Foreign nationals

Telephone:   01273 404011  (excluding UK National Holidays)
8:00am - 4:00pm  Monday to Thursday
8:00am - 2:00pm  Friday

E-mail:   nationality.unit@sussex.pnn.police.uk

Postal Address:

Nationality Unit
Sussex Police Headquarters
Malling House
Church Lane
Lewes
East Sussex
BN7 2DZ

We do not see members of the public at this office. You will need to make an appointment to attend a planned registration session.

You may be able to register at your educational establishment. The staff at the Nationality Unit visit various schools and universities throughout the year. You can phone us to see if we are going to be at your school in the near future. If not we will arrange an appointment for you at a Police Station.

No. You need to contact the Nationality Unit and arrange an appointment for a planned registration session.

• Your passport. 
• Two recent passport size photographs. 
• Registration fee of £34.00 (cash only). 
• If you are a student, you must bring your university/college offer letter with details of your studies or a student If an organisation or company is sponsoring your studies, you should bring a letter from the organisation to confirm this.
• If you are employed in the United Kingdom you must bring your work permit and details of your employers.

You will be required to state/provide your:-

• Full name
• Sex
• Marital status 
• Date and country of birth
• Nationality
• Address in the UK
• Last residence outside the UK
• Date, place and mode of arrival in the UK
• Passport details
• Place of study (if applicable)
• Employment details (if applicable)
• Duration of leave and any conditions
• Any question that is deemed relevant at the time of your registration.

Each appointment lasts approximately 15 minutes and your documents will be returned to you at the time of registration along with your Police Registration Certificate.

The Rules of the Police Registration Scheme require you to report changes as follows:

• New address
• Any new landing conditions
• Extensions to your visa granted by the UKBA
• New passport
• New study information or change to university/college
• New employment
• Change of marital status
• Exemption from Police Registration
• Change of Nationality

Any changes should be reported within 7 days.

You can do this by sending the information to us by post. We would advise sending your documents by recorded or special delivery. Sussex Police will not be held liable for anything lost in the post. If you would like your documents returned the same way please provide a pre-paid recorded or special delivery envelope for us to return your documents.

In all cases you will need to send in your Police Registration Certificate.

For a change of address we will also need to see proof , for example a utility bill, bank statement or tenancy agreement.

For a new visa you will need to send in your passport and Biometric Identity Document if you have been issued with one.

There is no fee to pay when you notify any of the above changes to Sussex Police.

Your registration certificate will expire if you are out of the United Kingdom for a continuous period of more than 1 year.

You must report to the local police within 7 days. They will inform you of the procedure in their area. If you have not been out of the UK as above there will be no charge and you can continue to use the same certificate.

Failure to register with the police is an offence under Section 26(1) (f) of the Immigration Act 1971 and, where a person fails to register, the police can consider prosecution. You can be liable to a fine of up to £5,000, six months imprisonment, or both. Requests for further leave to remain may not be accepted if you do not report relevant changes to the police.

No, if you are leaving the UK for a short stay you should keep your certificate with you.

Yes, if you have lost your Police Registration Certificate, you must report the loss to your local police station and then contact the Nationality Unit to arrange an appoinment  to obtain a replacement. If it is damaged, depending on the condition of the certificate, you must hand it in and you will also be required to pay £34 for a replacement.

No, if your registration certificate has been stolen you must report the theft to your local police station and you will then be given a Crime Number. On receipt of this number you must contact the Nationality Unit to arrange an appointment to obtain a free replacement.

If you have sent in your documents by special or recorded delivery, you can go on to the Royal Mail Track and Trace website. This will confirm whether it has been received at our office.If it has, please ring us on our office number and we will then be able to tell you whether the documents have been processed by us and ,if so, the date they were returned to you.

Please state clearly the address that you would like your documents to be returned to.  

Please visit the UKBA website where you will find instructions for the Police Registration Scheme.