How to get and use your UK right to work share code

Need to prove your work eligibility in the UK? If you’re not a British or Irish citizen and you’re starting a new job in the UK, you’ll likely need to prove your right to work. One of the most common ways to do this is with a right to work share code.

Since the UK transitioned to a digital immigration system and moved from physical Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) to eVisas, share codes have become the standard way for most non-British and non-Irish workers to verify their employment eligibility.

Rather than handing over physical documents, you generate a unique code online and share it with your employer, who can then check your immigration status directly against live Home Office records.

Here’s everything you need to know – from what a share code is and how to get one, to what employers need to do on their end to stay compliant.

What is a right to work share code?

A right to work share code is a unique, 9-character alphanumeric code generated through the UK government’s online service. It allows individuals to share proof of their immigration status and right to work with employers digitally.

All right-to-work share codes begin with the letter ‘W’, which distinguishes them from other Home Office codes – such as right-to-rent codes, which begin with different letters. Employers should only accept codes starting with ‘W’ for right-to-work checks.

What details can employers access through the share code?

When an employer enters the share code alongside the individual’s date of birth using the online checking service, they can view the following details:

• The types of work the individual is permitted to do
• How long they are allowed to work in the UK
• Any restrictions attached to their immigration permission
• The individual’s photograph
• The date on which the check took place

If you can use the online service, the share code route is the standard method for proving your right to work.

Share codes for renting

You can also apply for a share code to prove your right to rent in England. This isn’t required in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. However, you can’t use the same code for both purposes – you’ll need to generate a separate one for each.

Who can get a right to work share code?

Share codes can be applied for by non-British and non-Irish citizens who have digital immigration status. Individuals can apply for a share code if they have:

• A UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account linked to your immigration status
• An eVisa – the digital record of your immigration status, accessed through a UKVI account
• Status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• A biometric residence permit (BRP) – you can use it for 18 months after the expiry date printed on the card

An individual will usually have a UKVI account if they applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, used the UK Immigration: ID Check app (which creates an account for your application), or set up an account to access their eVisa after a successful application.

The move to eVisas

The Home Office is replacing BRPs with eVisas – digital records of your immigration status that you access through a UKVI account.

If you hold a BRP, your immigration permission should not have changed. What’s changed is how you prove it. Instead of relying on a BRP as evidence, many people now must prove their status online through their UKVI account by generating a share code.

As of 2025, visa stickers placed in passports, known as vignettes, are also being phased out for many visa routes. These stickers were previously given to overseas migrants as temporary proof of their permission to enter and work in the UK. The Home Office intends to stop issuing visa stickers altogether in 2026, so successful applicants receive only an eVisa.

As they’re withdrawn, share codes are becoming the primary method for most non-British and non-Irish workers to prove their right to work across the UK.

Author’s tip: If you haven’t already set up your UKVI account, you can create one for free at GOV.UK, using your passport or expired BRP details.

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How to get a share code online

Getting a share code for right to work is free, and you can generate as many as you need. The process takes a few minutes and is done entirely online through the GOV.UK ‘Prove your right to work’ service. Each code is valid for 90 days. You can share the same code with multiple employers during that time – for example, if you’re applying for several jobs at once. If it expires before an employer uses it, simply generate a new one.

Step 1: Go to GOV.UK

Visit the ‘Prove your right to work’ page to begin.

Step 2: Choose your immigration status

Select the option that applies to you:

• I have a UK Visas and Immigration account
• I have status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• I have a biometric residence permit (BRP)

Step 3: Provide your identity document details

If you state that you have a UKVI account or status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you will be asked which of the following identity documents you used when you created your account:

• Passport
• National identity card
• Biometric residence permit (BRP)

You’ll then be prompted to provide your passport number, national identity card number, or BRP number.

However, if you state in Step 2 that you have a BRP, you will only be asked to enter your BRP number.

Step 4: Enter your date of birth

Enter your date of birth in the format DD/MM/YYYY.

Step 5: Verify your identity

Choose how you’d like to receive a security code – by text message or email. This is sent to the contact details registered to your UKVI account.

Step 6: Enter the security code

You’ll receive a 6-digit security code. Enter this on screen and click ‘Continue’.

Step 7: View your status

The next screen shows your current immigration status, name, and photograph. This page is for your reference only and is not proof of your right to work – scroll to the bottom and click ‘Continue’ to generate your share code.

Step 8: Share the code with your employer

Your 9-character right to work share code will appear on screen, along with its expiry date – 90 days from the date it’s generated. You can send it directly to your employer through the online service, or share it via email, telephone, or video call.

