Biometrics Appointment: Complete Guide

Most UK immigration applications include an identity step: your fingerprints and a digital photograph. This guide sets out what GOV.UK publishes about it — when you need an appointment and when you do not, how to book one, and what to take.

Checked 3 September 20269 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team

Section: Costs, English & General
Reading time: 9 min
Last checked: 3 September 2026
Source: The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
Rowan does not: Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.

In short

You will either use the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app or attend in person. You are told which when you apply.
There is no fee for giving your fingerprints and photograph.
You can only attend a service point if you have an appointment. There are no walk-ins.
Some people in the UK do not need an appointment at all, and send a photograph by email instead.
A child under 16 must attend with the person named as the 'responsible adult' on their application.

Giving your fingerprints and photograph is part of most UK immigration applications, and there is no fee for it. You will either use the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app or attend in person, and you are told which when you apply. This guide covers booking, what to bring, and the rules for children and families.

What biometrics are

In a UK immigration application, your biometric information is your fingerprints and a digital photograph of your face. The Home Office uses it to confirm your identity and to check it against biometric records it already holds, including police fingerprint records.

You will usually need to provide it for a visa application from outside the UK, an extension from inside it, an application for indefinite leave to remain (settlement), and an application for British citizenship.

Two ways to prove your identity

GOV.UK puts it the same way on every route page that describes the step. You will either:

use the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app to scan your identity document, creating or signing into your UK Visas and Immigration account at the same time, or
have your fingerprints and photograph taken in person, at a visa application centre outside the UK or at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services service point inside it

You are told which one applies to you when you apply. There is no fee for giving your fingerprints and photograph: GOV.UK says "there's no fee for this" on the route pages that mention it.

Applying from outside the UK: visa application centres

Visa application centres are run by the Home Office's commercial partners, currently TLScontact or VFS Global depending on the country. You are directed to the booking system after you submit your online application and pay the fee.

GOV.UK says that if you need an appointment:

you take your passport with you, and you can collect it on the day
you may have to travel to reach your nearest centre, and it could be in another country

The centre may charge for its own optional services. GOV.UK does not publish those prices; they are shown when you book. Find a centre through the GOV.UK visa application centre finder.

Applying from inside the UK: service points

Inside the UK the service is called UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services. You create an account when you apply and make the appointment online. GOV.UK links to the TLScontact service point locator for locations, and says you can only attend a service point if you have an appointment.

On cost, GOV.UK says only this: "How much you pay depends on the type of service point and whether you need extra services." You can pay extra for out of hours or weekend appointments, and for next day or same day appointments if your application is urgent. GOV.UK does not publish the amounts.

When you may not need an appointment

GOV.UK says you may not need to attend if all of these apply:

you are in the UK
you have an expired biometric residence permit — usable for 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first
you have previously provided your biometric information
you are applying for certain types of visa, for example a Graduate visa, Student visa or Skilled Worker visa

You may also not need one if you are applying to the European Union Settlement Scheme and you are an European Economic Area or Swiss citizen, or you hold a biometric residence card, which can be expired. In these cases GOV.UK says you get an email explaining how to submit a photograph and your supporting documents, and you can book an appointment if you cannot send them.

The guidance is at GOV.UK, UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services.

The "UK Immigration: ID Check" app

The app checks that your identity document is genuine and that it belongs to you. It only works once you have started your application online at GOV.UK; at the identity stage you are told to open or download it. It is available in English only, and cannot be used for the European Union Settlement Scheme, which has its own app.

GOV.UK says you must use one of these documents:

a biometric passport from a European Union country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
a biometric British national (overseas), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or European Economic Area passport, if you are applying for the British national (overseas) visa
an expired biometric residence permit, if your application route allows it, for 18 months after the expiry date printed on the card

You connect the app to your application with a barcode or a connection code, photograph the details page of your document, then scan its chip using near-field communication — the same technology that lets a phone pay contactlessly. The published phone requirements are Android 8.0 or above with near-field communication and 135MB free, or an iPhone 7 or newer running iOS 15 or later with 120MB free. See GOV.UK, using the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app.

What to take to an appointment

GOV.UK lists three things for a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services appointment:

a printed copy of your appointment confirmation document with a barcode
your passport or travel document
other supporting documents, unless you have already uploaded them online

You are given the list of supporting documents you need when you submit your application. If you cannot bring your passport or travel document, GOV.UK says to contact UK Visas and Immigration before the appointment rather than turning up without it.

If you are applying to the European Union Settlement Scheme, GOV.UK says you must upload your supporting documents when you apply — they cannot be scanned at the appointment.

Families, children and people who cannot give fingerprints

Families: if your application includes family members, GOV.UK says you must all go to an appointment together.
Children under 16: a child under 16 must go to the appointment with the person named as the "responsible adult" on their application. That adult must take their own photo identification — a passport, photo driving licence, national identity card, biometric residence permit or biometric residence card, valid or expired — and must still clearly look like the photograph. If they are not the parent or legal guardian, for example a member of staff from the child's school, they must also bring written proof of responsibility from the parent, legal guardian, registered foster carer or social services.
Children under 5: Home Office biometric enrolment guidance says children under the age of 5 are exempt from providing fingerprints, but must provide a digital image of their face.
Unable to give fingerprints: the same guidance says people who are physically unable to enrol their fingerprints may be excused from providing them, but must still provide a facial image. Tell the centre staff if this applies to you.

After the appointment

GOV.UK is explicit that you will not get a decision at your appointment, and that how long a decision takes depends on what you applied for. The published standard times for the main routes are 3 weeks if you applied from outside the UK and 8 weeks if you applied from inside it; check the route page for yours.

When a decision is made you get a letter or email telling you so. Your status is then held as an eVisa, which you view and share through your UK Visas and Immigration account at GOV.UK, view your eVisa and get a share code.

Related guides:

Questions and answers

What are biometrics for a UK visa?

Your biometric information is your fingerprints and a digital photograph. The Home Office collects it as part of most visa, settlement and citizenship applications, to check your identity against records it already holds.

Where do I give my biometrics?

GOV.UK says you will either use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document, or give your fingerprints and photograph in person. In person means a visa application centre if you are outside the UK, or a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services service point if you are inside it. You are told which applies to you when you apply.

Do I need to book a biometrics appointment?

If you are attending in person, yes. GOV.UK says you create an account when you apply and make the appointment online, and that you can only attend a service point if you have an appointment. There is no walk-in service.

What do I bring to my biometrics appointment?

GOV.UK lists three things for a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services appointment: a printed copy of your appointment confirmation document with a barcode, your passport or travel document, and any other supporting documents you have not already uploaded online. You are given the list of supporting documents when you submit your application.

Can I skip the appointment?

Sometimes. GOV.UK says you may not need to attend a service point if you are in the UK, you have an expired biometric residence permit, you have previously given your biometric information, and you are applying for certain visas — it gives the Graduate, Student and Skilled Worker visas as examples. If that applies you get an email explaining how to send a photograph and your documents instead.

This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.

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