The United Kingdom reached a watershed moment in its border-modernisation programme at 00:01 GMT on 25 February 2026, when UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) stopped issuing physical visa vignettes, biometric residence permits (BRPs) and passport endorsements. From today, every new immigration permission—whether a short-stay visit visa, Skilled Worker leave or a Certificate of Entitlement—exists only as an electronic visa (eVisa) that is stored in the holder’s UKVI account and linked to the passport they present at the border. Although digital status has been expanding since 2018, the formal cut-over means carriers and employers can no longer rely on hard-copy documents to confirm a traveller’s rights. Airlines will verify passengers’ status by running automated “permission-to-travel” checks against Home Office databases at check-in. Travellers without a matching eVisa will be denied boarding, and carriers that transport inadequately documented passengers face financial penalties of up to £10,000 per individual. The move promises faster queues and tighter security, but it also shifts responsibility onto travellers and sponsoring employers. Anyone granted leave before today must create a UKVI account and “claim” their eVisa before renewing a passport or re-entering the UK.
![UK completes switch to digital immigration status as eVisas replace all physical documents]()
For anyone who needs practical assistance navigating the new eVisa landscape, VisaHQ’s London-based specialists can guide individuals and corporate clients through UKVI account set-up, status verification and passport-link updates; full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/
Employers, meanwhile, should update right-to-work processes: a share-code generated from the employee’s account now stands in place of a BRP photocopy. The Home Office says more than ten million people already hold an eVisa and that “paperless borders” will ultimately save £860 million over the next decade, primarily through reduced document production and fraud prevention. Business groups broadly welcome the change but are urging government to improve user experience after early reports of account-creation glitches. For global mobility managers the message is clear: audit your travelling population, make sure everyone has activated their UKVI account, and build digital-status checks into pre-travel briefings—especially for short-term assignees who may assume that an old vignette is still valid.
For anyone who needs practical assistance navigating the new eVisa landscape, VisaHQ’s London-based specialists can guide individuals and corporate clients through UKVI account set-up, status verification and passport-link updates; full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/
Employers, meanwhile, should update right-to-work processes: a share-code generated from the employee’s account now stands in place of a BRP photocopy. The Home Office says more than ten million people already hold an eVisa and that “paperless borders” will ultimately save £860 million over the next decade, primarily through reduced document production and fraud prevention. Business groups broadly welcome the change but are urging government to improve user experience after early reports of account-creation glitches. For global mobility managers the message is clear: audit your travelling population, make sure everyone has activated their UKVI account, and build digital-status checks into pre-travel briefings—especially for short-term assignees who may assume that an old vignette is still valid.
