Convention travel document

This page explains what a convention travel document is and who may apply for one. For infiormation about other types of Home Office travel document, see Travel documents.

If we have given you permission to stay in the United Kingdom as a refugee, you can apply to us for a convention travel document. This document is provided in a way that was set out in part of the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

We will give you this travel document unless we believe there are extremely good reasons to refuse, such as to protect national security. When you apply, you must be legally resident in the United Kingdom and be able to prove your refugee status here.

You can prove that you have permission to stay in the United Kingdom as a refugee by providing any documents we have sent you containing the following official reference numbers:

• ACD 0122
• ACD 2151
• ASL 2151
• ADL 1
• ASL 2167
• GEN 23
• GEN 22
• ICD 0726

You must have permission to stay here for at least six months from the date when you make your application. This is because other countries may not accept your travel document if you have less than six months' permission to return to the United Kingdom. If your current permission to remain here will expire in less than six months, you must apply to extend your stay before you can apply for a travel document.

Except in exceptional circumstances, you cannot use a Home Office convention travel document to travel to your country of origin, or the country from which you sought asylum. It will normally be valid for travel to all other countries.

A convention travel document issued to an adult will usually be valid for 10 years if you have permission to stay in the United Kingdom permanently (known as 'indefinite leave to remain'). If you have temporary permission to stay in the United Kingdom (known as 'limited leave to remain'), your convention travel document will usually be valid for the same period as your permission to stay here, up to a maximum of five years.

Children cannot be named on the travel document of their parent or guardian. A convention travel document issued to a child will usually be valid for five years if the child has permission to stay in the United Kingdom permanently. If the child has temporary permission to stay in the United Kingdom, the document will usually be valid for the same period as their permission to stay here, up to a maximum of five years.

See How to apply for information about making your application.

Travelling abroad using a convention travel document

When you have obtained your convention travel document, you may also need to obtain a visa before you enter some countries. Before making any travel arrangements, you should ask at the embassy of the country or countries you wish to travel to.

If you already have a convention travel document, it may say on page 30 that you do not need a visa for visits of three months or less to a number of listed countries. As the list of countries changes from time to time, you should ask at the embassy of the country or countries you wish to travel to before making any travel arrangements.

Indefinite leave to remain (often known as 'ILR' and 'settlement') is permission to remain in the UK without any time restrictions on the length of stay. It is not the same as naturalisation as a British citizen and may, in specific circumstances, be ceased or invalidated, for example, if a fraudulent application is uncovered, if the person resides outside of the UK for more than 2 years or as a result of a criminal conviction that results in a Deportation Order coming into force.Permission to stay in the United Kingdom temporarily, for the length of time stated on your visa.