Digital reporting (IBDR)

Updated: 9 May 2026

In short

Digital reporting is what most people on bail actually deal with. This page answers the questions people actually ask: what is it, do they track you all day, can they still come to your home, and how to switch from in-person reporting. (as of 2026-05-09)

1–3

minutes

typical IBDR check-in time

90 days

data retention

location data held anonymised

0808 801 0503

Migrant Help

for any IBDR problem

What the Digital Reporting Service is — basics

The official name is Immigration Bail Digital Reporting (IBDR). It is not a normal app you download from the App Store or Google Play. There is nothing to install.

How it actually works:

The Home Office sends you a secure email link or a mobile text message at the start of your reporting window.
You open the link on the same phone the Home Office has on file.
The link opens in your phone's web browser (Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android).
You confirm your identity — usually a photo of your face (liveness check).
The page asks for your phone's location. You must click "Allow" when prompted.
The system marks you as having reported. You are done for that day.

The whole thing usually takes 1–3 minutes when it works. Source: gov.uk/guidance/immigration-bail-digital-reporting.

Big question 1 — does the Home Office track my location all day?

Short answer: No, not through IBDR. The system reads your location only at the moment you report.

IBDR is not a continuous tracker. It is not a GPS tag. It only reads your phone's location at the moment you click the reporting link.
Between check-ins, the Home Office does not see where you are through IBDR.
Location data is held for up to 90 days in anonymised form. If you breach bail, the precise location data can be read.
This is completely different from a GPS ankle tag (Serco) or a Non-Fitted Device (NFD, Buddi), which track you continuously, 24 hours a day.

What if I switch off location services entirely?
You will fail the check-in. The fix: turn on location for the browser, do the check-in, turn it off again afterwards if you want privacy. This is allowed; many people do it.

Big question 2 — if I use digital, can they still come to my home?

Short answer: Yes. Digital reporting does not stop enforcement officers from visiting your home.

Digital reporting is a check-in method, not a deal that protects you from enforcement visits.
The Home Office still has your registered home address. They can come at any time, on any day, with or without notice.
They are most likely to visit if: you miss a digital check-in; there are removal directions in your case; you are recorded as a non-compliant absconder; there is intelligence in your case file flagging you.

If officers come to your address: stay calm, ask politely for ID, do not run, ask to phone your IAA-registered solicitor and BID before answering questions.

Big question 3 — can I switch from in-person to digital? How?

Short answer: Yes, you can ask. The Home Office decides. You apply through a written variation request. You may need to wait weeks.

Common reasons that make a switch to digital realistic:

Long travel distance to the in-person centre (3+ hours each way).
Health condition or disability that makes travel hard.
Caring responsibilities (small children, disabled spouse).
Mental-health impact of attending the centre (with letter from psychiatrist or therapist).
Work shift pattern that conflicts with the only available reporting times.

How to apply:

Call Migrant Help on 0808 801 0503. They have done thousands of these and will help you draft the letter.
Find an IAA-registered solicitor at /en/database/lawyers/ — they raise the chance of approval.
Gather written evidence: bus/train timetable showing journey length and cost; GP or specialist letter; employer letter on shift pattern; school/nursery letter on childcare.
Write to your ROM team. The email address is on your Bail 201 letter. Subject: "Variation request — change to digital reporting — [your reference number]".
Continue to attend in person until you get written approval. A verbal "we'll consider it" is not approval.
Wait 5 to 10 working days for a written response, sometimes longer.

If your case is on First-tier Tribunal-granted bail (not Home Office-granted), submit Form B2 to the Tribunal instead. See /en/reporting/vary-conditions/.

Big question 4 — sudden new reporting mid-process. What does it mean?

It does not always mean refusal. The Home Office can assign new or increased reporting at many points: after your screening interview, after your asylum interview, during a routine case review (every 6–12 months automatically), when your address changes, or if your file moves to a new caseworker.

But it sometimes does signal something. Increased reporting (e.g. weekly when it was monthly) can be a warning that a negative decision is being prepared, or that removal directions are being sought.

