How do I apply for an eVisa?

22 October 2024

If you do not have a UKVI account already, follow the below steps.

Check out our eVisa FAQs for any questions, or get in touch with a member our immigration team.

Step 1: Create a UKVI account

Visit https://www.gov.uk/get-access-evisa

You will need:

Access to a smartphone and a laptop or tablet
A mobile phone number
An email address
Your BRP card or a valid passport with your BRP number or visa application number. (Your visa application number is the global web form (GWF) or unique application number (UAN) from your visa application)

Your email address and phone number will be needed each time you wish to use your eVisa to prove your immigration status online.

Step 2: Confirm your identity

Fill in your personal details and select ‘create account’.
Check your email for confirmation of account creation and sign in.
Confirm your identity using the ‘UK Immigration ID check app’. See additional guidance on this step below.
The app will ask for a photo of your BRP or passport and selfie. Take care when taking the selfie. Do not smile. Treat it like taking a UK passport photo.

Step 3: Link the UKVI account to your eVisa

Follow steps on screen. It will ask you to check that your personal details and identity information is correct. It will tell you if it accepts your identity verification. You will be asked to answer security questions.
Make a declaration and select ‘submit’.
You will receive an email when the eVisa is ready to view. This could take a few days.
Keep a print out or electronic copy of your eVisa for your records.
If you experience issues or cannot complete the process ‘in one go’, a link will be sent to your email address so that you can resume or try again later.
If you continue to experience issues, you can use the Home Office’s ‘ask for help’ service. This is a computer-based chatbot that will signpost you to the correct resource or provide Home Office contact details.

Using the ‘UK Immigration ID check’ app

We suggest using both your mobile device and a laptop or tablet, but it is possible to use just your smartphone.

a) Search for the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app and download it from the App Store or Google Play Store. Select the app with the purple background square (not the app with the blue background).
b) Simultaneously on your computer, select this link and select ‘create an account’. Enter your personal details. You will be asked to verify your email address and mobile phone number using an automatically generated 6-digit code. Once done, a QR code will present itself on the computer screen. If it does not appear automatically, ensure you are logged into your UKVI account on your computer. Select ‘confirm your identity’ in your UKVI account and answer the questions. Your QR code will appear.
c) Using the App on your phone, scan the QR code. If this does not work, you can use the ‘connection code’ option. The App will direct you to scan the chip in your identity document and scan your face. Your identity document is your BRP. If you experience issues using your BRP, use your passport and the visa application reference number from your most recent application.
d) If you only have a smartphone, you can complete part b) and c) using a browser on your phone. Select to use the connection code, rather than the QR code.

The Home Office has published eVisa guidance including a video on how to create a UKVI account. Useful guidance and a process flow is available here.