A no time limit (NTL) application is a free Home Office application that confirms indefinite leave to remain or enter by giving the person an eVisa, which is a digital record of identity and immigration status. People use it when they hold settlement but have no valid document to prove it.
Key points
- It confirms settlement you already hold. It does not grant you anything new and it does not change your immigration status.
- You can use it if the passport holding your status has been lost, stolen or has expired, or if you have no document that proves your indefinite leave.
- You can also use it if you have legitimately changed your identity since you were granted indefinite leave.
- Do not use it if you have an expired BRP or status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Those have a different way to get an eVisa.
- It can take up to 6 months. You can keep using your physical immigration document while you wait.
How a no time limit application works
A person with indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or indefinite leave to enter (ILE) has no time limit on their stay in the UK.[1]Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain in the UK: your rights and status If their home is in the UK, the Home Office regards them as settled. You can read more about the status itself on our indefinite leave to remain page and in our entry on indefinite leave to enter.
Some people hold that status but cannot prove it. The Home Office gives them a way to confirm it: a no time limit (NTL) application. The result is an eVisa, which is a digital record of identity and immigration status.[1]Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain in the UK: your rights and status
To apply, you need a phone number and email address that you can use each time you sign in. You also need the passport or travel document you used when you last entered the UK, and the physical document that proves your settlement if you have one.[2]Home Office, eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK You need a UK Visas and Immigration UKVI account to reach your eVisa. You create it at the start of the application if you have a valid passport. If you do not, you create it when the application is approved.[2]Home Office, eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK
After you apply, you give your fingerprints and photo at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point. You also provide supporting documents. You can upload them online or pay to have them scanned at your appointment.[2]Home Office, eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK
When you can use it and when you should not
GOV.UK lists the situations in which an NTL application is the right tool.[1]Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain in the UK: your rights and status It also says when to use something else.[2]Home Office, eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK
| Your situation | NTL application? |
|---|---|
| Your passport holding your status or an earlier NTL endorsement is lost, stolen or has expired | Yes |
| You have ILR or ILE but no document that confirms it | Yes |
| You have legitimately changed your identity since you were granted indefinite leave | Yes |
| You hold a wet ink stamp or vignette with no expiry date and want an eVisa | Optional, and free |
| You have an expired biometric residence permit | No, there is a different way to get your eVisa |
| You have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme | No, the Home Office emails a link to an online service |
If you or your parent were settled in the UK on 1 January 1973, or you arrived before 1988, GOV.UK says to check whether you can apply for evidence of status under the Windrush scheme instead.[1]Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain in the UK: your rights and status
A biometric residence permit for a settled person says either ‘Indefinite leave to enter’ or ‘No time limit’. GOV.UK says all BRPs are now expired and can be used for 24 months after the printed expiry date or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.[1]Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain in the UK: your rights and status The Home Office is replacing physical documents with eVisas.
Example
Tunde was given indefinite leave to remain several years ago. The endorsement is in a passport that has now expired, and he has no other proof. He makes an NTL application. He enters his phone number and email address, uses the passport he last entered the UK with and creates a UKVI account.
He then attends a UKVCAS appointment for his fingerprints and photo, and uploads his supporting documents. The application costs nothing. It can take up to 6 months, and Tunde can keep using his physical immigration document while he waits. When it is approved he has an eVisa.[2]Home Office, eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK
Maria holds an indefinite leave vignette with no expiry date. She is not required to make an NTL application, because she can still use the vignette. She may choose to make one if she wants a digital record.[2]Home Office, eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK
What people get wrong
Many people think a no time limit application renews or upgrades their settlement. It does not. Their status is the same before and after. The application only confirms it in digital form.
GOV.UK says getting an eVisa will not change your immigration status.[2]Home Office, eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK A second mistake is using the wrong application. Someone with an expired BRP or EU Settlement Scheme status should not make an NTL application.[2]Home Office, eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK
A third point is easy to miss. Indefinite leave ends automatically if you stay outside the UK, Ireland or the Crown Dependencies for 2 or more years at a time. For settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme the period is 5 or more years.[1]Home Office, Indefinite leave to remain in the UK: your rights and status A person in that position may need entry clearance as a returning resident before coming back, and should take advice before applying.
The bottom line
A no time limit application gives a person with indefinite leave a digital record of a status they already hold. It is free and it can take up to 6 months. It suits someone whose passport with the status has expired, been lost or stolen, or who has no proof at all. It is the wrong application for expired BRPs and EU Settlement Scheme status, and it does not change what the person is allowed to do.
Common questions
No. GOV.UK says the application to get an eVisa if you have settlement is free. You may still have to give your fingerprints and photo at a UKVCAS service point.
GOV.UK says it can take up to 6 months to process. You can continue to use your physical immigration document while the application is processed.
No. GOV.UK says getting an eVisa will not change your immigration status. You can still use your physical document if you have one.
Not usually. GOV.UK says not to make an NTL application if you have another type of evidence, such as an expired BRP. There is a different way to access your eVisa.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- Home Office. Indefinite leave to remain in the UK: your rights and status. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. eVisas: Get an eVisa if you have settlement in the UK. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