport
Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) if applicable
Decision letter, if applicable
CAS statement
Attendance Letter – available from Gateway Enquiry Desk
Receipt of tuition fees or sponsor letter
Tenancy agreement/bank statement/utility bill to confirm address
Student card

The department is extremely busy and you may not be able to register within seven days but you should make the appointment within this time frame. The appointment is for you only.

Change of Circumstances

You should inform the police by email (ovro-new@northumbria.pnn.police.uk) of any changes to your circumstances during your stay in the UK such as:

Change of UK address
New visa
New passport or change of details in passport
Change of Student Route sponsor
Change of course
Marriage
Birth of Child

There are severe penalties for students who fail to register or who fail to keep their police registration certificate up to date.

Completion of Studies

Upon the completion of your studies you should return your police registration certificate before returning to your home country.

You should post your certificate to:
Foreign Nationals Department
Forth Banks
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 3PA

Lost, Stolen or Damaged

You should inform the police by email (ovro-new@northumbria.pnn.police.uk) if your police registration certificate is lost, stolen or full and you require a new one.

In addition you will be required to scan a copy of your current UK visa and pay £34 in cash for the administration fee (full PRC’s are exempt from payment).

The OVRO team will then offer you an appointment to obtain a new certificate.