The UK is replacing physical immigration documents, including biometric residence permits, biometric residence cards, vignettes and wet ink stamps, with a digital eVisa UK record. To access your eVisa, you must create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, which is essential for viewing your immigration status online.
An e Visa UK is a free online record linked to a valid passport or another identity document. It is not a new visa category or an ETA. Employers, landlords and some public bodies now use an online service and share code to check online immigration status. If you cannot access your eVisa UK, update your ukvi account, or understand your immigration status, request a consultation with Axis Solicitors in Manchester, London or Birmingham.
What Is an eVisa UK and Who Needs One?
An e-Visa UK is a digital record of your identity, immigration status, visa type, visa conditions and rights, held by the Home Office within the UKVI system. Once logged into your UKVI account, you can check eVisa UK details, including your immigration status, rights to work, and any conditions attached to your visa.
The UK eVisa is a digital visa linked to an applicant’s passport, allowing for a streamlined verification process at UK borders without the need for physical documentation. It is the digital replacement for many physical documents and supports replacing physical immigration documents across the immigration system.
The eVisa UK is for people who need uk visas, residence permission, leave to remain, indefinite leave, indefinite leave to remain, settled status, pre settled status or another form of valid leave. Non-UK nationals must obtain a UK e-visa to enter and stay in the country, depending on their nationality and purpose of travel. Every non-UK national with the right to live in the UK must apply for evisa UK, including those granted leave to remain for more than six months.
Main groups include Skilled Worker applicants, spouse and partner visa holders, students, refugees, people with humanitarian protection, family members, and people under the EU settlement scheme. Children and minors require a separate e-visa to enter the UK, and parents or legal guardians must submit a separate application for each child.
British and Irish citizens do not need an e Visa UK. Dual nationals should make sure the correct travel document is linked. Visitors staying under six months may not receive an e Visa UK, and the Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA, is separate from the eVisa UK.
Transition from Biometric Residence Permits to eVisa UK
A biometric residence permit brp is a card showing your photo, biometric chip, visa conditions and expiry date. The UK government has been phasing out biometric residence permits because digital status is harder to lose, steal or forge.
If your biometric residence permit expired on 31 December 2024, you should replace it with an e-visa within 18 months of expiration. A biometric residence permit expired on that date does not automatically mean your granted leave has ended. Check your decision letter, online status, or eVisa UK end date.
You can use an expired BRP that expired within the last 18 months to set up your UKVI account. This includes an expired biometric residence permit or expired brp card, provided the Home Office system accepts the identity document details.
The transition from physical visas to e-visas enhances security and simplifies the visa application process, aligning with modern digital standards and reducing the potential for fraudulent activities. Unlike physical visas, e-visas are stored electronically and are directly linked to the applicant’s passport details, allowing for faster verification at UK borders without the need for additional paperwork.
Our UK immigration lawyers at Axis Solicitors can review your decision letter, expired brp, biometric residence, passport and Home Office correspondence to confirm whether you still have valid leave, need urgent correction, or can stay in the uk lawfully.
Creating and Managing Your UKVI Account for eVisa UK
To apply for a UK eVisa, applicants must create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, which allows them to manage their visa status and access their eVisa online. You can create a ukvi account using an email address, mobile number, date of birth and details from a valid identity document, such as a valid passport, national identity card, biometric residence permit or biometric residence cards.
Some applicants already have an online account from the eu settlement scheme, Student visa or Graduate visa process. In that case, you should normally use the same account details rather than creating duplicate profiles.
Setting up a UKVI account and accessing an eVisa UK is free. The application process for a UK eVisa is free of charge, and it typically takes a few minutes to process, although delays can occur depending on individual circumstances. You need internet access, and each sign-in usually requires a security code sent to your registered phone or email.
Keep your contact details, passport details, new passport, travel document details and personal details updated. You must ensure your current passport is linked to your UKVI account to avoid delays at the border. The ukvi account lets you update identity documents, prove status and manage your online record.