Your employer then enters the code and your date of birth using the employer checking service to complete the check.

What to do if you can’t access your UKVI account

If you’re having trouble logging in, make sure you have access to the phone number or email address registered to your account, along with your identity document number or unique application number (UAN).

If you still can’t get in, use the GOV.UK ‘Contact UKVI’ tool to find the right contact route for your situation. Common issues include forgotten login credentials, expired contact details, or duplicate accounts created during different visa applications.

Right to work share code checklist

Checklist item	What you do	What your employer does	Notes
1. Confirm you can use the online service	Check whether you have access to your UKVI account and digital status	Confirms whether they can run an online share code check	If you can’t use the online service, you may need to supply other evidence. Your employer may need to use the Employer Checking Service to verify it.
2. Generate your share code	Sign in and generate a right to work share code	N/A	Share codes are valid for 90 days
3. Share the right details	Give your employer the share code and your date of birth	Uses both to run the check	They need your date of birth to view the result
4. Employer completes the check	N/A	Enters the share code and your date of birth in the GOV.UK employer service	The result shows your work permission and any restrictions
5. Confirm any limits that apply	Review any conditions shown on your status	Checks the role matches any restrictions and records the check	If your permission is time-limited, they’ll plan a follow-up check before it expires
6. If anything doesn’t work	Generate a new share code if yours has expired, or check your details are correct	Re-tries with the correct details, or uses the Employer Checking Service if needed	Common issues are typos, wrong date of birth, or an expired code

Alternatives to share codes: using immigration documents

While a share code is the quickest way to prove your right to work, not everyone can use the online service. In those cases, you may be able to prove your right to work using original documents that your employer checks and copies as part of a manual right-to-work check.

If your status can’t be confirmed solely from documents, your employer will need to verify it with the Home Office using the Employer Checking Service.

If you’re not a British or Irish citizen and you can’t use the online service, the following documents are commonly used:

• A current passport containing a Home Office endorsement
• A current immigration status document, together with an official document showing your National Insurance number
• An application registration card that says ‘Work permitted’ (your employer will then verify your status through the Employer Checking Service)

Different steps may apply if you:

• Are waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application
• Were given settled or pre-settled status in Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man
• Are a Ukrainian citizen
• Are a frontier worker

We outline all of these options below. Check which one applies to you to see what evidence you can use.

If you have a passport with a Home Office endorsement

You can prove your right to work to employers with a current passport if it contains a Home Office endorsement, such as a wet-ink stamp. Some people may also have an older vignette sticker in their passport.

This endorsement should confirm that one of the following applies:

• You have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK
• There is no time limit to your stay in the UK
• You have a certificate of entitlement proving you have right of abode in the UK
• You are exempt from immigration control

Your passport must be valid. You can’t use it to prove your right to work if it has expired.

If you have an immigration status document

You may have an immigration status document issued by the Home Office if your status isn’t held digitally and you can’t access it through a UKVI account. This often applies where you couldn’t get a Home Office endorsement in your passport when you were granted permission to stay in the UK.

Immigration status documents can cover different types of permission, including:

• Refugee Status – the Home Office has recognised you as a refugee under the 1951 Refugee Convention
• Discretionary Leave – the Home Office has granted you permission to enter or remain in the UK outside the Immigration Rules
• Humanitarian Protection – the Home Office has granted you permission to enter or remain in the UK because you’d face serious harm if returned to your home country

Your document will usually include an endorsement that shows your photograph, your immigration status, and any conditions attached to it. Your document must be current to prove your right to work.

If you have an application registration card (ARC)

An ARC is a credit card-sized card given to asylum seekers. It shows your photograph, name, date of birth, sex, nationality, and Home Office reference number.

You may have one while you’re waiting for a decision on an asylum application. It must say ‘Work permitted’, which confirms that you have permission to work in the UK.

Your employer will then ask the Home Office to check your immigration status through the Employer Checking Service.

If you’ve applied to the EU Settlement Scheme

While you’re waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application, you may be able to generate a share code, and your employer can complete an online right-to-work check.

If you can’t generate a share code, you can provide your Certificate of Application, and your employer will ask the Home Office to confirm your right to work through the Employer Checking Service.

If you have settled or pre-settled status in Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man

In these situations, you can provide your employer with the Home Office letter or email confirming your status. Your employer can use it to check your right-to-work status with the Home Office.

If you’re a Ukrainian citizen

As a Ukrainian citizen in the UK, you’ll usually prove your right to work online using a share code from your UKVI account. You can generate a share code once you can access your digital immigration status.

