eVisa Transition and British Citizenship Applications
Physical immigration documents have been replaced by digital records. This guide covers what that means for a citizenship application, and the point people are most often surprised by: British citizenship itself has no digital status.
- Section
- British Citizenship
- Reading time
- 8 min
- Last checked
- 7 February 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents. Status is held in a UKVI account and shown with a share code, which lasts 90 days.
- An expired biometric residence permit can be used for 24 months after the printed date, and only until the end of 2026.
- If you were issued a permit, the Home Office says to provide it with your application even if it has expired.
- There is no digital evidence of British citizenship. After the ceremony you need a British passport or a certificate of entitlement to travel.
eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents, and biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024. A citizenship applicant proves their settled status from a UKVI account or an accepted document. After the ceremony there is no digital status at all: you need a British passport or a certificate of entitlement to travel.
Where the transition got to
GOV.UK now states it flatly: “eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents.” An eVisa is a digital record of your identity and immigration status, and of the conditions attached to it, held in a UK Visas and Immigration account. Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024.
Two things still hold over from the old system. GOV.UK says a biometric residence card may still be usable in some situations, and a visa vignette sticker remains valid until it expires.
GOV.UK says there is no charge to set up a UKVI account or to access your eVisa.
Proving your status for the application
A naturalisation application asks you to show you are free from immigration time restrictions. The Form AN guidance lists what it accepts:
- your 16-digit unique application number, if you have been granted indefinite leave, including under the EU Settlement Scheme
- your unique application number or a share code, if you have an eVisa showing indefinite leave to remain
- a biometric residence permit or other document confirming your right to remain permanently. The guidance says you can use it for 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, and that you can only use an expired permit until the end of 2026
- a passport showing permission to remain permanently, or the Home Office letter granting it
- a valid certificate of entitlement to the right of abode, or an Irish passport if you are an Irish national
Separately, the guidance says that if you were issued with a biometric residence permit you must provide or use it in support of your application even if it has expired, alongside a second identity document.
Share codes
A share code is how you show your status to someone else: an employer, a landlord, or a carrier when you travel. GOV.UK says:
- a share code lasts 90 days, and you can use it as many times as you need before it expires
- you can generate a new one whenever you need one, and the person using it needs your date of birth
- you sign in with a passport, national identity card, biometric residence card (valid or expired), an expired biometric residence permit, or your UKVI customer number
See our view and prove guide for the mechanics.
Travelling while your application is decided
The Form AN guidance says you are free to travel with your valid passport and evidence of your valid immigration status while waiting for a decision, and that you do not need to tell the Home Office your plans. GOV.UK adds that when you travel with an eVisa:
- your UKVI account must hold your correct details and the passport or travel document you are actually travelling on
- your details must exactly match the passenger information you give your airline, or the carrier may refuse to let you travel
- your eVisa is checked when you leave and enter the UK, and at check-in with your carrier to return
An eVisa is not an electronic travel authorisation. See our guide on travelling during a citizenship application, which also covers the 45-day biometrics deadline and the 90-day ceremony deadline.
After the ceremony: there is no digital status
This is the part most people do not expect. The Form AN guidance answers the question directly: “There are no current plans to provide digital evidence of British citizenship.”
It goes on:
- Once you are a British citizen you cannot use your biometric residence permit, eVisa or citizenship certificate to enter the UK as a British citizen.
- British citizens cannot get an electronic travel authorisation, and cannot get a new visa.
- To travel you must have either a British citizen passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode, and you must carry it and be ready to show it. Without one, the guidance warns of serious delays returning to the UK.
There is one exception the guidance names. Some British citizens also hold rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement or an equivalent with another EEA state or Switzerland. Those people may enter the UK on a valid foreign passport, or a national identity card for EEA and Swiss nationals, provided the travel document is linked to the UKVI account holding their EU Settlement Scheme status.
The practical consequence: think about passport timing before you apply. The guidance suggests checking how long a British passport, or a certificate of entitlement, takes to obtain if you have travel planned. See our passport after citizenship guide.
What to do with your old document
The two GOV.UK sources say different things, so both are set out here.
- The Form AN guidance says that if you still hold a biometric residence permit or biometric residence card after your ceremony you must destroy it, cutting through your personal details, the royal coat of arms, and the gold biometric chip if the card has one.
- The GOV.UK guide “after you get your certificate” says you must send your permit back to the Home Office within 5 working days of getting your certificate of British citizenship, even though it has expired: cut into 4 pieces, in a windowless envelope, with a note giving your name, date of birth and the document number, to Naturalisation BRP Returns, PO Box 195, Bristol BS20 1BT.
Either way, do not keep it in use. If you are unsure which applies to you, the citizenship and nationality enquiries team can be emailed at nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk. See our Home Office contact guide.
Practical points
- Set up your UKVI account before applying, and check the eVisa shows the right status. GOV.UK has a process for reporting an error.
- Keep the account updated when your passport or personal details change. It is not a one-off task.
- Do not create a second UKVI account. GOV.UK says you already have one if you have used the ID Check app, created an account when applying for a visa, replaced a physical document with an eVisa, or applied to the EU Settlement Scheme.
- Keep your certificate of naturalisation safe. It is what you use to apply for a British passport, and there is a fee to correct or replace it.
- Apply for the passport promptly after the ceremony, because until you have it, or a certificate of entitlement, you have no accepted way of entering the UK as a British citizen.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
Do I need an eVisa to apply for citizenship?
You need to be able to show you are free from immigration time restrictions. The Form AN guidance accepts your 16-digit unique application number, your unique application number or share code if you have an eVisa showing settlement, a biometric residence permit, a passport showing permission to remain permanently, or a Home Office letter granting it. In practice most applicants now use their UKVI account.
Will my old biometric residence permit still work?
Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024 and eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents. The Form AN guidance says an expired permit can be used for 24 months after the date printed on it, and only until the end of 2026. It also says that if you were issued with one, you must provide it in support of your application even if it has expired.
How do I set up a UKVI account?
Through GOV.UK. You need a phone number and email address you can use each time you sign in, plus a passport and visa application number, or another accepted document. GOV.UK says there is no charge to set up an account or to access your eVisa, and that you should not create a second account if you already have one.
Do I get a digital status when I become British?
No. The Form AN guidance says there are no current plans to provide digital evidence of British citizenship, and that a British citizen cannot use a biometric residence permit, an eVisa, an electronic travel authorisation or a naturalisation certificate to enter the UK. To travel you need a British passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.