The UK immigration process is now fully digitised. Rather than having a BRP or visa stamp to prove your immigration status, most of those who have a UK visa will use an eVisa connected to their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.
An eVisa acts as the digital evidence of your UK immigration status. This is where you will find out the type of permission you have and the terms of your UK visa, such as whether you have the right to work and study.
While for most people the process works without any problems, issues that arise from the eVisa can become very problematic when you want to travel, get a new job, or prove your immigration status.
Here is what you should know about the UK eVisa system in 2026 and how to check your immigration status and deal with problems.
Need advice about your UK immigration status?
Visa Positive provides direct immigration lawyer advice and representation for UK visa and immigration applications. If your concern goes beyond a technical UKVI account issue and you need advice about your underlying immigration position, book a consultation.
What is a UK eVisa?
An eVisa is an online record of your identity and UK immigration status.
This includes details such as your immigration permission and any conditions associated with your immigration permission.
With the advent of the eVisa system, physical immigration documents have become obsolete, as has the previous issuance of BRPs to individuals with the right to live in the UK.
What should be noted here is that the transition from physical documents to an eVisa does not affect your immigration status or the conditions associated with your permission.
Your eVisa will be accessible via your UKVI account.
Do I need a UKVI account?
You need a UKVI account to access your eVisa.
You may already have an account if you previously:
- used the UK Immigration: ID Check app when applying for a visa;
- created an account as part of a visa application;
- converted a BRP or other physical immigration document to an eVisa; or
- applied under the EU Settlement Scheme.
If you already have a UKVI account, you should not normally create another one.
Each individual requires his or her own immigration status and UKVI account, including dependants like a spouse or children, although the parent or someone else responsible can run the account for a child.
How do I access my UK eVisa?
You can view your eVisa through the government’s online View and Prove service.
Depending on how your account was created, you may be able to sign in using details associated with your:
- passport;
- national identity card;
- expired BRP;
- biometric residence card; or
- UKVI customer number.
You will also need access to the email address or mobile telephone number connected to your UKVI account.
Once you have logged in, check that the immigration information shown is correct.
In particular, check your name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status and the dates and conditions of your permission.
What happened to BRP cards?
BRPs were abolished at the end of 2024 as the Home Office has shifted its approach to providing electronic proof of your immigration status.
If your BRP has expired, it does not automatically imply that your immigration status has expired. There is a difference between the expiry date of the old card and the expiry date of your immigration status.
The validity of your current immigration status needs to be verified using your eVisa and the Home Office decision.
It would be wrong for you to assume that you have lost your immigration status just because the BRP has expired.
Are UK visa stickers still issued in passports?
There have been other changes to the process since 2026.
From 1 July 2026, UKVI has ceased issuing visa vignettes to successful new applicants in most UK visa categories. Instead, successful applicants will now be issued with an eVisa.
If you already hold a valid visa vignette in your passport, then that will remain valid up to its expiry date.
It has also become a crucial step in the preparation process for those traveling to the UK to check that you are able to access your eVisa.
Travelling to the UK with an eVisa
Your eVisa is linked to your passport or travel document recorded in your UKVI account.
Before travelling, check that:
- the passport you intend to use is linked to your UKVI account;
- your personal details are correct;
- your eVisa displays the correct immigration status; and
- the information you provide to your airline or other carrier matches your UKVI account.
This is particularly important if you have recently renewed or replaced your passport.
Incorrect or outdated information can result in delays, and a carrier may have difficulty confirming that you have permission to travel to the UK.
You should therefore check your eVisa before you travel, rather than discovering a problem at the airport.
What is an eVisa share code?
A share code allows another person or organisation to check relevant information about your immigration status online.
For example, you may need a share code when proving your:
- right to work;
- right to rent; or
- immigration status for another purpose.
A share code remains valid for 90 days and can be reused several times during this period. It is possible to create a new one if necessary.
The individual who will verify your status needs your date of birth.
It is important to pick up the right reason for creating a share code because the right-to-work and right-to-rent checks are different from each other.
What if my eVisa shows the wrong information?
Do not ignore an error simply because your previous Home Office documents were correct.