If you struggle with technology, illness or disability, Axis Solicitors can help you access your evisa securely and keep your account private, including advising on recent Home Office policy changes such as UKVI acceptance of digital copies of supporting documents for many applications.
Using the UK Immigration: ID Check App and Identity Documents
Many applicants use the UK Immigration: ID Check app, also called the immigration id check app or uk immigration id check, to verify identity. The id check app scans the biometric chip in a passport or reads data from a BRP, then asks for a live photo.
To apply for a UK e-visa, you must already have a valid passport or Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and access to a smartphone with NFC. If scanning fails, you may be able to enter identity document details manually and upload images.
Refugees and people with humanitarian protection should not use a home-country passport if that conflicts with their protection claim. They should use the travel document or BRP accepted by uk visas and immigration, and some nationalities may instead require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for entry to the UK for short visits.
Keep copies of your BRP number, ukvi customer number, global web form reference, UAN, GWF and decision letters in case you need to recover access.
How to Access Your eVisa UK and Check Immigration Status
Use the View and Prove your immigration status online portal to access your eVisa UK. Sign in with your UKVI account and security code.
Once an eVisa is approved, it exists electronically within the immigration system, and applicants can access it through their UKVI account to view their immigration status and conditions. You should see your visa type, start date, end date, right to work, right to rent, study conditions, whether you can claim benefits, public funds restrictions and linked identity documents.
People with pre settled or settled status under the eu settlement scheme should see this clearly. Parents and guardians should also check a child’s digital status before school enrolment, travel or housing checks.
Check names, date of birth, nationality and passport numbers. If something is wrong, act quickly. Axis Solicitors can interpret screenshots, online immigration status pages and complex conditions so you know what your e Visa UK actually allows.
Generating and Using a Share Code
To prove your immigration status, eVisa holders can generate a share code from their UKVI account, which can be shared with employers or landlords to verify their right to work or rent.
The process is simple:
- Log in to View and Prove.
- Choose right to work, right to rent or another purpose.
- Generate a share code.
- Give the code and your date of birth to the organisation.
A share code is valid for up to 90 days. It does not give third parties full access to your personal UKVI account. Formal letters, old biometric residence cards or photocopies are usually not enough for employers and landlords.
Proving Your Right to Work, Rent and Access Services
Employers must use right to work online checks through the government checking service, or the Employer Checking Service where needed. Landlords and letting agents in England usually check right to rent digitally.
Banks, colleges, councils and health bodies may verify immigration status through secure Home Office systems rather than photocopies. Some services do not ask you for a share code but still check status behind the scenes.
If an employer or landlord refuses to accept your eVisa UK or misunderstands a share code, Axis Solicitors can intervene, explain the law and help prevent discrimination or unlawful job loss.
Updating and Correcting Your eVisa UK Record
You should update your eVisa UK whenever you renew a passport, change name, change nationality or change phone or email. Add a new passport promptly and keep old passport details active until the update is confirmed.
Common errors include misspelt names, wrong dates of birth, incorrect expiry date, missing work rights, incorrect “no recourse to public funds” wording, or failure to show indefinite leave.
Use official Home Office change of circumstances or correction forms on GOV.UK. Upload supporting evidence such as passport scans, decision letters and older documents. People with multiple grants of leave, old stamps, or mixed eu settlement scheme and work visa histories should consider legal advice.
Overstaying a UK e-visa may lead to severe consequences, including fines, deportation, and bans on future travel to the UK. Overstayers may face automatic refusals for future visa applications, which can significantly affect their ability to return to the UK. It is advisable for travellers who overstay their visas to promptly report their situation to UK immigration authorities, as early reporting can sometimes reduce penalties.
Axis Solicitors can prepare representations to the home office if an incorrect e-Visa UK causes loss of work, benefit suspension or urgent travel disruption.
Indefinite Leave, EU Settlement Scheme and Older Status Documents
People with indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain may still hold status shown by wet ink stamps, vignette stickers or older physical documents. However, they are encouraged to obtain an eVisa UK for convenience.
Historic indefinite leave can often be converted into a digital record through a No Time Limit online application. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals and family members under the eu settlement scheme already use a digital model and should keep passport details updated.
