What is an eVisa?
An eVisa is an online record of a person’s immigration status and the conditions of their permission in the UK. People can view their eVisa by signing into the ‘View and Prove’ service using their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. They can also link their travel document (such as a passport) to their UKVI account to facilitate straightforward international travel. Millions of people have been using eVisas since 2018.
How do I access my eVisa?
To access your eVisa, you first need to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. Once this has been done, sign in to your UKVI account to ‘View and Prove’ your immigration status, here: https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status.
If you were granted permission to stay or settlement in the UK before 31 October 2024 and do not have a passport, you can create your UKVI account to access your eVisa here: https://www.gov.uk/get-access-evisa
If you were granted permission to stay or settlement in the UK on or after 31 October 2024 and did not have a valid passport when you applied, the Home Office will create your UKVI account for you and send you information about how to access your eVisa within 14 days of your decision letter date. If you do not receive details about your eVisa within 14 days, please contact your legal representative or responsible adult who may have received this information on your behalf.
If you need help accessing your UKVI account, you can get help at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/online-immigration-status-evisa#if-you-need-help
How do I share my immigration status and identity with banks?
Using your UKVI account sign in details, sign into the ‘View and Prove your immigration status: get a share code’ service, here:https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status.
You can use this service to get a share code (a unique 9-digit number) which you can give, with your date of birth, to third parties who need to check your immigration status or identity. Share codes are valid for 90 days and can be used to prove a person’s right to work, right to rent (England only), or to prove their immigration status or identity for accessing services.
You can get as many share codes as you need, whenever you need them. When getting a share code, you must choose the purpose for which you are sharing your status. For accessing financial services, or other uses other than right to work or rent, you should choose the ‘Prove my immigration status for anything else’ option when getting your share code. The share code will start with a letter “S”.
Give the person or organisation who needs to check your status or identity the share code and your date of birth. They will check it using the ‘Check someone’s immigration status: use their share code’ service, here: https://www.gov.uk/check-immigration-status
Can an eVisa be used to prove my identity when opening a bank account?
An eVisa is acceptable evidence of identity under section 7 of the Identity Documents Act 2010. Organisations, such as banks, that need to check a person’s identity can do so, by inputting the person’s share code and date of birth at the ‘Check someone’s immigration status: use their share code service, here: https://www.gov.uk/check-immigration-status. The status screen will show a photo of you, your name, and date of birth.
Further Information
For further information about the transition to eVisas, see: www.gov.uk/evisa
For Home Office guidance on using eVisas for Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biometric-residence-documents-information- for-financial-providers/residence-documents-information-for-financial-providers