UK eVisa & UKVI Account
An eVisa is the Home Office’s digital record of your UK immigration status and the conditions attached to it. You normally access it through a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. This guide explains how to access and use your eVisa, generate share codes, update your passport details, prepare for travel and resolve common eVisa problems.
Reviewed against GOV.UK guidance: August 2026. General information about digital UK immigration status — not legal advice on your individual case. The official Home Office services are free; always follow the current GOV.UK service.
What do you need to do?
What is an eVisa?
An eVisa is a digital record of your identity, your UK immigration status, your immigration permission and the conditions attached to that status. Those conditions can include, for example, whether you are permitted to work, to study, or to access particular services.
An eVisa is not a PDF visa, a digital BRP card, an email, or a downloadable visa certificate. It is the Home Office’s digital immigration-status record. eVisas have replaced most physical immigration documents, although some physical evidence still has limited uses — so do not assume every old document has become meaningless.
eVisa or UKVI account — what’s the difference?
eVisa
Your immigration status
The digital Home Office record showing your immigration status and the conditions attached to it.
UKVI account
How you access and manage it
The online account you use to access your eVisa and related services.
This is one of the most important ideas on this page. There is no such thing as an “eVisa account” — the account is your UKVI account, and the eVisa is the status you see inside it.
Do I already have a UKVI account?
Some people already have a UKVI account because of the way they originally applied for immigration permission. You do not need to create a second account.
If you are not sure whether you already have a UKVI account, try the GOV.UK service to view your eVisa before creating another account. GOV.UK — try to view your eVisa
How to set up a UKVI account
At a high level, you generally need an email address, a mobile phone number, relevant identity or application information, and access to an appropriate identity document where available. Current GOV.UK guidance may let eligible people create or access an account using information such as a passport, a visa application reference, BRP information or other Home Office identifiers. The precise evidence accepted can change, so follow the official service.
GOV.UK — set up a UKVI account to access your eVisa
Creating a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa is free. ENS does not charge a Home Office fee for creating an account. Where we assist, that is a separate advice/assistance service — not a charge for the free GOV.UK process.
Does every family member need an account?
Dependants need their own UKVI accounts to access their individual eVisas — this includes children. A parent’s eVisa does not cover a child’s immigration status. Where an adult manages a child’s account, current GOV.UK guidance provides for the account details to be updated when the child can manage it themselves or reaches 18.
How to view your eVisa
Once your eVisa is correctly linked to your UKVI account, you can use the Home Office “view and prove” service to see your immigration status. The display may include your name, photograph, immigration status, status expiry where applicable, the conditions attached and the rights associated with the status.
Do not treat a screenshot as the normal, formal way of proving your status to an employer or landlord — use the relevant Home Office share-code process instead.
Using your eVisa to prove your right to work
Where the online right-to-work service applies, you obtain a right-to-work share code and give it to your employer with the information the Home Office service requires. Your employer then carries out the prescribed check — this page owns the individual’s digital-status process; the employer’s compliance process lives on the Right to Work page.
Official Home Office eVisa videos
The Home Office publishes a collection of official eVisa support videos that explain each step directly. These are Home Office videos, not ENS videos. We link to them on GOV.UK so you always reach the current version.
GOV.UK — watch the full eVisa support video collection
Set up and access your eVisa
Update or recover your account
Prove your status and travel
Videos are hosted by the Home Office on GOV.UK. Availability and titles can change — the collection link above always shows the current set.
Travelling with your eVisa
If you travel using digital immigration status, make sure the passport or travel document you intend to use is correctly linked to your UKVI account where required. Current GOV.UK guidance advises keeping your passport / travel-document details updated so you can travel with your current document. Do not assume that showing an eVisa screenshot is the normal travel process.
Before you travel
- Sign in to your UKVI account.
- Check that you can view your eVisa.
- Check that your immigration status appears correctly.
- Check the passport / travel document you intend to use.
- Update your passport details if necessary.
- Check the current GOV.UK travel guidance before departure.