Problems can include an incorrect:
- name or date of birth;
- nationality;
- immigration status;
- visa start or expiry date;
- photograph;
- work conditions; or
- other condition attached to your immigration permission.
generate a share code, or if a technical problem prevents you from accessing the eVisa through your UKVI account.
UKVI provides an online service for reporting errors. As per the latest guidance by the Home Office, it attempts to resolve most of the errors reported about eVisa within 5 working days. More complex issues can take up to 15 working days.
An eVisa error does not automatically mean there is a problem with your underlying immigration permission. It is important to establish whether you are dealing with a technical or account problem, an incorrect digital record, or a substantive immigration issue.
What if I get a new passport?
Keep the passport or travel document linked to your UKVI account up to date.
You should update your UKVI account if you change your:
- passport or travel document;
- name;
- email address;
- mobile telephone number; or
- home or postal address.
This is particularly important before international travel.
If the passport you present to your airline does not correspond with the information held against your UKVI account, you may experience difficulty or delays when your immigration status is checked.
I have Indefinite Leave to Remain in an old passport – do I need an eVisa?
Some individuals who got ILR many years ago still have proof of settlement in their old passport in the form of a wet ink stamp or visa vignette.
The No Time Limit (NTL) route allows those people who possess any evidence of settlement with no expiry date to acquire digital evidence of their status.
Getting an eVisa does not itself change or replace the underlying ILR you were granted.
Sometimes the older immigration records may call for some additional care, especially in case passports or other documentation from the Home Office have been misplaced and personal information has changed.
Unsure how to prove your ILR?
If your concern relates to your underlying settlement status rather than simply accessing your UKVI account, Visa Positive can review your immigration history and advise on the appropriate next step.
Common UK eVisa problems
Most UK eVisa holders will be able to use the digital system without a problem, but an eVisa issue becomes significant where it has denied you the right you already possess.
Frequent issues are being locked out of the UKVI account, an old passport still being associated to the account, the wrong details showing online, unable to generate a share code or the employer/airline unable to confirm your status.
The initial step is deciding what is wrong in the first place.
A forgotten login or retired telephone number is very different than an eVisa with the wrong immigration permission.
If the issue is no more than technical, then all you might require is the online support available from UKVI.
Can an immigration lawyer help with an eVisa problem?
Some eVisa issues do not require a lawyer.
For straightforward services such as changing your telephone number, renewing a passport or retrieving access to an account, the relevant UKVI service will probably be the right place to start.
Legal advice would generally be more appropriate if you are unsure of your underlying immigration status, the conditions imposed on your visa, whether you are able to work/stay in the UK or about the UK immigration application, which appears to be holding your current status.
Are you facing UK eVisa issues?
At Visa Positive, we advise on UK immigration applications including Spouse and Partner visas, Skilled Worker visas, Indefinite Leave to Remain and other UK immigration routes.
You deal directly with an immigration lawyer — no paralegals and no account managers.
UK eVisa FAQs
An eVisa is the digital record of your immigration status and the conditions attached to your permission. It is accessed through a UKVI account.
Not necessarily. The expiry of a physical BRP and the expiry of your underlying immigration permission are separate matters. Check your eVisa and Home Office decision to confirm the period of permission you have been granted.
Most immigration status is now evidenced digitally. You should travel using the valid passport or travel document linked to your UKVI account and check your eVisa before travelling.
Most immigration status is now evidenced digitally. You should travel using the valid passport or travel document linked to your UKVI account and check your eVisa before travelling.
You should resolve incorrect eVisa or UKVI account information before travelling where possible. UKVI warns that incorrect details can result in delays and may prevent a carrier from confirming your permission to travel.
First check whether you already have a UKVI account and whether you are using the correct identity document and contact details to sign in. UKVI provides separate services for recovering an account, updating account information, and reporting errors with an eVisa.
Yes. Dependants, including children, need their own UKVI accounts to access their individual eVisas, although an adult can manage an account on behalf of a child where appropriate.
Yes. There is no charge to create a UKVI account or access your eVisa.
Need UK Immigration Advice?
An eVisa is how you prove your immigration status. It does not determine whether you meet the requirements of a UK immigration route.
If you are preparing a UK visa application, extending your stay or applying for settlement, getting the underlying application right remains what matters.
Visa Positive provides direct immigration lawyer advice and representation, with your case handled without being passed between paralegals or account managers.
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