Running in parallel with ETA enforcement, the Home Office today completed the next phase of its digital-status transformation by issuing eVisas as the sole evidence of permission for most visitor-visa nationals. Applicants still attend a visa application centre for biometrics but, crucially, their passports are returned the same day; decisions and the visa itself are delivered by e-mail and stored in the applicant’s UKVI account.
British missions in high-volume markets such as India, Nigeria and China say the change will cut turnaround times by two days on average and remove the logistical headache of shipping passports back to applicants. Business-travel consultants welcome the single visit to the VAC: project engineers and sales staff no longer need to block out a second day to collect documents. The eVisa is digitally linked to the traveller’s passport, so carriers can confirm status during the same automated ‘permission to travel’ check used for ETA holders.
![Paper visa stickers scrapped as UK rolls out eVisas for most visitor routes]()
For companies and individuals navigating the eVisa roll-out, VisaHQ offers end-to-end support—handling appointment scheduling, document checks and updates to UKVI accounts, while providing live status alerts through its online dashboard. To see how the service streamlines UK travel preparations, visit https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/
The shift also advances long-term plans to eliminate physical immigration documents by the end of 2026, including biometric residence permits and vignette stickers. Holders of EU Settlement Scheme status and other in-country categories are being urged to update UKVI accounts with their latest passport details or risk being held at the gate.
For global-mobility managers the immediate task is to update arrival-instructions packs: assignees will no longer receive a visa vignette and must instead travel with the passport used for the application plus the approval e-mail. Carriers will deny boarding if the passport number has changed and the traveller has not updated their UKVI profile, so processes for refresher checks before travel are essential.
British missions in high-volume markets such as India, Nigeria and China say the change will cut turnaround times by two days on average and remove the logistical headache of shipping passports back to applicants. Business-travel consultants welcome the single visit to the VAC: project engineers and sales staff no longer need to block out a second day to collect documents. The eVisa is digitally linked to the traveller’s passport, so carriers can confirm status during the same automated ‘permission to travel’ check used for ETA holders.
For companies and individuals navigating the eVisa roll-out, VisaHQ offers end-to-end support—handling appointment scheduling, document checks and updates to UKVI accounts, while providing live status alerts through its online dashboard. To see how the service streamlines UK travel preparations, visit https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/
The shift also advances long-term plans to eliminate physical immigration documents by the end of 2026, including biometric residence permits and vignette stickers. Holders of EU Settlement Scheme status and other in-country categories are being urged to update UKVI accounts with their latest passport details or risk being held at the gate.
For global-mobility managers the immediate task is to update arrival-instructions packs: assignees will no longer receive a visa vignette and must instead travel with the passport used for the application plus the approval e-mail. Carriers will deny boarding if the passport number has changed and the traveller has not updated their UKVI profile, so processes for refresher checks before travel are essential.