New passport? If you receive a new passport or travel document, check whether you need to add or update it in your UKVI account before travelling. Failing to keep account details current may cause delays. GOV.UK — update passport details
Airline or carrier cannot confirm your immigration status
If your airline, ferry operator or other carrier cannot automatically confirm your immigration status, follow the latest Home Office carrier-verification guidance rather than relying only on a screenshot of your eVisa. The Home Office published dedicated guidance on 23 July 2026 about confirming immigration status to a carrier before travelling to the UK. Because this area can change quickly, use GOV.UK as the current source.
Keep your UKVI account up to date
GOV.UK currently directs users to update relevant changes, including a passport or travel document, name, mobile telephone number, email address, home address and postal address. You may also need to deal with nationality changes, additional passports, date-of-birth corrections or photograph updates.
Account update vs eVisa error — which is it?
My details changed
Update the account
New passport, new address, new phone, new email or a changed name.
Update UKVI account details
My eVisa itself is wrong
Report an error
Wrong immigration status, incorrect expiry, wrong date of birth, or you can access the eVisa but cannot generate a share code.
Report an eVisa error
Do not use the account-update service to try to correct an incorrect immigration decision or status — that is an eVisa error (or, where the underlying decision itself is wrong, a matter for immigration advice). The GOV.UK error service covers cases where the eVisa information appears wrong, a wrong date of birth or status is shown, you can see your eVisa but cannot generate a share code, a technical problem prevents display, or the Home Office created the account but you have never been able to sign in.
I cannot access my UKVI account
Use the tool below (or the accordions further down) to reach the right Home Office recovery, update or error service. For your safety, never enter your UKVI password, verification or security codes, share-code credentials or full passport credentials into this website — those belong only on the official GOV.UK service.
I still have a BRP
The move to eVisas means a BRP should not automatically be treated as your current digital immigration record. An expired BRP may still have limited practical uses in specific Home Office processes — including some account-access or identity steps where the GOV.UK service permits it. So do not throw your BRP away, but do not treat it as proof of your current right to work either. Instead, access your eVisa and use the appropriate Home Office status service.
I have indefinite leave in an old passport or paper document
Some people have settlement evidenced by an old passport endorsement, a wet-ink stamp, a visa vignette or another legacy document with no expiry date. Current GOV.UK guidance says eligible people can obtain a digital record through the No Time Limit (NTL) process. Getting an eVisa this way does not itself change your existing immigration status — it makes it digitally accessible.
GOV.UK — No Time Limit guidance
Not every settled person needs to make an NTL application — there are different arrangements for people whose settlement is already recorded digitally through the BRP or eVisa systems.
An eVisa does not create your immigration status.
The eVisa is the digital record of the status or permission the Home Office has granted or recognised. Creating a UKVI account does not grant a visa, extend leave, give indefinite leave, remove visa conditions, cure overstaying or change a Home Office decision. Your passport and your immigration permission are related operationally but legally distinct — a new passport does not create new permission, and a passport expiry does not automatically end your immigration permission. If your permission itself is close to expiring, look at the relevant settlement or visa-extension route rather than the eVisa service.
Common eVisa problems
My BRP has expired but my visa has not
The move to eVisas means your status is now digital. Access your eVisa through your UKVI account rather than relying on the expired card, and do not read your permission from the card’s printed expiry date.
I changed my passport
Update your passport / travel-document details in your UKVI account before you rely on it for travel. Update account details
I changed my phone number or email
Update your account and sign-in details through the GOV.UK update service so you can keep accessing your eVisa.
My eVisa shows the wrong visa expiry date
Use the Home Office eVisa error-reporting route. Where the underlying immigration decision itself needs legal review — not just the display — individual immigration advice may be necessary.
I cannot generate a share code
Follow the current GOV.UK error / support guidance. If you can see your eVisa but cannot create a share code, that is treated as an eVisa error.
