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Take careAbout 75 min✓ Official sources · reviewed 2026-07-26

Prove who you are: eVisa, share codes, NI number

Master the three proofs the UK asks for again and again.

Your progress0 of 5 steps done
  1. 1

    Secure your UKVI eVisa account

    Physical BRP cards are history — your immigration status now lives entirely in your online UKVI account. Log in, verify every detail (name spelling, date of birth, visa conditions), and fix errors immediately through the account itself. Keep the linked email and phone current forever; that pair is effectively the key to your legal identity in the UK.

    Prepare

    Passport and the credentials you used when applying for your visa.

    Watch out

    A typo in your eVisa details can fail employer and landlord checks months later — verify now, not when a job offer is waiting.

    This one is serious — get real help

    This step involves a high-risk area (legal, immigration, medical or benefits). We won't advise you here. Ask MyLife AI to prepare, or contact an official or appropriately regulated service before you act.

  2. Step 2

    Learn the share code system

    A share code is a short-lived code (90 days) that lets someone check one specific thing about your status. The crucial detail: codes are purpose-specific. Right-to-work codes for employers, right-to-rent codes for landlords — generated from different gov.uk pages, and one won't work in the other's checker. Generate the right type fresh each time; it takes two minutes.

    Prepare

    Your UKVI login.

    Watch out

    Sending a screenshot of your eVisa instead of a share code — most checkers can't accept it, and it exposes more data than needed.

  3. Step 3

    Get your National Insurance number sorted

    The NI number is the third leg of your UK identity — tax, pension and benefits all hang off it. Apply free on gov.uk; an identity appointment may be required. Once it arrives, memorise it or store it securely, and give it to every employer. Unlike share codes it never expires and never changes.

    Prepare

    eVisa/passport details and a UK postal address.

    Watch out

    Sharing your NI number in response to unexpected calls — HMRC and DWP never cold-call asking for it; scammers do.

  4. Step 4

    Build your proof-of-address portfolio

    The UK's strangest ritual: proving where you live. Banks, councils and landlords want recent official letters — bank statements, council tax bills, utility bills, GP or HMRC letters. Newcomers start with none, so manufacture them: switch bank statements to paper once, get on a utility bill at your address, register with the GP. Each letter unlocks the next institution.

    Prepare

    A folder (physical or scanned) to collect every official letter from day one.

    Watch out

    Throwing away "boring" official letters — that council tax bill you binned is exactly what the bank asks for next month.

  5. Step 5

    Know your rights during status checks

    Employers and landlords must check everyone's status — being asked is normal and not discrimination. But the check must be the official online one via your share code, not a demand to hold your passport or "keep documents until the contract ends". Nobody keeps your originals. If a check fails unexpectedly, it's usually a fixable eVisa error, not the end of the offer — say you'll resolve it with UKVI.

    Prepare

    A fresh share code of the right type for the situation.

    Watch out

    Anyone "holding" your passport as a condition of work or housing — that's a control tactic and a red flag for exploitation.

Need help? Ask MyLife

It already knows which playbook you're in. Answers come from official sources, with dates.