Complete process guide
UK eVisa share codes: the one detail that makes an employer's check fail
Updated Jul 28, 2026
Written and checked by the QueueCheck editorial team. Last checked July 28, 2026. How we verify information
The eVisa replaced the card people used to carry, and with it went the thing you could hand across a desk. Proof of status is now a share code generated from a UKVI account, and a code is not a single universal token. It is generated for a purpose, and it works only for that purpose. A code created so a landlord can carry out a right to rent check will be refused by an employer running a right to work check, and the person holding it has done nothing wrong.
That single rule accounts for most of the confusion around eVisas: someone generates a code, watches it fail, assumes the system is broken or their status is wrong, and generates another of the same kind. This page explains what the codes are, how long one lasts, what an employer or landlord actually does with it, what has to be linked to your account before you travel, and what the options are when you cannot get into the account at all. It explains process and is not legal advice.
UK immigration status (eVisa) official timing, translated into plain language
OfficialUK Standard Visitor visa: usually 3 weeks after biometrics for applications made outside the UK
Reader timelines are being collected for this service. The tracker page keeps the current official figure and what people who applied in your month are reporting.
Wait anxiety for UK visitor visa
Editorial score from official sources. Last checked 23 July 2026.
From account to accepted check
Each stage fails for its own reasons, and the error a person sees rarely names the stage that caused it. Working through them in order is faster than retrying the last one.
- 1Create or recover the UKVI account
- 2Link your eVisa to the account
- 3Add the passport you will actually travel on
- 4Generate a share code for the right purpose
- 5Give the code and your date of birth
Create or recover the UKVI account
The step everything else depends onAn eVisa cannot be viewed without a UK Visas and Immigration account, and the account is free to set up. There is no charge to create one or to access your eVisa, so any site asking for payment to do it is not the official route.
Link your eVisa to the account
Not automaticThe account and the immigration status are separate things that have to be connected. Until the eVisa is linked, signing in successfully still shows nothing, which is a common reason people believe their status has disappeared.
Add the passport you will actually travel on
Before booking, not at the airportYou must travel with a passport or travel document that has been added to your UKVI account, and more than one can be added. Carriers can check a passenger's status automatically when the passport presented is the one linked to the account, so a passport renewed and never added is the classic way to be stopped at check-in.
Generate a share code for the right purpose
One code per purposeCodes are generated through the view and prove service and are tied to the purpose selected: proving right to work, proving right to rent, or proving status more generally. A code selected for one purpose cannot be reused for another.
Give the code and your date of birth
Both, or the check failsWhoever is checking needs the share code and your date of birth to open the record. A code handed over on its own will not resolve, which produces an error the checker often reads as an invalid code.
One code, one purpose, and no way to tell by looking
The view and prove service asks what the code is for before it issues one, and that selection is baked into the code. Government guidance is explicit that a share code can only be used for the purpose it was originally selected for, and gives the example of a code generated for a landlord's right to rent check being unusable for an employer's right to work check.
From the holder's side this is invisible. The code looks the same, it is still inside its 90 days, and the account shows the status correctly. The failure appears on the checker's screen, described in terms that suggest the code is wrong rather than the category, which is why people repeat the same action expecting a different result.
The practical rule is to generate a fresh code each time you are asked, choosing the purpose that matches who is asking. Codes are free and unlimited, so there is no reason to economise on them, and no reason to reuse one across two different kinds of check.
How long a code lasts, and what that actually means
A share code is valid for 90 days and can be used as many times as needed within that window. It is not consumed by being viewed, so an employer checking twice does not exhaust it.
The 90 days runs from generation rather than from first use, which matters for anyone who generates a code early in a job application and reaches the right to work check weeks later. A code generated at the start of a slow recruitment process can expire before anyone looks at it.
Expiry of the code is not expiry of your status. The two are unrelated, and a lapsed code is fixed by generating another in about a minute.
Travelling: what carriers see, and what stops people
Carriers can access a passenger's status automatically when the passport presented at check-in is the one linked to the UKVI account. That is why the account has to hold the current passport rather than the one held when the visa was granted.
