What Evidence to Keep for Your ILR Absence History
A checklist of documents and records to keep to support your ILR application's absence section.
When you apply for ILR, you’ll declare every day you spent outside the UK during your qualifying period. The Home Office cross-references this against their own records. Keeping supporting evidence is vital — especially if any of your trips were unusual or near the limits.
What evidence is useful?
Boarding passes and e-tickets
The gold standard. Airlines send e-tickets and boarding passes that show dates, times, and routes. Save every one in a single email folder or cloud drive.
Passport stamps
Still very useful, especially for travel to non-Schengen destinations. Photograph every new stamp as soon as you get it — stamps fade and passports get renewed.
Old passports
Never throw away an expired passport. The stamps inside may be your only proof of travel dates for older trips. Even after renewal, the Home Office accepts old passports as evidence.
Travel booking confirmations
Hotel and Airbnb confirmations, rental car agreements, and tour bookings can corroborate your travel history if other records are missing.
Credit card statements
Purchases abroad with timestamps and locations are useful secondary evidence if you can’t find flight records.
Employer letters
If any travel was for work, an employer letter confirming the business purpose is valuable — particularly if you plan to rely on discretion for any excess absences.
What about countries that don’t stamp?
EU and EEA countries often don’t stamp UK passports (and post-Brexit, stamping practice varies). Don’t rely on stamps alone — back up with tickets and bookings.
Use a travel tracking app
Manual spreadsheets work but they get out of date fast. awayfrom.uk lets you log trips quickly and export a clean summary when you apply.
How far back should I keep records?
Keep travel evidence for the entire qualifying period (usually 5 years, or 10 years for the long residence route) plus at least 2 years after your ILR is granted. If you’re planning to apply for citizenship, keep everything until your naturalisation is confirmed.
What if I’ve lost some evidence?
It happens. Write a statement explaining the gap, gather what you can (bank statements, emails), and be honest about your best estimate of travel dates. The Home Office will see you as credible if you’re transparent.