You view your eVisa by signing in to the GOV.UK service View your eVisa and get a share code with the details of your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. The same service gives you a share code. An employer, a landlord or a carrier uses the code to check your immigration status, so you do not show them the eVisa itself. GOV.UK says it is free to set up a UKVI account and access your eVisa (GOV.UK: what an eVisa is).
Checked against GOV.UK on 21 October 2026
Each step links to the GOV.UK page it comes from. GOV.UK services change. Where this page and GOV.UK differ, GOV.UK is right. This page gives information, not advice on your case.
What you need before you start
- The details you use to sign in to your UKVI account. GOV.UK lists a passport, a national identity card, a biometric residence card (BRC), which can be valid or expired, an expired biometric residence permit (BRP) or a UKVI customer number.
- Access to the mobile phone number or email address you use to sign in to your UKVI account.
- A UKVI account that is linked to your eVisa. Our guide on creating a UKVI account covers that part.
View your eVisa and get a share code
GOV.UK describes the service in this order (GOV.UK: view your eVisa and get a share code).
Open the service
Go to View your eVisa and get a share code. GOV.UK links to it from its eVisa guide.
Sign in
Use the identity document or customer number that your UKVI account uses, and the phone number or email address on the account.
View your eVisa
It shows your identity and immigration status, including what rights you have in the UK, for example to work, rent or claim benefits.
Get a share code
When you get the code, the service tells you which of your personal details the person who uses it will see.
Give the code and your date of birth
The employer, landlord or other person needs both. GOV.UK says you will not need to show them your eVisa.
How long a share code lasts
A share code lasts for 90 days. You can use it as many times as you need before it expires, and you can get a new one whenever you need one. A share code for travel is also valid for 90 days, so GOV.UK says you can get it before you travel (GOV.UK: travel with your eVisa).
When to update your account first
GOV.UK says to update your UKVI account before you get a share code if you have changed your name or nationality, or if you cannot be recognised from your current photo. The Update your UKVI account page lists what you can change and what you need. You cannot change your name or your passport while you wait for a visa decision.
If your eVisa does not show
- An eVisa usually shows straight away once it is linked to your UKVI account, but GOV.UK says it can take up to 24 hours.
- GOV.UK's first check is that the account set-up is finished. You confirm your identity and link the account to your eVisa as part of the UKVI account set-up.
- If you still cannot view it after 24 hours, or you get a technical error when you sign in, GOV.UK has a service to report an error with your eVisa. The same service covers an eVisa with wrong details, and one you can view but cannot use to get a share code.
- UKVI aims to fix most reported errors within 5 working days. A complex error can take up to 15 working days (GOV.UK: report an error).
- Without access to an eVisa, there are other GOV.UK services to prove your right to work and prove your right to rent.
If you cannot sign in
GOV.UK links to a service to recover your UKVI account, for example if you lost access to your phone or changed your email address. For other questions about an eVisa or a UKVI account, UKVI runs a webchat.
Sources
- GOV.UK: view your eVisa and get a share code to prove your immigration status
- GOV.UK: what an eVisa is
- GOV.UK: travel with your eVisa
- GOV.UK: report an error with your eVisa
- GOV.UK: update your details in your UKVI account
Questions about these rules?
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