Proving your status with an eVisa

The UK has moved from physical Biometric Residence Permits to digital eVisas. For spouse visa holders, this changes how you prove your immigration status to employers, landlords, and at the border. This guide explains the system and how to manage your digital status.

Checked 19 March 20269 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team

Section: Spouse & Partner Visa
Reading time: 9 min
Last checked: 19 March 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. Permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024.
A UK Visas and Immigration account is how you see your status, and it is free to set up.
A share code lasts 90 days. You give the code and your date of birth; you do not show your eVisa.
Keep an expired permit: you can use it to sign in for 24 months after its printed expiry, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.
Right to rent checks apply in England only. GOV.UK says you do not need to prove your right to rent in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

GOV.UK now says eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents. Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024. You reach your status through a free UK Visas and Immigration account, and prove it with a share code that lasts 90 days. An expired permit is still useful for signing in, until 24 months after its printed expiry date or 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.

What Has Changed

The transition is over. GOV.UK now says, without qualification, that eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents. Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024, so a partner visa granted today — see our spouse visa guide — comes as an eVisa and nothing else.

Two older documents are treated differently. A biometric residence card, which is not the same thing as a permit, may still be usable in some situations. A visa vignette, the sticker in a passport, stays valid until it expires.

Your status is a record the Home Office holds. The UK Visas and Immigration account is how you see it. GOV.UK says there is no charge to set one up or to access your eVisa.

Setting Up Your UKVI Account

First, check whether you already have one. GOV.UK says you will already have an account if you have ever used the UK Immigration: ID Check app to confirm your identity when applying, created an account when applying and received a confirmation email, replaced a physical document with an eVisa, or applied to the EU Settlement Scheme. If you already have one, do not create a second.

To create an account you need:

a phone number and an email address you can use every time you sign in;
and one of the following, if you have it: a valid passport with your visa application number, which is a global web form (GWF) number or unique application number (UAN); a valid passport with your biometric residence permit number; or your expired biometric residence permit, usable for 24 months after the expiry date printed on it or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.

You are then asked to confirm your identity and link the account to your eVisa. GOV.UK says you need a smartphone to install the app for this, and that there is another way to confirm your identity if you do not have a valid passport or an expired permit, or cannot use a smartphone.

One thing that catches families out: a partner and children who came as dependants each need their own account. There is no single family account.

Proving Your Status

A share code is how you prove your status to someone else. You give them the code and your date of birth. GOV.UK is explicit that you do not show them your eVisa itself, and that the code shows only some of your personal details, which you are told about before you share it.

A share code lasts 90 days. Within that time you can use it as many times as you need, and you can get a new one whenever you want. Before generating one, update your account if you have changed your name or nationality, or if your photograph no longer looks like you.

Right to Work

An employer runs a right to work check before you start. You get a share code for right to work and give it to them. Know your employment rights as a visa holder.

Right to Rent

Right to rent checks apply in England only. GOV.UK says in terms: you do not need to prove your right to rent in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. In England, if you are not a British or Irish citizen you can prove it either with a share code, obtained through a separate right to rent service, or with your original immigration documents. The choice is yours, and GOV.UK says a landlord cannot reject your application because you gave them an eligible immigration document instead of a share code.

At the Border

You must travel with a valid passport or travel document that you have added to your account, and your details must exactly match the passenger information you give your airline or other carrier. GOV.UK warns that a carrier may refuse to let you travel if the details are wrong, and that you may be delayed at the border. Your eVisa is checked when you leave and enter the UK, by an officer or at the eGates, and when you check in with a carrier to return.

If a carrier or border official asks for extra proof, GOV.UK says you can get a share code. An eVisa is not the same as an electronic travel authorisation, which is for people who do not need a visa at all.

If You Have an Old Biometric Residence Permit

The card was never the status. It was evidence of it, and your permission to stay does not end when the card does. What you need now is the account.

Do not throw the old card away. GOV.UK lists an expired biometric residence permit among the things you can use to set up an account, and among the details you can sign in with. It works for 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. GOV.UK also names it as one of the documents you can provide when making a further family visa application, on the same terms.

Common Issues

Cannot sign in: GOV.UK has an account recovery service for problems signing in to view your eVisa, and a UK Visas and Immigration webchat for other questions about an eVisa or account. There are also official eVisa support videos. See our guide to contacting the Home Office.
Status shows incorrect information: GOV.UK has a page for reporting an error with your eVisa. Use it if the record is wrong, for example the wrong date of birth or the wrong immigration status, or if you can view your eVisa but cannot get a share code from it.
Employer does not accept eVisa: Some employers are unfamiliar with the eVisa system. Direct them to the Home Office online right-to-work checking service.
New passport: If you get a new passport, you need to update your UKVI account to link your status to the new passport number.

Travel Considerations

Check the account before you book, not at the airport. GOV.UK says you must make sure your account holds your correct personal details and your current passport or travel document, that your eVisa shows the right immigration status, and that these exactly match the passenger information you give your carrier. A renewed passport means updating the account before you travel.

The country you are visiting sets its own entry and exit requirements, and may want evidence of your UK status when you apply for its visa. A share code is the proof GOV.UK points to. See our settlement guide for how your status changes at settlement.

Next Steps

The account is the thing to have in place before you need it, since a share code takes minutes but an account recovery does not. See our full eVisa guide for detailed setup instructions. A partner visa granted now comes as an eVisa; there is no card.

Related guides:

Questions and answers

What is an eVisa for spouse visa holders?

GOV.UK describes an eVisa as a digital record of two things: your identity and immigration status, and the conditions of that status, such as whether you can work or study. You get one when a visa or other permission is granted. You reach it through a UK Visas and Immigration account, which is free to set up.

Do I still need a BRP card?

No. GOV.UK now states flatly that eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents. Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024. An expired one still has a use: you can use it to set up or sign in to a UK Visas and Immigration account for 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. Keep it until then. A biometric residence card, which is a different document, may still be usable in some situations, and a visa vignette sticker stays valid until it expires.

How do I prove my right to work without a physical card?

You get a share code from your UK Visas and Immigration account and give it to the employer along with your date of birth. You do not show them your eVisa itself. A share code lasts 90 days, can be used as many times as you need within that, and you can get a new one whenever you need one.

What if I have problems accessing my eVisa?

Your status is a record held by the Home Office; the account is how you see it. GOV.UK has three routes. If you cannot sign in, there is an account recovery service. If your eVisa is wrong, showing the wrong date of birth or status, or you can see it but cannot get a share code from it, there is a page for reporting an error with your eVisa. For anything else there is a UK Visas and Immigration webchat. GOV.UK also says you can use different services to prove your right to work or right to rent if you cannot access an eVisa.

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.

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