A No Time Limit application allows a person who already holds Indefinite Leave to Enter or Indefinite Leave to Remain to obtain digital confirmation of that status in the form of an eVisa.
A No Time Limit application, commonly known as an NTL application, is not an application for a new grant of settlement. It is an administrative process for confirming indefinite immigration status that a person already holds.
It may be appropriate where evidence of Indefinite Leave to Enter or Indefinite Leave to Remain:
Successful applicants now receive an eVisa rather than a replacement biometric residence permit. The eVisa provides a digital record of the person’s identity, immigration status and immigration conditions.
Obtaining an eVisa does not change or replace the underlying indefinite leave. It provides current digital evidence of the status already held.
Digital evidence is increasingly important because employers, landlords and public bodies commonly use online immigration-status checks. An eVisa can also make it easier to demonstrate immigration status when travelling, provided the holder’s current passport or travel document is correctly linked to their UK Visas and Immigration account.
Position as at August 2026: a No Time Limit application is free and must be made from within the UK. Applicants must normally attend a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services appointment to provide their fingerprints and photograph. The Home Office states that an application can take up to six months to process.
A person may be eligible to make a No Time Limit application if they:
People who were settled in the UK on or before 1 January 1973, or who arrived in the UK before 1988, should also consider whether the Windrush Scheme is the more appropriate route for obtaining evidence of their status.
A No Time Limit application will not normally be appropriate if the person:
People with an expired biometric residence permit should normally use the separate UKVI process to access their eVisa. They should not make a No Time Limit application simply because the expiry date printed on their biometric residence permit has passed.
An applicant must normally demonstrate that:
Evidence may include:
Where a passport or immigration document has been lost or stolen, a police report or crime-reference number should be provided where available.
An applicant does not necessarily need to possess the original passport or document in which indefinite leave was granted.
Where the original evidence has been lost, stolen or is otherwise unavailable, the Home Office should check its available caseworking systems, historic files and visa-application records for evidence of the original grant.
The applicant may also provide other documents supporting their identity, immigration history and residence in the UK.
Evidence of residence may include:
Applications without original evidence can be more complex because the Home Office must be satisfied that the applicant is the same person who was granted indefinite leave and that the status remains valid.
Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain will normally lapse where a person has remained outside the UK for more than two consecutive years, unless a specific exception applies.
Exceptions can apply in limited circumstances, including certain members of the Armed Forces and qualifying family members accompanying them overseas, as well as certain Crown Service or British Council cases.
Different absence periods apply to settled status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme. However, a person who holds EUSS settled status already has digital status and should not make a No Time Limit application.
Where indefinite leave has lapsed because of an extended absence, a No Time Limit application cannot restore it. The person may instead need to consider applying as a Returning Resident.
The exact travel dates and circumstances should be reviewed carefully before an application is submitted.
No. A No Time Limit application confirms Indefinite Leave to Enter or Indefinite Leave to Remain that the applicant already holds.
It does not grant settlement to someone who has never previously obtained it. A person who has not already been granted indefinite leave must consider the appropriate settlement application instead.
No. Successful No Time Limit applicants now receive digital confirmation of their status in the form of an eVisa.
Biometric residence permits have been replaced by digital immigration status.
No. The Home Office does not charge an application fee for a No Time Limit application.
However, optional or additional services provided at a UKVCAS service point, such as document scanning or certain appointment types, may carry a separate charge.
The Home Office advises that a No Time Limit application can take up to six months to process.
The applicant can continue using their original physical immigration document while the application is being considered, provided the document remains available and valid evidence of the status held.
Yes. Indefinite leave will normally lapse where a person remains outside the UK for more than two consecutive years, unless an exception applies.
If the status has lapsed, a No Time Limit application cannot restore it. A Returning Resident application may need to be considered instead.
Loss of the original passport is one of the circumstances in which a No Time Limit application may be appropriate.
The applicant should provide a police report or crime-reference number where available, together with current identity documents and any other evidence relating to the original grant and subsequent UK residence.
The Home Office should also check its historic systems and files for evidence of the indefinite leave.
An application can still be made where the applicant genuinely holds indefinite leave but has no documentary proof.
These applications require careful preparation. Evidence of identity, immigration history and continued UK residence may be needed while the Home Office searches its historic records.
Generally, no. If you have an expired biometric residence permit confirming your indefinite status, you should normally use it to create or access your UKVI account and eVisa through the separate eVisa process.
A No Time Limit application is intended principally for people with legacy non-digital documents or no documentary evidence of their indefinite leave.
No. A person who already has access to an eVisa should not make a No Time Limit application. The Home Office will normally treat such an application as void.
If the information shown on an existing eVisa is incorrect, the appropriate process is to report or correct the error rather than make an NTL application.
A person with a valid physical document, such as an ink stamp or vignette with no expiry date, can continue to use that evidence.
However, they can choose to make a free No Time Limit application to obtain an eVisa. Digital status can make it easier to prove the right to work, rent and access services and to demonstrate immigration status when travelling.
No. A No Time Limit application must be made from within the UK.
If you are outside the UK and your indefinite leave may have lapsed, or you cannot demonstrate your status for travel, you may need to consider a different process, including a Returning Resident application where appropriate.