If you can’t use the online service, you may have evidence such as an endorsed passport or, in some cases, an entry clearance vignette sticker attached to a Form for Affixing a Visa (FAV) from an overseas Visa Application Centre.

When providing an endorsed passport or an FAV, your employer will need to verify your right to work with the Home Office using the Employer Checking Service.

If you’re a Commonwealth citizen

Some Commonwealth citizens have right of abode in the UK, which means they’re permitted to live and work here without any immigration restrictions. You can prove your right to work with a share code or immigration documents such as a current passport with an endorsement.

If you’re settled in the UK but don’t have any documentation to prove it, you could be eligible to apply to the Windrush Scheme. You may be able to apply for a document to prove you can live and work in the UK if one of the following applies:

• You came to the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1973
• Your parents or grandparents came to the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1973
• You came to the UK from any country before 31 December 1988 and you’re now settled here

You may also be entitled to apply for citizenship for free if you’re a Commonwealth citizen and were settled in the UK before 1 January 1973, or if you’re the child of someone who was.

If you’re a frontier worker

A Frontier Worker is a citizen of an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, or Liechtenstein who works in the UK but lives abroad, excluding Irish citizens. You can prove your right to work with a share code if you have a Frontier Worker permit.

If you can’t provide a Frontier Worker permit or share code, your employer will need to verify your right to work with the Home Office using the Employer Checking Service. They may ask you for evidence that you:

• Are from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, or Liechtenstein
• Live outside the UK
• Began working in the UK, while living abroad, by 31 December 2020
• Have worked in the UK at least once every 12 months since you began working here

You can provide evidence such as your passport or national identity card, bank statements or utility bills showing your overseas address, a signed and dated job contract, letters from employers, HMRC tax returns, or invoices showing payment for UK work. Your employer uses this information as part of the Home Office verification.

How British and Irish citizens prove their right to work

British and Irish citizens prove their right to work through one of the following methods:

• A passport (valid or expired) – British or Irish passports, including Irish passport cards, are accepted.
• A Digital Verification Service (DVS) – a certified digital identity provider can verify a valid British or Irish passport remotely. This has been available since April 2022 and is increasingly common for remote-first companies.
• A birth or adoption certificate – from the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Republic of Ireland – alongside a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen. You’ll also need an official document showing your National Insurance number.

Understanding your right to work in the UK

Your right to work depends on your immigration status. You automatically have the right to work if:

• You are a British or Irish citizen
• You have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme – or have applied and are waiting for a decision
• You have been granted indefinite leave to enter or remain
• You have a family permit from the EU Settlement Scheme
• You have right of abode in the UK

If any of these apply, you don’t need a visa to work here – but you still need to prove your right to work to your employer.

If you have settled or pre-settled status

Settled status gives you the right to live and work in the UK indefinitely. Pre-settled status is initially granted for five years.

If you haven’t switched to settled status before it expires, the Home Office will automatically extend it by a further five years – you don’t need to apply for this. However, the Home Office still encourages you to apply for settled status as soon as you’re eligible, as it provides the strongest proof of your right to remain.

Both settled and pre-settled status can be proved to employers using a share code.

If you have a time-limited visa

You may have the right to work on a time-limited visa, but it may come with restrictions on the type of work you can do or the hours you can work.

• Standard Visitor visa – you generally can’t work in the UK on this visa. However, there are limited exceptions, such as attending meetings, conferences, or training, or carrying out specific ‘permitted paid engagements’ like giving a lecture at a university.
• Student visa – you may be allowed to work a limited number of hours, generally 20 hours, on a temporary basis.
• Employer-sponsored visa – if your sponsored job ends, the Home Office may shorten your permission to stay. If that happens, they’ll write to you and give you a deadline to either find a new sponsor, switch to another visa route, or leave the UK.

Seeking guidance on work visa requirements may help if you’re considering running your own business instead.

If you’re an asylum seeker

Most asylum applicants aren’t permitted to work while the Home Office considers their application. If you’re unsure whether you have the right to work, contact your nearest Citizens Advice for free and confidential guidance.

Right-to-work checks for UK employers

As an employer, you have a legal duty to check every job applicant’s right to work before they start. This applies to all workers regardless of nationality – including British and Irish citizens.

If you’re employing staff for the first time, it’s worth understanding these obligations early.

