Online Immigration Status: eVisa and ETA. From 2025 all UK visas are digital. Residents have to create a digital eVisa. Visitors and tourists have to apply for an ETA prior to travel, or a Visitor visa, depending on nationality.
From 2025 a UK visa is a digital status in the UK Government system, without a physical card or stamp. All BRP cards “expired” on 31.12.2024, but it does not represent the expiry date of your status. The real expiry date was mentioned in your approval email and that’s what will show in the system. The visa eligibility rules, and requirements towards the evidence, remain the same, such as Financial or English Requirement. If you are new to this, you can start by creating a UKVI account here. When you have created it, you will be prompted to link eVisa to your UKVI account.
UKVI account is for a person in general, including for each child. eVisa is a current specific status, such as a Student visa or a Partner visa. With time, you may get another eVisa, such as a Partner extension, or switch to a Skilled Worker visa, so it will be added to your UKVI account.
Make sure you have an up-to-date passport on your UKVI account, so the border control can see it when you travel: Update your account here. Same if you change your name, such as after getting married.
You can add more than one passport to your UKVI account, allowing you to use them when travelling.
Get a share code and provide it to employers and landlords:
You can generate a share code here, then give it to an employer or a landlord.
Prove your status to the UK Government authorities:
The UK Government will have the information from the Home Office, so they will have access to your status through the Government database. This includes the NHS, HMRC, DWP etc. The same applies when travelling, the UK Border Control will have your status in their system.
This is a change for nationals who normally did not need a visa to come to the UK for a holiday or short business trip. Covers people from Europe, Australia, Canada, USA, Malaysia, UAE, Qatar and many other countries, the Rules call them “non-visa nationals”. Whereas before it was possible to visit the UK without any visa (just get a stamp at the airport), now you would need an ETA prior to travel. It is similar to American ESTA and Australian ETA, still not a “proper” visa, but an online authorisation before travel. If the system approves – you can head to the airport. If not – you’d have to apply for a Visitor visa.
ETA costs 16 British Pounds per person (USD 22) , including per each child, and takes 3 working days to be processed. In some cases, it may be possible to travel to the UK while waiting for ETA, but you still have to apply for it. When approved, an ETA lasts for 2 years, so you can travel back and forth during that time, each staying maximum 6 months.
We started this company almost 20 years ago after our own experience. From our London office, we serve customers of all nationalities to come to the UK to visit, to live with a partner or family, to remain and settle here. You can book a consultation with a very experienced Immigration Consultant here.
If your nationality is on the list of “visa nationals”, you will have to apply for a Visitor visa (not for ETA), even to come to the for a holiday. Submitting online visa form, providing all the supporting documents, such as finances, reasons for travel to the UK, ties with your home country etc. The visa Rules and documents remain the same, even with electronic visas. The same caseworkers will be considering all applications, including checking the previous immigration history. From 2026 Visitor visas are digital as eVisa. After the above process, if approved, you’ll have a digital visa instead of a vignette (sticker) in your passport.
Examples: Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Russian, South African, Nigerian etc, you can check your nationality here.
UK Visitor status is very different from Schengen (European) rule of 90 days per 6 months. Instead, UK visitors can stay for maximum 6 months from each entry. Not “6 months per 12 months” as many think, but 6 months from each entry, as long as the visa or ETA remains valid. For example, you can come for 2 weeks, then go to Spain for a few days, then come back and your 6 months start again.