How to register
The Overseas Visitors Reporting Office (OVRO) is the place to visit in Surrey if you live in Surrey and have been required to register with the police, an essential part of many foreign nationals’ visa conditions.
Our details
Please email us or call 01483 639516 to make an appointment. Please check what to bring with you.
You can also use the same email address or phone number to ask us questions, or post your query to:
OVRO Registration Department
Woking Police Station
Station Approach
Woking
Surrey
GU22 7SY
Opening times for appointments
Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 5.30pm
Saturday and Sunday: closed
UK public holidays and bank holidays: closed
You can also part-register without an appointment at:
Reigate Police Station
79 Reigate Road
Reigate
RH2 0RY
Part-registration means that you can get a Surrey Police stamp in your passport to prove you're registered, even though the process isn't finished. For this part-registration process:
- you must bring all the relevant documents so staff at the police station can take copies of them
- they stamp your passport next to your visa to prove registration has taken place
- staff send the copies and the signed police registration certificate (PRC) to Woking Police Station to continue the process
- the certificate is then sent back to Reigate Police Station for you to collect
If you need a certificate back urgently, mention this during the registration process.
Opening times for Reigate Police Station
Monday to Sunday: 8am to 10pm
UK public holidays and bank holidays: closed
When to attend
You must visit the OVRO to register and get your police registration certificate (PRC) within seven days of arriving in Surrey. This is important, because if you don't you may face:
- a £5,000 fine
- a prison sentence
- recommendation of deportation
- a ten-year ban on entering the UK
Unsure if you need to register? Read our advice for first time visitors: who needs to register as a foreign national?
Students
Sometimes we visit the University of Surrey, the Royal Holloway University London and the UCA Farnham to make bulk registrations.
If you're a student at one of these universities, contact the International Student Office or check the university website to see if we've made one of these appointments.
All other students should make an appointment with the Overseas Visitors Records Office or visit Reigate Police Station, as detailed above.
When your details change
If you change any of your personal or contact details whilst studying or working in Surrey, you'll need to re-register with the OVRO. See reporting a change in circumstances or new visa to find out what to do.
You must report any of the following changes within seven days:
- change of address
- change of college/university/course
- change of occupation
- change in marital status
- new landing conditions (re-entry visa)
- new passport details
- children born whilst you are in the UK
- exemption from Police Registration
If you lose your certificate
If you've lost your police registration certificate, please make an appointment in the same way. We'll ask you about why and how you lost it, before we can consider issuing you a new one.
Please see our full checklist of what to bring with you when you visit the OVRO.