How to carry out a compliant right-to-work check

Under current Home Office guidance, there are three methods:

• Online check using a share code – the individual provides a share code for right to work, and you enter it alongside their date of birth using the online checking service. This is the standard route for non-British and non-Irish workers with digital immigration status.
• Manual document check – you examine original documents (e.g. UK or Irish passport) in person or via a live video link, check they are genuine and belong to the individual, and retain a clear copy with the date of the check recorded.
• Digital Verification Service (DVS) check – a certified digital identity provider verifies a British or Irish citizen’s passport or passport card remotely using Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT). This option is only available for British and Irish nationals with a valid passport.

Whichever method you use, you must complete the check before the person starts work. Late or incomplete checks can leave you without a statutory excuse – the legal defence that protects you from civil penalties.

If an employee’s right to work is time-limited, you’ll need to carry out a follow-up check before their permission expires. You must also retain evidence of every check for the duration of employment, plus two years after they leave.

If you’re considering sponsoring an employee from outside the UK, additional compliance requirements will apply in addition to standard right-to-work checks (including applying for a sponsor licence from the Home Office prior to any proposed sponsorship).

What to do if a share code doesn’t work

If a share code returns an error or no result, work through the following before escalating:

• Check that the code has been entered correctly, including the capital ‘W’ at the start
• Confirm the worker’s date of birth matches exactly
• Check that the code hasn’t expired – they’re only valid for 90 days
• If everything looks correct, ask the worker to generate a fresh code

For example, if a worker recently switched from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa, their old share code may no longer reflect their current status. A new code generated after the visa change should resolve this.

If the problem persists after a new code has been generated, you may need to use the Home Office Employer Checking Service to verify their status directly.

When should employers use the Employer Checking Service?

It sometimes won’t be possible to complete a right-to-work check through the usual routes – either because the online share code service can’t confirm someone’s status, or because the worker’s documents aren’t on the list of acceptable documents for a manual check.

That’s where the Employer Checking Service comes in. It’s how you ask the Home Office to confirm someone’s right to work directly, so you can complete the check properly before they start.

You’ll typically need the Employer Checking Service in situations like these:

• The worker can’t generate a share code, or the online check can’t confirm their status
• The worker has an outstanding application, appeal, or administrative review and doesn’t have a share code yet
• The worker provides evidence that needs Home Office verification rather than an online check – for example, certain Certificates of Application under the EU Settlement Scheme
• The worker has an Application Registration Card that states “Work permitted”
• The worker’s status is evidenced through specific letters, emails, or records that need Home Office confirmation, including some Crown Dependency (Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man) situations
• You’ve double-checked everything – code, date of birth, expiry – and still can’t get a valid online result

You won’t need the Employer Checking Service when:

• The worker can provide a share code and date of birth, and you can complete the online check as normal
• A manual document check is permitted for the evidence provided, and you can complete it properly

The response you get back from the Employer Checking Service is your Home Office confirmation – keep it on file as proof that the check was carried out correctly.

Author’s tip: You can find the full list of acceptable documents for manual right-to-work checks in the Home Office’s employer guidance. It’s split into two lists – List A for people with a permanent right to work, and List B for those with a time-limited right. It’s worth bookmarking, as the lists are updated periodically.

What happens if you employ someone illegally

The consequences can be significant. Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006:

• A civil penalty of up to £60,000 per illegal worker
• In serious cases, a criminal conviction carrying a prison sentence of up to five years and an unlimited fine
• Closure of the business and a compliance order issued by the court
• Disqualification as a director
• Not being able to sponsor migrants
• Seizure of earnings made as a result of illegal working
• You may also appear in the publication of non-compliant employers

Carrying out right-to-work checks correctly isn’t just a legal box to tick – it’s your primary defence against penalties.

Can you start a business in the UK as a non-UK resident?

Having the right to work in the UK and setting up a company here are two separate things. You don’t need a right to work share code to incorporate a UK limited company.

However, being a company director and being employed by the company are different in the eyes of immigration law. If you plan to receive a salary, carry out operational work, or be physically based in the UK as an employee of the business, your visa conditions will determine what you can do. If you are unsure, you should consider taking legal advice from an immigration law specialist.

Share codes are essential for UK employment compliance

For most non-British and non-Irish citizens, a share code is now the quickest way to prove their right to work. With the transition to eVisas now well underway, share codes have become the standard verification method for anyone with digital immigration status.

The process is free and efficient, regardless of whether you’re an employee generating a code or an employer running a check. The key is to understand which method applies to your situation and follow the correct steps to stay compliant.

If you’re looking to set up a limited company in the UK, 1st Formations can help you get up and running quickly and efficiently. We offer a wide range of services for founders from the UK and overseas, from company formation to coveted registered office addresses in London.