The UK eVisa and Share Code for Students Explained

From the BRP card to the digital eVisa

The UK has moved from physical immigration documents — the biometric residence permit (BRP) card and passport vignette stickers — to a digital record called an eVisa. An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the conditions attached to it (for example, your permission to study, work, and the dates your leave runs to). There is no new card to carry.

For students this means your proof of status now lives in your online UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account rather than on a plastic card. You access it, and prove it to others, through GOV.UK. Always confirm the current process on the official eVisa pages before you act, as the Home Office continues to roll the system out.

Setting up your UKVI account

To use your eVisa you first create (or sign in to) a free UKVI account on GOV.UK. GOV.UK states that you do not need to pay to set up a UKVI account or to access your eVisa — be cautious of any third party that asks you to pay for this.

During setup you link your current passport or travel document to the account, because that is the document your eVisa is connected to when you travel. If you renew your passport later, you update the details in your UKVI account so your status stays linked to the document you actually travel on.

• Create or sign in to your free UKVI account on GOV.UK.
• Link the passport or travel document you will use to travel.
• Keep the email address and phone number on the account up to date for security codes.
• Update your passport details in the account whenever you renew your travel document.

What a share code is and how to generate one

A share code is a temporary code you generate from the 'view and prove' service on GOV.UK. It lets someone — a university, a landlord, or an employer — check a defined slice of your status online without seeing your whole immigration record.

You choose what the code is for (for example, to prove your right to rent or your right to work), and the code, together with your date of birth, lets the checker view the relevant details for a limited time. As a student you may be asked for one when enrolling, signing a tenancy, or starting a part-time job your visa permits.

• Go to the 'view and prove your immigration status' service on GOV.UK.
• Choose the purpose (such as right to rent or right to work).
• Generate the share code and pass it, with your date of birth, to the checker.
• Generate a fresh code each time — codes are time-limited.

Using your eVisa to enrol, rent and travel

Because your status is digital, keep your UKVI account details current and know how to reach the 'view and prove' service before key moments — university enrolment, finding accommodation, or starting permitted work. Universities increasingly check a share code as part of their duties as your visa sponsor.

When you travel, airlines and border systems read your status from the passport linked to your UKVI account, so the document you travel on must match the one on your account. If anything looks wrong with your online status, use the official UKVI help channels listed on GOV.UK rather than unofficial agents.

This is general information, not immigration advice. Always verify the current eVisa and share-code process on the official GOV.UK pages.