• October 28, 2025

E-Visas to Replace Passport Vignettes in More Categories From October 30, 2025

E-Visas to Replace Passport Vignettes in More Categories From October 30, 2025

LONDON Oct 28: From 30 October 2025, if you apply to come to the UK, whether for work, study, family, or settlement (Indefinite Leave to Enter), you may no longer receive a visa vignette in your passport.

Instead, successful applicants will be granted a digital eVisa, which can be viewed and managed through their UKVI account. This means your permission to enter the UK will be linked to your online account rather than a physical document.

You’ll be told in your decision letter how to access your eVisa and if a vignette is still required for your situation.

This change is part of the Home Office’s plan to make the immigration system simpler, faster, and more secure, and to prepare for the full rollout of digital status checks for all visa holders.

Who is affected by the changes on October 30?
Successful applicants for the following categories applying on or after October 30, 2025, will now be issued an eVisa instead of a physical vignette:
Certain work visas
Certain study visas
Certain family visas
Indefinite Leave to Enter (settlement) on any route

What is an eVisa?
An eVisa is a secure digital record of your immigration status, stored online and linked to your biometrics and the passport you used for your application. It serves as your official proof of immigration status in the UK.

How to access and use your eVisa
Instead of a physical vignette, you will be told in your decision letter how to create and access your eVisa through a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) online account.

Here is how the process works:
Create a UKVI account: You will need to set up a free UKVI online account to view and manage your eVisa.
Confirm your identity: You will be asked to confirm your identity, likely through a smartphone app, as part of the account setup.
Travel with your eVisa: Before traveling, you must link your eVisa to your current passport in your UKVI account. The airline will check this digital record at check-in.
Prove your status: To prove your right to work or rent, you can generate a “share code” from your UKVI account to give to employers or landlords.

Transitional arrangements
The move to eVisas has been implemented in phases throughout 2025.
Work and study visa main applicants: The change first applied to main applicants for most work and study visas from July 15, 2025.
Dependants: For the time being, dependants of main visa holders will continue to receive a vignette, but this is expected to be phased out eventually.
Other applicants: For some other visa types, like those for short-term visitors, the vignette will still be issued.

What to do if you are affected
New applicants: If you apply for one of the affected visa types on or after October 30, 2025, follow the instructions in your application decision letter to set up your UKVI account and access your eVisa.
Existing visa holders: If you have a physical immigration document, such as an old vignette or Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), you should transition to an eVisa to avoid travel complications. All BRPs expired at the end of 2024, and holders must set up a UKVI account to access their digital status.