eVisa and UKVI account

GOV.UK describes an eVisa as a digital record of your identity and immigration status, and of the conditions of your permission, for example whether you can work or study in the UK. You get one after a successful visa application, such as a Health and Care Worker visa. GOV.UK says eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents, including the biometric residence permit (BRP).

There is nothing to carry. Instead you hold a UKVI account, run by UK Visas and Immigration, where you view the eVisa, keep your details current and generate a share code when someone needs to check your status.

GOV.UK says you need a UKVI account to access your eVisa if you have any UK visa or settlement. Each dependant, such as your partner and each child, needs their own account. If you already have one, for example because you used the UK Immigration: ID Check app when you applied, do not create another. You can set up and manage an account for a child or someone who cannot do it themselves, using your own phone number and email until they can take it over.

You need a phone number and email address you can use each time you sign in, and one of these:

• a valid passport and your visa application number (GWF or UAN)
• a valid passport and your BRP number
• an expired BRP, which GOV.UK says you can use for 24 months after the expiry date on the card or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first

1. Check whether you already have an account.
2. Create the account using the form linked from GOV.UK.
3. Confirm your identity in the ID check app on a smartphone, which links the account to your eVisa. GOV.UK offers another route if you cannot use the app.
4. Wait for access. GOV.UK says it is often immediate once linked but can take up to 24 hours.

GOV.UK states that you do not need to pay to set up a UKVI account or access your eVisa.

• Work. Generate a share code for your employer's right to work check.
• Travel. GOV.UK says you can travel with your eVisa after you add your passport or travel document details to your account.
• Updates. Update the account if your name, nationality, photo, passport, phone or email changes, and report any error on the eVisa.
• National Insurance. If you were given a National Insurance number, GOV.UK says you can find it by viewing your eVisa.

• Expired passport still linked. Add your new passport before you travel or the check may fail.
• Lost access to the phone or email. Contact UKVI's account help line or webchat to recover the account.
• Leaving the BRP switch-over too late. The expired BRP route to sign in or create an account ends on 31 December 2026 at the latest.
• Family members without accounts. Each dependant needs their own.

See our first weeks checklist for when to set this up.