What you should do the same day the new requirement arrives:

Read the letter carefully. Note exactly: new times, new place, new method, new frequency.
Call your IAA-registered solicitor.
If you do not have a solicitor, find one through /en/database/lawyers/.
Comply with the new requirement while your solicitor investigates. Do not skip.
Document the day you received the letter — keep the envelope, the letter, the date stamp.

Many people get unexpected reporting assignments and continue with positive case outcomes. A new reporting requirement is not the same as a refusal letter. It is a procedural change.

This section is for practising Muslim, Jewish, or other observant readers whose worship schedule, ablution rules, or fasting patterns interact with reporting. If none of this applies to you, skip to the next section.

Friday Jum'ah. If your reporting window is Friday early afternoon (e.g. 13:00–14:30), plan to check in before prayer, at home or at work. Wi-Fi at the mosque may be poor, and waiting in the parking lot drains your battery.
Ramadan. Battery drains faster on iftar days. Charge the phone during suhoor preparation. Set two alarms before the window opens.
Wudu before prayer. No issue with IBDR (only the GPS tag has water-resistance considerations).
Photographing yourself for the liveness check. Do it in private. Note: the location data shows where the photo was taken — so if you check in from your mosque, the Home Office knows you were there at that moment.

What to do if X

Your phone breaks during the reporting window.
Borrow a phone — but only to call your reporting centre and Migrant Help (0808 801 0503). Do not try to reuse the link from a different device — that triggers a fraud alert. Take a photo of the broken screen with the timestamp visible.

The page rejects your photo or liveness check repeatedly.
Take screenshots of every error message with the timestamp visible. Email your reporting centre right after the window closes. Keep trying.

You have no internet on the day.
Find public Wi-Fi (library, fast-food chain, mosque if it has Wi-Fi). If you cannot find any, call your reporting centre before the window closes. Do not wait until tomorrow.

The link arrives in your spam folder and you find it after the window closed.
Take a screenshot showing the email in spam with the timestamp. Email your reporting centre and Migrant Help the same hour.

Red flags — what NOT to do

Letting your solicitor or family reply for you. Third-party replies are rejected as non-compliance.
Reporting from a different phone, or letting someone else use your phone for their own check-in.
Disabling location services "to protect privacy" while doing the check-in. You will be marked as failed.
Ignoring the link until late in the window. Networks are unstable. Click within the first 10 minutes.
Assuming the Home Office "did not send anything today". They may have. Check spam, blocked numbers, junk SMS.
Asking for a switch verbally and treating the answer as approval. Variation must be in writing.
Stopping reporting because a variation request was sent yesterday. Continue under current rules until written approval arrives.

When to call who

Migrant Help — 0808 801 0503 — first call when the digital service fails or you want to switch.

ROM team — email address on your Bail 201 letter.

IAA-registered solicitor — for a missed digital check-in, sudden increase in reporting frequency, or any case-specific question. /en/database/lawyers/

BID — legal@biduk.org — for serious bail challenges.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Home Office track my location all day through IBDR?

No. IBDR reads your location only at the moment you check in. Between check-ins the Home Office does not see where you are. Location data is held for up to 90 days in anonymised form. This is completely different from a GPS ankle tag which tracks you continuously.

If I use digital reporting, can they still come to my home?

Yes. Digital reporting is a check-in method, not a deal that protects you from enforcement visits. The Home Office still has your registered home address and can come at any time.

How do I switch from in-person reporting to digital?

Call Migrant Help (0808 801 0503), gather written evidence (travel distance, health, childcare), and write to your ROM team. Continue attending in person until you receive written approval.

What if my phone breaks during the reporting window?

Borrow a phone only to call your reporting centre and Migrant Help (0808 801 0503). Do not reuse the link from a different device. Take a photo of the broken screen with a timestamp.

What if the link arrives in my spam folder after the window closes?

Take a screenshot showing the email in spam with the timestamp. Email your reporting centre and Migrant Help the same hour.

Does a sudden increase in reporting frequency mean asylum refusal?

Not always. It can be a routine case review. But it can sometimes signal something. Call your IAA-registered solicitor the same day.

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