6 How to submit your supporting documents or evidence

You can scan and email all the documents to RPA.

You must put your SBI on all documents.

The maximum size of emails we can accept is 32MB.

If the email exceeds this limit, please send a further email and use the same subject heading. Add the number of emails at the end of the subject heading, for example, 1 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 3.

For security reasons, we cannot accept discs, USB pen drives or other external storage media.

You can submit digital photos by email, but do not scan printed photos as the quality is not good enough.

Or you can post the documents to us using the address in ‘More information and contacts’ below.

Submit your application  

Please email or post all sections of the completed application form

For all applications you must:

  • put your SBI and Application ID on everything you send to us

  • have the correct permission level (at least ‘CS Applications – Submit’) in the Rural Payments service

Submit your application by email if you received your application pack by email. ‘Reply’ to the email, attaching your completed documents to it.

You’ll need to scan the completed maps and supporting documents first.

By ‘replying’ to the email we sent to you, rather than sending us a new email, your application will be automatically forwarded to the correct team and won’t wait in a queue to be sorted manually

If you downloaded your application pack or received it by post you can submit it by email.

Scan all the documents, attach them to an email and send the email to ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk.

The subject of your email must be:

  • ‘CS Protection and Infrastructure Agri-environment application 2022’
  • You must put your SBI number in your email as well as on everything you attach to the email
  • Make sure that the email address you’re sending your application from is registered for your business in the Rural Payments service.

Send your application by post

If you received your application pack by post and cannot submit it by email, you can post it to:

Rural Payments Agency (Countryside Stewardship),

PO Box 324,

Worksop

S95 1DF

Remember to sign your paper application at Section 5 before you submit it.

We recommend that you get proof of posting for any documents you send to us by post.

You should keep a copy of everything you send to us.