Check if you need an eVisa: UK Digitises Immigration System with BRPs to Expire this Winter

Key dates and changes

• December 31, 2024: BRP cards will no longer be valid or issued. After this date, the UK will fully transition to digital status verification. You must set up access to your eVisa to replace a BRP by this date.
• If you currently hold a BRP, you can register with a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account online to monitor your immigration status without requiring a Home Office letter
• The Home Office suggests keeping expired BRP cards for your own records or for submission in future applications.

What is an eVisa?

An eVisa refers to your visa that is stored digitally. Rather than using a BRP card physically to identify your immigration status, your data will now be saved securely online. Your information will be linked to your UKVI account, which you can access anytime. Additionally, employers, landlords, and others required to verify your immigration status can do so online quickly without even touching a face-to-face meeting.

What is the eVisa replacing?

Your immigration status will now be stored digitally as an eVisa. The eVisa replaces several traditional physical documents, including:

• Biometric Residence Permits (BRP)
• Biometric Residence Cards (BRC)
• Passport endorsements, such as indefinite leave to enter stamps applied in ink
• Vignette stickers in passports, like those used for entry clearance or visa verification

Features and Advantages of the eVisa

The switch over to eVisas has advantages, as follows:

• Convenience: You will no longer need to carry a physical BRP card. Your visa status, stored in the cloud, can be accessed anywhere and at any time.
• Security: Your immigration status is securely linked to your passport or ID with digital security systems. It cannot be lost, stolen or tampered with
• Immediate Validation: You will not need to wait to pick up your physical document. Border officials, employers, and landlords can check your status in real-time, thus fast-tracking the steps.

Who Requires an eVisa?

Most people with a visa will have to switch to the eVisa system, including:

• Work Visa Holders: This includes those on the Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, and Temporary Worker visas.
• Business Visa Holders: If you have an Innovator Founder or Global Business Mobility visa, you must migrate to the eVisa system.
• International students on UK students visas must use the eVisa system to verify their immigration status through the eVisa system.
• Dependent Visa holders must use the eVisa system 
• Long-Term Residents: People with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or Limited Leave to Remain (LLR) will also need to convert to an eVisa, but the process is different.

What can you do with your eVisa & UKVI account:

After setting up your account, you can manage your immigration status and share it. You will be able to:

• View when your permission expires
• View the conditions of your UK stay
• Use the view and prove service to share your status with employers, landlords, or others who need to verify it.
• Update your records, such as changes to personal information

How Do I Get an eVisa?

How you get an eVisa depends on your current proof of permission to stay in the UK. Generally, you will need to update your records. However, different processes and time limits apply depending on your current permission. You can see what you need to do below if you are:

• Applying to immigrate to the UK for the first time
• A British citizen
• Don’t have a valid passport but have UK permission to remain
• Have a physical document such as a passport stamp or vignette
• Have never received documentation proving your status (Windrush Scheme)
• Have a Biometric Residence Card (BRC)

What do you need to do if:

You are applying for the first time to immigrate to the UK

You must follow the UK visa application process, which will be updated with the new requirements. As part of the application, you will be instructed to create a UKVI account.

Updating your BRP to eVisa before expiration.

It is crucial to digitalise your permission to stay in the UK. You can do so by setting up a UKVI account in the Home Office portal. You will be asked to provide your BRP number, a valid passport/ID, email, phone number, and date of birth.

You’re a British Citizen

If you are naturalised as a British Citizen, you will not need an eVisa to prove your immigration status. Your passport will be proof of your citizenship.

You Don’t Have a Valid Passport

For individuals granted permission to remain in the UK after 31 October but who do not hold a valid passport, the Home Office will set up an online account for you. You’ll receive instructions on accessing this account via email or letter.

You Hold Another Physical Document

If you have indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain (commonly known as settlement or settled status) and currently rely on a physical document, such as a passport stamp or vignette sticker. In that case, you must apply for a free ‘no time limit’ (NTL) replacement.

Once your NTL application is approved, your status will be converted into an eVisa, and you’ll receive detailed instructions in your decision notification on how to access your digital immigration record.

You have never received documentation proving your status (Windrush Scheme)

For individuals living in the UK on 1 January 1973 or those who arrived before the end of 1988, you may apply for proof of your status through the Windrush Scheme. This initiative helps those who may have lost or never received documentation confirming their lawful residence.

Have a Biometric Residence Card (BRC)

If you have a biometric residence card (BRC) and have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you will already have an eVisa. You should continue to travel with your physical card. 

Exceptions: Visitor Visas and ETAs

Although the majority of visa holders must move the eVisa system, there are exceptions:

• Visitor Visa Holders: If you’re visiting the UK for a short stay (i.e., for leisure or business) for up to six months, you don’t need to switch to eVisa. Your visitor visa is stamped on your passport, and your immigration status will be clearly displayed to the authorities. Long-term plans exist to integrate visitor visas into the eVisa system, but future government announcements will clarify. 

• If you come from a country that does not usually require a UK visa to visit, you must get an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The ETA is easy to apply for and is simply added electronically to your passport without signing up for the eVisa system or getting an account with UKVI. 

• Eligible Non-European travellers require an ETA from January 8, 2025
• Eligible European travellers require permission from April 2, 2025

Video: How to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and get access to your eVisa