In a quietly released update late on 14 February, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) confirmed that **all entry-clearance documents issued overseas will be digital-only from 25 February 2026**. Biometric residence permits (BRPs), vignette stickers inside passports and wet-ink endorsement letters will disappear. Successful applicants will instead receive an email directing them to create a UKVI account, through which they can view and prove their immigration status online.
The switch is the next milestone in the Home Office’s multi-year ‘digital by default’ strategy, which aims to make the UK border fully paperless by the end of 2026. Officials say a centralised database will cut fraud, speed up carrier checks and allow real-time revocation of visas where national-security flags arise. Airlines, ferry companies and the Eurotunnel will be required to integrate their departure-control systems with the new digital-status checker before boarding can be authorised.
For travellers and HR departments looking for practical help adapting to these changes, VisaHQ provides end-to-end support with UK visa processing, UKVI account setup and compliance tools that make generating share-codes and updating passport details straightforward. Explore the services on offer at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/
![UK to Issue Only Digital eVisas From 25 February 2026]()
For travellers, the practical impact will be felt immediately. Anyone applying for work, study or settlement visas after 25 February will **no longer receive a physical vignette** and must instead travel on the passport whose details are stored in their UKVI account. Those who renew a passport after a visa has been granted will have to update their account before travelling, failing which automated e-gates may not recognise their status. HR teams responsible for right-to-work checks must also adapt: from April, only a share-code generated from the employee’s UKVI account will be accepted as evidence of permission to work.
Immigration lawyers welcome the long-term efficiencies but warn of short-term turbulence. Employers with large graduate-intake cohorts are urged to audit onboarding processes, while mobility managers should brief assignees to set up UKVI accounts as soon as grant emails arrive. Dependants, who often travel separately, need individual log-ins to avoid family members being stranded at departure points.
The move brings the UK into line with Australia and, soon, the EU’s ETIAS system, underscoring a global shift toward pre-travel digital clearance. However, privacy campaigners continue to question data-security safeguards and the lack of an offline fallback for travellers caught without internet access. The Home Office says contingency kiosks will be installed at major ports but has not given details.
The switch is the next milestone in the Home Office’s multi-year ‘digital by default’ strategy, which aims to make the UK border fully paperless by the end of 2026. Officials say a centralised database will cut fraud, speed up carrier checks and allow real-time revocation of visas where national-security flags arise. Airlines, ferry companies and the Eurotunnel will be required to integrate their departure-control systems with the new digital-status checker before boarding can be authorised.
For travellers and HR departments looking for practical help adapting to these changes, VisaHQ provides end-to-end support with UK visa processing, UKVI account setup and compliance tools that make generating share-codes and updating passport details straightforward. Explore the services on offer at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/
For travellers, the practical impact will be felt immediately. Anyone applying for work, study or settlement visas after 25 February will **no longer receive a physical vignette** and must instead travel on the passport whose details are stored in their UKVI account. Those who renew a passport after a visa has been granted will have to update their account before travelling, failing which automated e-gates may not recognise their status. HR teams responsible for right-to-work checks must also adapt: from April, only a share-code generated from the employee’s UKVI account will be accepted as evidence of permission to work.
Immigration lawyers welcome the long-term efficiencies but warn of short-term turbulence. Employers with large graduate-intake cohorts are urged to audit onboarding processes, while mobility managers should brief assignees to set up UKVI accounts as soon as grant emails arrive. Dependants, who often travel separately, need individual log-ins to avoid family members being stranded at departure points.
The move brings the UK into line with Australia and, soon, the EU’s ETIAS system, underscoring a global shift toward pre-travel digital clearance. However, privacy campaigners continue to question data-security safeguards and the lack of an offline fallback for travellers caught without internet access. The Home Office says contingency kiosks will be installed at major ports but has not given details.
