Student guide

Your eVisa and share codes

gov.uk describes an eVisa as "a digital record of your identity and immigration status", and it replaces physical immigration documents. The BRP card routine in older guides is history - everything now hangs off your UKVI account, which is free to set up and to check.

How long: About 10 minutes to set up a UKVI account; add your passport details before you travel
What you need: Your passport, plus the email or mobile number from your visa application
What you get: You can open your eVisa and generate a share code to prove your status whenever you need to

Three steps

Before you land: make sure you can sign in to your UKVI account (with the email or mobile number from your visa application) and have a look at your eVisa status and conditions.
Add your passport to the account: you're required to add your current passport details to your UKVI account before you travel, and to update them as soon as you get a new passport – otherwise the system can't match you up at the border.
Generate a share code whenever you need to prove your status (renting, starting a job, opening a bank account) - see "Your share code opens every door".

Easy traps

Still hunting for a BRP because an old guide told you to. Physical cards are no longer issued. Don't bin your old documents yet (a visa sticker still works while it's in date, and an old card can sometimes still be used to sign in), but for everyday proof of status, it's your eVisa.
Not updating your account when you get a new passport. The most common trap – it'll trip you up at the border and whenever you need to prove your status.
Paying someone to "do your eVisa". The official line is clear: creating a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa is free. Anyone charging you is a middleman.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Your share code opens every doorAbout 2 minutes once you're signed in to your UKVI account

The short version

Proving your Right to Rent for a flat, your Right to Work for a job, your identity for a bank - it's all the same move: generate a share code and send it over. No handing over your passport, no printing a stack of documents.

Three things, straight from gov.uk

Your eVisa shows your identity and immigration status, and your rights in the UK (such as working or renting);
A share code is valid for 90 days and you can use it again and again in that time. When it runs out, just make a new one;
The other person checks the code along with your date of birth and sees your status on an official gov.uk page - so you never need to send anyone a screenshot of your eVisa.

Three steps

Sign in to your UKVI account and go to "View and prove your immigration status".
Pick what it's for (work, renting or something else) and generate a share code.
Give the person the code and your date of birth; they check it on the official gov.uk checking page.

Easy ways to get it wrong

Sending a screenshot of your account as proof. The proper route is giving them the code to check on the official page. A screenshot may not be accepted, and it isn't safe to send around.
Using one code forever. It expires after 90 days, so make a fresh one before anything important (renewing a tenancy, changing jobs).
If a landlord or employer says they don't know how to check, send them the link to the gov.uk checking page as well – that's the official route built for them.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Official pages

Checked against official pages on 4 Sep 2026.

Not official advice. Rules change, so always check the official page.