How to prove your right to work with a share code

If you are not a British or Irish citizen, you prove your right to work in the UK to an employer with a share code from GOV.UK or with your eligible immigration documents. GOV.UK says you can choose which, and an employer cannot reject your application because you gave them an eligible document instead of a share code. The employer uses the share code to check the types of job you can do and how long you can work in the UK (GOV.UK: prove your right to work).

Who can get a share code

GOV.UK says you can use the right to work service if you are not a British or Irish citizen and you have one of these (GOV.UK: get a share code online):

• a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account
• a biometric residence permit (BRP), which this service accepts for 18 months after the expiry date printed on the card

You have a UKVI account if you have ever applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, used the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app when you applied for a visa, or created an account when you applied for a visa, to access an eVisa or to apply for a digital certificate of entitlement. A British or Commonwealth citizen with a digital certificate of entitlement to the right of abode can also get a share code. A certificate of entitlement that is a vignette sticker in a passport cannot be used to get one.

British and Irish citizens cannot get a share code. GOV.UK says they can prove their right to work with a British passport or an Irish passport or passport card, current or expired, or with the other documents it lists.

Get the share code

If you have an eVisa, the GOV.UK service View your eVisa and get a share code also gives a share code, which lasts for 90 days. Our guide on viewing your eVisa has the steps.

What the employer sees

The employer enters your share code and date of birth in the GOV.UK service check a job applicant's right to work. It shows the types of work you can do and, if there is a time limit, how long you can work in the UK. An employer can also check your original documents instead. Our guide on how employers check a job applicant's right to work covers the employer side.

If you cannot get a share code

• GOV.UK lists immigration documents you can use instead, for example a current passport with a Home Office endorsement in it, a current immigration status document, or an application registration card that says 'Work permitted' (GOV.UK: using immigration documents).
• Some of these documents go with an official letter from a previous employer or a government agency that shows your name and National Insurance number. GOV.UK gives HMRC and DWP letters as examples.
• If you are waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application, you can get a share code, or use a physical certificate of application from the Home Office if you have one.
• If you cannot prove your right to work, your employer can use the GOV.UK employer checking service.
• A Commonwealth citizen may be able to get documents that show they can work in the UK through the Windrush Scheme.

Sources

• GOV.UK: prove your right to work to an employer
• GOV.UK: get a share code online
• GOV.UK: using immigration documents
• GOV.UK: check a job applicant's right to work
• GOV.UK: view your eVisa and get a share code