An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the criteria under which you are permitted to enter or stay in the United Kingdom. To access your eVisa, you'll need to register a UKVI account.
Updating your physical document to an eVisa has no effect on your immigration status or the terms of your permit to enter or remain in the UK.
In the future, you will be able to travel to the UK with an eVisa; you will not need to carry any physical documents, with the exception of your current passport, which must be registered to your UKVI account. If you have a physical document, you must carry it with you when traveling until the end of 2024.
UKVI will replace physical documents with an online record of your immigration status. To access your eVisa and use the view and prove function, you must first create a UKVI account. You can watch a video on how to set up a UKVI account and access your eVisa.
Once you've registered your UKVI account, you'll be able to review your eVisa's details online, such as the type of permit, when it expires, and your stay conditions in the UK. Your eVisa will be linked to your passport through your UKVI account. You must keep your passport or ID card information up to date in your UKVI account and notify gov.uk of any changes so that your immigration status is easily verified at the UK border. You will still need to carry your current passport.
If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP) that expires on December 31, 2024, we will explain how to set up a UKVI account and access your eVisa before it expires. If you have previously been contacted to make an account, either via email or in a decision letter, please follow the instructions the home office issued you to create a UKVI account. If you have not yet been called to create an account, you will be able to do so and access your eVisa later in 2024 or sign up for updates.
If you have indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain (also known as settlement) and now show your rights using a different sort of physical document, such as a ink stamp in your passport or a vignette sticker, you should file a 'no time limit' (NTL) application.
If your NTL application is approved, you will receive a BRP to prove your rights. When traveling internationally, you should carry your BRP as well as your passport. Once you have a BRP, you will be able to set up a UKVI account to obtain your eVisa later this year.
To summarize, an eVisa is a big step forward in modernizing immigration operations, as it provides a digital record of your immigration status and the terms under which you can enter or stay in the United Kingdom. Your immigration status or the terms of your permission remain unchanged when you switch to an eVisa. By the end of 2024, every person will be able to enter the UK using only a eVisa linked to their passport, removing the need for additional physical documentation.
