Residence after arrival

What an eVisa is

An eVisa is a digital record of your immigration status. According to gov.uk it shows two things: your identity and the type of permission you hold (for example a particular visa or indefinite leave to remain, also called settlement), and the conditions attached to that status (for example whether you are allowed to work or study).

You do not receive a new physical card. Your status lives in your online UKVI account, and you view it or prove it digitally. You get an eVisa when you are granted a visa or other UK permission.

The end of physical documents (BRPs and BRCs)

eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents. Most biometric residence permits (BRPs) carried an expiry date of 31 December 2024, but this was an administrative date for the card itself - it did not end your underlying permission to be in the UK. Your leave continued beyond that date.

gov.uk guidance notes that an expired BRP may still be usable in limited situations - broadly, for up to 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first - for example to help set up your UKVI account. A biometric residence card (BRC) may still be usable in some situations, and a visa vignette (sticker) in a passport remains valid until it expires. These are limited exceptions rather than a substitute for setting up your eVisa.

• Most BRPs show an expiry of 31 December 2024, but your immigration status did not end then.
• An expired BRP can be used to help create your UKVI account, within the limited time window above.
• If you have permission to stay but only hold an expired BRP, you should create a UKVI account to access your eVisa - there is no fee and no new visa application is needed.

Setting up your UKVI account

To access your eVisa you need a UKVI account. gov.uk is clear that you do not have to pay to set one up or to access your eVisa.

To create the account you need a phone number and an email address that you can use each time you sign in, plus one of the following: a valid passport and your visa application number; a valid passport and your BRP number; or your expired BRP. After creating the account you are asked to confirm your identity and link the account to your eVisa - and you cannot view your eVisa until that link is made.

Confirming your identity normally uses a smartphone app, so you generally need access to a smartphone. gov.uk notes alternative methods are available if you cannot use one.

Proving your status with a share code

Once your account is set up, you prove your status online rather than by showing a document. You sign in, view your status, and generate a share code to give to the person who needs to check it - for example an employer or a landlord.

The person checking uses your share code together with your date of birth; you do not need to show them your eVisa itself. When you create a share code you are told what personal details the checker will be able to see.

A share code lasts for 90 days. You can use the same code as many times as you need before it expires, and you can generate a new one whenever you need it.

• Sign in to your UKVI account to view your status and create a share code.
• Give the checker the share code plus your date of birth - not your login details.
• Each share code is valid for 90 days and can be reused until it expires.
• There are separate dedicated services for proving your right to work and proving your right to rent - use those where they apply, rather than the general status service.

Signing in to your account

To sign in and view or prove your status you use one of the identity documents linked to your account - a passport, a national identity card, a biometric residence card (valid or expired), an expired BRP, or your UKVI customer number - along with access to the mobile phone number or email address you use to sign in.

Keep the phone number and email on your account up to date, because losing access to them can make it harder to sign in when you need to prove your status quickly.

Travelling: what to do before and on arrival

Your eVisa is linked to a travel document rather than printed in one, so before you travel you must add your current passport or travel document to your UKVI account. gov.uk states you must travel with a valid passport or travel document that you have added to your account.

Before departing, gov.uk advises checking three things: that your account holds the correct personal details and current travel document; that your eVisa shows the correct immigration status; and that the details you give your carrier (airline, ferry or train operator) match exactly what is on your account. Your carrier may not let you travel if your details are wrong.

When you leave and re-enter the UK your status is checked - by a Border Force officer or at the eGates - and it is also checked when you check in with your carrier to return. You can present a share code, and you can still show any physical immigration document you hold if asked, but the digital record linked to your passport is what is relied on.

• Add your current passport or travel document to your UKVI account before you travel.
• Check your details match exactly between your account, your eVisa and your carrier booking.
• On arrival your status is verified at the border (officer or eGates); keep a share code available as a backup.