Confusion can arise if someone has both eu settlement scheme status and another visa, such as Skilled Worker. Axis Solicitors can advise which immigration status and conditions apply. Keep copies of old identity documents, even after moving to e-Visa UK.
Common Problems with eVisa UK and How to Resolve Them
Common eVisa UK problems include being locked out, losing access to an old email or phone, forgotten passwords, error messages, or the system not recognising identity document numbers.
If you cannot access your UKVI account, you can use the online recovery tools on GOV.UK to regain access, which may require your passport and other identifying information. Use “forgotten your sign in details” links and provide Home Office references where possible.
If you cannot prove right to work or rent urgently, an employer or landlord may sometimes use the Employer Checking Service or Landlord Checking Service. People with outstanding applications, appeals or judicial review claims may see “application in progress” and need advice about interim rights.
Prompt help from immigration lawyers can be crucial where delays cause financial loss, job withdrawal or risk of removal. Axis Solicitors can escalate matters through complaints, MPs or pre-action correspondence where appropriate.
Travel Difficulties and Airline Checks
Airlines and ferry companies increasingly rely on digital checks against eVisa UK records. Automated digital checks against Home Office records occur during flight bookings or border arrivals, requiring only a passport scan for verification.
eVisas allow for a more efficient travel experience, as immigration officials can verify visa details digitally, reducing wait times and streamlining the verification process at border entry points. Border officials can check linked status through passport scans during border checks.
If you changed passport but did not update your eVisa UK, an airline may not see valid permission and may refuse boarding. Update new passport details well before travel. Carry a screenshot or printout of your digital status and decision letter as backup.
Refugees should not travel on a home-country passport if that conflicts with protection status. Use a recognised refugee travel document linked to your e Visa UK.
How Axis Solicitors Can Help with Your eVisa UK
Axis Solicitors is a UK-based law firm specialising in uk immigration law, with offices in Manchester, London and Birmingham. We advise clients remotely and in person on eVisa UK issues, UKVI account access and digital immigration status.
We can help you:
- Check whether you need an e-Visa UK or a separate visa application.
- Recover or manage your UKVI account.
- Correct errors in your online record.
- Liaise with uk visas and immigration, also described in some guidance as visas and immigration ukvi.
- Support workers facing right to work suspension.
- Help tenants refused housing due to misunderstood share codes.
- Assist parents accessing children’s digital records.
We also advise on extension applications, indefinite leave, eu settlement scheme issues, appeals and judicial review where Home Office errors have serious consequences.
For clear, practical and stress free support, request a consultation with Axis Solicitors today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to apply separately for eVisa UK if I already have a valid visa?
Usually, no separate paid evisa application is required. When you apply for a visa, extension or eu settlement scheme status, the eVisa UK is created or updated if the application is approved. Some people with older indefinite leave or physical records may need a No Time Limit application.
What happens if my biometric residence permit expired but my eVisa UK is not visible yet?
An expired BRP does not automatically end permission. Check your original Home Office decision letter and try signing in to View and Prove. If your e Visa UK is missing or wrong, use the official online recovery or correction tools, then seek legal advice if urgent.
Can my employer keep a copy of my old BRP instead of using my eVisa UK?
Usually not. Employers are expected to use the official online right to work service linked to e Visa UK or the Employer Checking Service. A photocopy of an expired BRP is not normally enough.
How does eVisa UK affect people with pending appeals or judicial reviews?
Your e Visa UK may show limited information or “application in progress”. Work rights, reporting duties and removal risk depend on your case history, so you should get tailored advice from expert team at Axis Solicitors before relying only on the digital screen.
Is my data safe in the eVisa UK and UKVI account system?
The Home Office states that digital records are protected by secure systems and login checks. Keep your email and phone secure, use strong passwords, do not share eVisa UK login details, and report suspected fraud quickly.
Need help today? Speak to an Immigration Solicitor at Axis Solicitors and get expert legal help with your eVisa UK, immigration status, travel plans or right to work issue.