Renewing a passport and not updating the account is the single most common travel problem, because nothing prompts you to do it. The renewal happens at a passport office that knows nothing about your UKVI account, and the account does not learn about the new document by itself.
Some carriers may still ask to see a share code, so generating one before travelling and having it accessible offline costs nothing and removes a category of problem at a desk where time is short. A border official may also ask for additional proof of status.
More than one passport can be added to the account, which is worth knowing for dual nationals and for anyone travelling during a renewal.
When you cannot get into the account
Account access problems are a different failure from status problems, and it is worth being clear which one you have. If you can sign in and see nothing, the eVisa is probably not linked. If you cannot sign in at all, the recovery route runs through the account itself rather than through a status enquiry.
Details held in the account can be updated, and keeping them current is what keeps automated checks working. That includes the passport, contact details, and name where it has changed.
No part of this costs money. Creating the account, linking the eVisa, generating codes, and updating details are all free on the official service, which is the clearest test of whether you are on the right site.
What the eVisa shows, and what people assume it shows
An eVisa shows identity and immigration status, including the rights that come with it, such as the right to work, to rent, or to claim benefits. It is a record of status rather than a document, and there is no physical version to carry.
It does not turn a conditional permission into an unconditional one. Where a visa carries conditions, those conditions are part of the status the code reveals, so a check confirms what the permission actually allows rather than confirming permission in general.
For anyone who previously held a card and expected a like-for-like replacement, that shift is the point of friction. The proof still exists; it is produced at the moment it is needed rather than carried in advance.
The code was fine. Something else was not
The employer says the code is invalid, and the code looks fine
What helps
Check what purpose it was generated for. A code created for a right to rent check cannot be used for a right to work check. Generate a fresh one and select the purpose that matches who is asking.
Signing in works but shows no status
What helps
The account and the eVisa are separate until they are linked. An account with nothing in it usually means the linking step has not been completed rather than that the status has gone.
Stopped at check-in after renewing a passport
What helps
Carriers check the passport presented against the one linked to your UKVI account. A new passport has to be added to the account; nothing does it for you, and the passport office does not pass it on.
The code expired before the employer used it
What helps
Ninety days runs from generation, not from first use. In a slow recruitment process, generate the code when the check is actually requested rather than when you apply.
The checker enters the code and gets nothing
What helps
They need your date of birth alongside the code. Without it the record will not open, and the error usually reads as though the code is at fault.
Being asked to pay to access an eVisa
What helps
Creating a UKVI account, accessing your eVisa, and generating share codes are free on the official service. A charge is a reliable sign you are not on it.
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Why was my share code rejected by my employer?
Most often because it was generated for a different purpose. Government guidance states a share code can only be used for the purpose it was originally selected for, so a code made for a landlord's right to rent check will not work for an employer's right to work check. Generate a new code and select the right to work option.
How long does a UK share code last?
90 days from when it is generated, and it can be used as many times as needed during that period. Viewing it does not use it up. The clock runs from generation rather than from first use.
Does my share code expiring mean my visa expired?
No. The code and your immigration status are separate. An expired code is replaced by generating another one, which takes about a minute and costs nothing.
What does the person checking need from me?
The share code and your date of birth. Both are required to open the record, and a code supplied on its own will fail in a way that usually looks like an invalid code.
Do I need a share code to travel to the UK?
You must travel with a passport or travel document added to your UKVI account, and carriers can check your status automatically from that. Some carriers may still ask for a share code, and a border official may ask for additional proof, so generating one before you travel is a cheap precaution.
I renewed my passport. Does my eVisa update automatically?
No. The new passport has to be added to your UKVI account yourself. This is the most common reason people are stopped at check-in, because nothing in the passport renewal process prompts it.
I can sign in but there is no status showing. What now?
That usually means the eVisa has not been linked to the account, which is a separate step from creating the account. Signing in successfully is not the same as having the status attached.
Does it cost anything to get an eVisa or a share code?
No. Setting up a UKVI account, accessing your eVisa, and generating share codes are free on the official service. Any site charging for these is not the official route.
Can I add more than one passport?
Yes. More than one passport or travel document can be added to a UKVI account, which is useful for dual nationals and for anyone travelling while a renewal is in progress.