My employer cannot see my status
Give your employer a right-to-work share code and point them to the Home Office employer service — see Employer Right to Work Checks.
My landlord needs proof
Use the appropriate right-to-rent / share-code service where it applies. Prove right to rent
My airline cannot find my status
Follow the current Home Office carrier-verification guidance rather than relying on a screenshot — see the carrier section above.
I have ILR in an old passport
You may be able to obtain a digital record through the No Time Limit process. This does not change your existing status. No Time Limit
My child has an eVisa
Your child should have their own UKVI account and eVisa record, although an adult may manage the account where appropriate.
I received a new visa but my eVisa has not updated
A short technical delay is different from an incorrect immigration decision. Use the official reporting / support processes; if the decision itself looks wrong, consider immigration advice.
What eVisa help do you need?
Pick what you’re trying to do and we’ll point you to the right section or official GOV.UK service. This is a navigation helper — it does not assess your immigration status.
When an eVisa problem affects your immigration position
Some eVisa problems are technical and can be resolved through the Home Office’s free online services — a forgotten sign-in, account recovery, updating a phone or email, a routine passport update or an ordinary display error. You do not need paid legal help for those.
Immigration advice may be useful where the digital record appears inconsistent with the permission you were granted, your underlying status is unclear, or the issue affects your ability to evidence your status — for example where the status displayed looks inconsistent with your decision letter, permission dates or conditions appear wrong, there is uncertainty about existing leave, or there is a legacy status or underlying visa/settlement issue.
Our regulatory scope. ENS is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1 and helps with straightforward matters within that authorisation. Where an issue is complex, contentious or involves an appeal or complex human-rights work, we will say so after an initial assessment and, where needed, help you find an appropriately authorised adviser or solicitor. How our IAA Level 1 scope works.
Frequently asked questions
What is an eVisa?
An eVisa is the Home Office’s digital record of your UK immigration status and the conditions attached to it. It is not a PDF, an email or a digital version of a BRP card.
Is my UKVI account the same as my eVisa?
No. The eVisa is your immigration status. The UKVI account is the online account you use to access and manage it. You sign in to your UKVI account to view your eVisa.
How do I access my eVisa?
Through your UKVI account on GOV.UK. If you are unsure whether you already have an account, try the GOV.UK service to view your eVisa before creating a new one. Access is free.
How do I get a share code?
Sign in to the GOV.UK view-and-prove service and generate a share code for the relevant purpose. A share code is valid for 90 days and can be used more than once.
Does an eVisa give me immigration permission?
No. An eVisa is the digital record of the status the Home Office has granted or recognised. Creating a UKVI account does not grant a visa, extend leave or change any immigration decision.
My BRP has expired — is my status still valid?
An expired BRP does not by itself mean you have lost your status. Access your eVisa through your UKVI account rather than relying on the physical card, and do not infer your permission from the card’s printed expiry date.
I changed my passport — what should I do?
Update your passport or travel-document details in your UKVI account before you rely on it for travel.
My eVisa shows the wrong information — what can I do?
Use the GOV.UK service to report an error with your eVisa. Where the underlying decision itself may be wrong, rather than just the display, individual immigration advice may be appropriate.
Official GOV.UK services
These are the free official Home Office services — they open on GOV.UK, not ENS:
- View your eVisa / get a share code
- Set up a UKVI account
- Update your UKVI account details
- Report an eVisa error / eVisa help & support videos
- Prove your right to work
- Prove your right to rent
- No Time Limit (digital record for old settlement evidence)
Source basis: the Home Office / GOV.UK eVisa and UKVI account guidance published on GOV.UK (access and use your online immigration status; set up a UKVI account; view and prove your status; update your details; report an error; travel and carrier verification; No Time Limit). Reviewed against GOV.UK guidance: August 2026. These services and the guidance can change — always use the current GOV.UK service.
Not sure if it’s a technical glitch or your status?
Most eVisa tasks are free on GOV.UK. Where a problem affects your actual immigration position, we can review it. Fixed fees, agreed in writing.