Share code: how to get one and how to use it

In brief

A code and your date of birth, nothing else.

A share code is a short reference generated from your UKVI account that a checker enters, together with your date of birth, on the relevant Home Office online service to see the status information relevant to their check. It lasts 90 days, can be used repeatedly within that window, and costs nothing to generate.

It exists so that people with an eVisa can prove their status without physically handing over a document, since the digital record replaced the biometric residence card and permit for most people. It is not itself a visa or a grant of permission; it is simply a way of showing what your existing status already is.

How to get a share code

Four steps, from your UKVI account.

• Sign in to your UKVI account with your linked document or customer number.
• Check your name, nationality and photo are current; update them first if not.
• Choose the service that matches the check: right to work, or right to rent.
• Generate the code, note what the checker will see, and send the code with your date of birth.

What you need

The same details you sign in to your UKVI account with.

• An identity document

  Passport, national identity card, valid or expired biometric residence card, expired biometric residence permit, or your UKVI customer number.

• Your saved contact route

  Access to the phone number or email address on the account, for the sign-in code.

• Your date of birth

  The checker enters it alongside the share code, so give them both.

• The right service

  Right to work and right to rent are separate checks with separate codes.

Right to work, right to rent and other uses compared

The code is the same idea, but the services are separate.

Right to work check

Employer service, entered with date of birth

Right to rent check

Landlord service, separate code required

Other status checks

General view service where offered

Validity

90 days from generation

Cost

Free to generate, no limit on reuse within validity

Generating a code for the wrong purpose, for example creating a right to rent code when an employer needs a right to work check, will not work even though both draw on the same underlying account. Always confirm which check is being carried out before you generate the code, so you generate the correct one first time.

What the checker actually sees

A limited view, not your full record.

The person using your share code sees a screen confirming certain personal details and the status information relevant to their check, such as whether you are permitted to work and any conditions attached to that permission. They do not see your full immigration history, your address, or unrelated details held on your account.

Before you send a code to anyone, GOV.UK's own generation screen tells you exactly what information will be visible to whoever uses it. It is worth reading that screen rather than skipping past it, particularly if you are unsure whether a piece of information, such as a past visa category, will be shown.

Common mistakes when sharing a code

Small errors that cause a check to fail.

• Sending the code without the date of birth the checker needs to enter alongside it.
• Using an expired code rather than generating a fresh one.
• Generating a right to rent code when the check needed is right to work, or vice versa.
• Sending a screenshot of the account instead of the code and date of birth as instructed.
• Assuming the code proves your right to work indefinitely rather than only for the status you hold at that time.

Most failed checks are down to one of these administrative slips rather than any genuine problem with the underlying status. Double-checking the code, the date of birth and the correct service before sending saves both sides time.

How to check a share code

Checking a code someone has given you is covered on its own page.

Expired codes and codes that will not work

What to do when the check fails at the other end.

• Past 90 days: generate a new code; there is no limit and no fee.
• Wrong service: a right to rent code will not complete a right to work check, and the reverse is also true.
• Details out of date: update your name, nationality or photo in your UKVI account, then generate a fresh code.
• Code will not generate at all: report it to UKVI as an eVisa error, and prove your status with your eligible documents in the meantime.

If a share code is not an option

There is always a second route.

If you have been refused a job or a tenancy because a checker insisted on a share code you cannot generate, that is worth raising rather than accepting. Speak to an IAA-regulated adviser about the evidence you do hold.

Edge cases worth knowing about

Situations that come up more often than you might expect.

Some people hold more than one nationality, or have a mixed immigration history that includes an older physical document as well as a newer eVisa. Where you have an eVisa, the share code drawn from it is normally the correct route to use, even if an older document is still in your possession, since the online record is the one the Home Office treats as current.

If you recently switched immigration category, for example moving from a student route to a work route, allow time for your account to reflect the new grant before you generate a code for a new employer. Generating a code too soon after a decision is made can sometimes return outdated information while the record updates, so it is worth checking your own account view first if you have any doubt.

Dependants, employer duties and repeat checks

A few situations worth knowing about.

Each family member with their own immigration status generates their own share code from their own account; a code generated by one family member cannot be used to prove another family member's status. Where a dependant's status is time-limited and tied to a main applicant's grant, both records need to be kept current so each person's code reflects the correct position.

Employers are generally expected to carry out a follow-up check before a time-limited status expires, rather than relying indefinitely on a check made when someone was first employed. If your status has a fixed end date, expect to be asked for a new share code as that date approaches, and generate one in good time rather than waiting to be chased.

Refusals to accept eligible physical documents in favour of insisting on a share code, when the person concerned is entitled to use documents instead, are a form of unequal treatment that GOV.UK guidance specifically discourages employers and landlords from engaging in.

Generating a share code from a mobile device

Most people do this from a phone, not a desktop.

The UKVI account and its share code service work in a mobile browser as well as on a computer, and many people find it easier to generate a code while an employer or letting agent is waiting on the phone or in an email thread. Sign in the same way you would on a desktop, choose the correct service, and copy the code as it appears rather than retyping it from memory, since a single mistyped character will cause the checker's lookup to fail.

If you are asked for a share code somewhere unfamiliar, for example by a car hire firm or a professional body carrying out its own status check, treat the request the same way you would treat an employer or landlord request. Confirm which online service they intend to use before you generate a code, since generating the wrong one wastes time on both sides.

What happens if your status changes after you send a code

A code reflects a moment in time, not a promise about the future.

A share code shows the status held at the point the checker looks it up, not a permanent record that stays accurate for the full 90 days it remains usable. If your status changes during that window, for example because a further application is decided, a new share code generated afterwards will reflect the updated position, while an old code checked again may show the same result it showed originally, since online checking systems typically read the record as it exists at the time of the lookup.

This matters most for people with pending applications. If you applied to extend your permission before your previous grant expired, your rights are usually protected while a decision is pending, and this should be reflected in what a share code shows. If a checker tells you the code no longer shows what you expect, do not assume the worst before checking your UKVI account directly, since the discrepancy is sometimes a timing issue on the Home Office side rather than a change in your actual status.

Share codes and third parties acting on your behalf

An adviser can help you generate one, but the account stays yours.

An immigration adviser, employer's HR team or family member can sit with you while you generate a share code, and can help you read what the checker will see before you send it. What they should not do is hold your UKVI sign-in details on file and generate codes for you without your direct involvement, since the account is a personal record tied to your identity and your sign-in credentials are not meant to be shared as a matter of routine.

If you use an immigration adviser to manage correspondence with the Home Office, it is still worth learning to generate your own share codes, because you are likely to need one quickly at short notice, for example when starting a new job or renewing a tenancy, and waiting for someone else to act on your behalf adds a delay you can usually avoid.

Record keeping on your side

Keep your own note of what you sent and when.

• Note the date you generated each code and who you sent it to.
• Keep a screenshot of the confirmation screen showing what information the code reveals.
• If a check is refused or disputed, that record helps you show what you provided and when.
• Update your account promptly if your name, photo or nationality details change.

Employers and landlords are expected to keep their own compliance record of a check, but your own note is useful too, particularly if a dispute arises later about whether a valid code was provided in good time. This is especially relevant if a job offer is withdrawn or a tenancy application is refused and you believe the share code process was not followed correctly.