Which ID check route applies to you
Before you download the app, check which of these applies.
You have a biometric passport with a chip. You can complete the ID check in the UK Immigration: ID Check app by scanning your passport.
You do not have a chipped passport but hold a BRP. You may still be able to scan your BRP in the app for a limited period after its expiry date. Check with your caseworker before you start.
Neither applies. You will need a biometric appointment instead. Use the Attend an in-person Biometrics appointment option in the Borderless app and your caseworker will guide you.
Government guidance: Using the UK Immigration: ID Check app
📱 Step 1: Check Your Email
You will receive:
An email with instructions
A notification in the Borderless platform
This will confirm whether you need to:
Use the UKVI app, or
Book a biometric appointment
🖥 Step 2: Using the UKVI App (Most Common)
If you are eligible to use the UKVI app:
Download the UK Immigration: ID Check app.
Log in using your UKVI account details.
Scan your passport.
Scan your face using the app instructions.
Complete any remaining steps in the app.
Once finished:
Return to Borderless.
Click Confirm ID Check Completed.
⚠️ Do NOT continue past the ID check stage and fill in the visa form a or enter any sponsor/CoS number. Doing this may delay or cancel your application. Our immigration team will fill in these details for you.
❗Common Issues with ID Checks and How to Fix Them
Passport Not Scanning 📸
Remove phone case.
Ensure good lighting.
Hold passport flat.
Try a different device if available.
Face Scan Fails ❌
Remove glasses.
Stand in neutral lighting.
Hold phone steady.
Cannot Log In 🔐
Reset your UKVI password.
Ensure you are using the same email linked to your visa application.
BRP chip will not scan 💳
Try a different device. iPhones generally scan more reliably than Android phones.
Hold the BRP flat against the back of the phone, lined up with the NFC reader (top half of most phones).
Remove any phone case, especially metallic or wallet-style cases.
If the chip still will not read after several attempts, report this to your case worker. You may need to use your passport instead or book a biometric appointment.
Home Office says you missed your biometrics appointment but you attended 📅
Locate proof of attendance: the original booking confirmation, the entry-stamp slip from the appointment centre, and any photos or receipts from the visit.
Email this evidence to your Borderless case worker straight away. We will write to the Home Office on your behalf to dispute the missed-appointment record.
Do not book a new appointment until your case worker confirms it is needed.
You are asked to complete the ID check again after you have already done it 🔁
This is usually because a detail on your UKVI account, most often your passport number, no longer matches the document you used. Update it on your UKVI account and tell your case worker, and we will confirm the step on your case.
You clicked Confirm ID Check Completed before doing the check ↩️
This does not need to be undone and it does not affect your application.
Open the UK Immigration: ID Check app and complete the check as normal, as soon as you can.
Tell your case worker once it is done so we can confirm the step on your case.
If the app or your UKVI account will not let you start the check, contact support instead of clicking the button again.
You receive a UKVI email saying your application has not been completed 📧
This is an automated reminder generated by the part completed form in your UKVI account, not by the application we submitted for you. Do not sign in and complete it yourself. See You received a UKVI email saying your application has not been completed.
⚙️ When a Biometric Appointment Is Required
If you cannot use the UKVI app:
A biometric appointment must be booked.
Appointments may be at least 3 weeks away.
Some centres charge additional fees.
Your immigration team will guide you through booking if needed.
If your identity check was accepted in the UKVI app, you do not also need to attend a biometric appointment. Requirements differ from case to case, so what a friend or colleague was asked to do is not a guide to what you need.
✅ After Your ID Check
Once you have submitted your ID check through the UKVI app and clicked Confirm ID Check Completed in Borderless, the app takes you straight through adding Borderless as your authorised helper on your UKVI account. The codes UKVI asks for are shown to you in the app. See Adding Borderless as an Authorised Helper on Your UKVI Account.
If you get stuck on the helper step, the app offers you a call with a Borderless caseworker.
You do not need to fill in any further sections of the UKVI visa form yourself. Our immigration team submits the application on your behalf.
Government guidance: How to sign in to continue your visa application