You prove your immigration status with a share code from your UKVI account. The code lets an employer, a landlord or another organisation check your status online using your date of birth, and you do not have to show them your eVisa. A share code lasts 90 days and you can reuse it.
Key points
✓Sign in to your UKVI account, view your eVisa and get a share code. You can get a new one whenever you need one
✓A share code lasts 90 days and can be used as many times as you need before it expires
✓The person checking needs your share code and your date of birth. You do not need to show them your eVisa
✓They see some of your personal details, and you are told what they are when you get the code
✓Employers and landlords use their own checking services, so the code has to be made for the right purpose
✓British and Irish citizens cannot get a right to work share code. They prove their right to work with a passport
✓If you cannot view your eVisa, you can use different services to prove your right to work or your right to rent
✓The system covers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
What a share code is
Your eVisa shows your identity and your immigration status, including what rights you have in the UK, for example to work, rent or claim benefits. A share code is how you let someone else look at that record. You can get a share code to prove your immigration status to people such as employers or landlords, or when you travel.
You give the person your code and your date of birth. You will not need to show them your eVisa. The person who uses the code sees some of your personal details, and when you get it you are told what they will see.
You get share codes from your UKVI account. If you do not have an account yet, or you are not sure, start with our UKVI account guide. For what an eVisa is and how to fix one that is wrong, see the eVisa guide. More guides are in our immigration section.
Which share code for which purpose
You are proving it to
What to do
An employer
Choose ‘Prove your right to work to an employer: get a share code’. The code is 9 characters long and begins with W. See the right to work share code guide.
A landlord
Get a share code for renting a home, which the landlord checks with their own service. See the right to rent share code guide.
An organisation giving a service, such as the NHS or benefits
They use a separate service to check your status and whether you can access services in the UK. Give them your share code and date of birth.
A carrier or border official, when you travel
Get a share code for travel. It is valid for 90 days, so you can get it before you travel.
A share code can only be used for the purpose you picked when you got it, so a code made for renting a home will not work for a job. The service asks why you are sharing your status, and the guides for right to work and right to rent cover those two in detail.
How to get a share code
1
Have your sign-in details ready
You need the details you use to sign in to your UKVI account, which could be your passport, national identity card, biometric residence card (valid or expired), expired biometric residence permit or UKVI customer number. You also need access to the mobile phone number or email address you sign in with.
2
Update your account if anything has changed
If you have changed your name or nationality, or you need a new photo because you cannot be recognised from the current one, update your UKVI account before you get a code.
3
Sign in and view your eVisa
Sign in to your UKVI account and view your eVisa. You can then get a share code from it.
4
Give the person the code and your date of birth
Check what they will see, which the service tells you when you get the code, then pass the code on. For a job, the person can see the types of work you are allowed to do and how long you can work in the UK.
How long a share code lasts
A share code lasts 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. The person checking someone's status has to use the code before it expires, and also needs the date of birth.
If you cannot get a share code
✓Yes: You cannot view your eVisa. Check you have finished setting up your UKVI account and linked it to your eVisa
✓Yes: Your eVisa is wrong, for example it shows the wrong date of birth or immigration status, or you can view it but cannot get a share code. Report the error to the Home Office
✓Yes: You cannot sign in. You can get help to recover your UKVI account, or use the UKVI webchat
✓Yes: You are a British or Irish citizen. You cannot get a right to work share code, and you use a passport or passport card instead
If you cannot access an eVisa, you can use different services to prove your right to work or your right to rent. If you have a physical document that proves your valid immigration status, you can also use it when someone asks you for extra proof, for example when you travel.
The eVisa guide explains how to report an error and how long it takes to fix.
If you are the one checking someone else's status
An organisation can use the GOV.UK service to check someone's immigration status if it has their share code. The person gives it to you or emails it to you, and you also need their date of birth. The code expires after 90 days.
The service shows whether the person has the right to live in the UK, and any restrictions on their rights or on their access to benefits and services. To check someone's right to work or right to rent, use the separate service for that purpose. Employers should read our right to work checks guide.
The same system across the UK
The eVisa service covers a visa for any part of the UK, which GOV.UK lists as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so the way you get and use a share code is the same in all four. You do not need an eVisa if your permission is to stay in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar.
Sign in to your UKVI account, view your eVisa and get a share code. Give the code and your date of birth to the person checking. You do not need to show them your eVisa.
Can I check my UK visa status online?
Yes. Sign in to your UKVI account to view your eVisa, which is the digital record of your identity and immigration status. If you cannot view it, check you have finished setting up your account and linked it to your eVisa.
How long does a share code last?
90 days. You can use it as many times as you need before it expires and get a new one whenever you need one.
What does the person see when I give them a share code?
Some of your personal details, and you are told what they are when you get the code. For a job they can see the types of work you are allowed to do and how long you can work in the UK.
Do I have to show my eVisa to my employer or landlord?
No. You give them your share code and your date of birth, and you will not need to show them your eVisa.
Can British citizens get a share code?
Not a right to work share code. British and Irish citizens cannot get one and prove their right to work with a passport or passport card, which can be current or expired.
What if I cannot get a share code?
Check your UKVI account is set up and linked to your eVisa, report an error if your eVisa is wrong, or recover your account if you cannot sign in. If you cannot access an eVisa, you can use different services to prove your right to work or your right to rent.
Know Your Rights UK. "How to Prove Your Immigration Status in the UK." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/immigration/prove-immigration-status