# Returning Resident visa documents checklist for Indian applicants

The documents an Indian applicant needs for the Returning Resident visa, named the way Indian banks, universities and offices issue them.

Source: https://ukvisadesk.com/visas/returning-resident-visa/documents · Updated 2026-10-08 · Reviewed by UK Visa Desk counselling team, licence 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024 · UK Visa Desk, a brand of Pro Lifeset Overseas Private Limited, Patiala, India. WhatsApp +91 91155 80911, Mon to Sat, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM IST.

- Current and old passports, including the passport that carried the indefinite leave stamp or vignette, or the BRP and the Home Office letter granting settlement
- Evidence of your settled status if your document was lost: a Subject Access Request result, a No Time Limit decision, or an eVisa record
- Proof of the date you left the UK and your travel since: passport stamps, airline records and the Indian immigration arrival stamp
- Reason for the absence: parent's medical records and hospital discharge summaries, your child's school admission records, or a posting letter from your employer
- UK ties: council tax bills, mortgage statements or tenancy agreements, property deeds, HMRC records, pension statements and UK bank statements covering the absence
- Family in the UK: passports or BRPs of British or settled spouse, children or parents, with their addresses and a letter about your return
- Evidence of your plan to return: a job offer, enrolment of children in a UK school, or a letter from the family about where you will live
- Indian records that show the stay was temporary: a leave agreement, a rental rather than a purchase, or the sale of Indian assets ahead of the return
- Marriage certificate and birth certificates if your family will apply with you or as dependants
- A short written statement setting out the timeline of your absence and why you did not return earlier

## FAQ
**How much does the Returning Resident visa cost?**
£726 on gov.uk as of 8 October 2026. There is no health surcharge because the visa restores settlement. Priority settlement service, where offered, costs £500 extra.

**I was away for 2 years and 3 months. Have I lost my ILR?**
Yes. Indefinite leave lapses after 2 continuous years outside the UK, even by a few months. You need a Returning Resident visa or a new visa on another route. A short absence over the limit with strong UK ties is the easiest case to win.

**What counts as strong ties?**
Family who are British or settled, a home you own or rent, a UK job or business, a pension, bank accounts you kept open, children in UK schools, and regular visits during the absence. Officers look at the whole picture against the length of time away.

Full guide: https://ukvisadesk.com/visas/returning-resident-visa.md

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UK Visa Desk is a brand of Pro Lifeset Overseas Private Limited, a visa consultancy licensed by the Government of Punjab, India. We are a private company, not affiliated with the UK Government, and we are not regulated by the UK Immigration Advice Authority. We serve applicants who are in India; applicants already in the UK are referred to a regulated UK adviser. We do not handle work visas. Information here is general, not legal advice, and no visa outcome is guaranteed.
We do not handle UK work visas. Applicants already in the UK are referred to a regulated adviser.