UK eVisa & Share Code for Right to Work 2026: The 90-Day Rule Explained

A share code proves your right to work from your eVisa — and it lasts for 90 days. You can use the share code as many times as you need before it expires and get a new share code whenever you need one, and the person checking it needs your date of birth (gov.uk, checked 7 August 2026).

The moment this matters most is the job offer. An employer says yes, then asks you to prove your right to work — and if your immigration status is held digitally, that proof is a share code generated from the eVisa in your UKVI account. This guide explains what an eVisa actually is, how the 90-day rule plays out in a real hiring process, what to do if your eVisa shows wrong details, and where your old biometric residence permit (BRP) still fits in. And if the offer turns into a fresh visa application rather than a status you already hold, our UK visa decision time 2026 hub covers that side of the timeline.

eVisa and share codes at a glance

The table below condenses what gov.uk publishes about eVisas and share codes — the parts that matter when an employer is waiting on you.

Question	What gov.uk says
What is an eVisa?	It shows your identity and immigration status, including your rights in the UK — for example to work, rent or claim benefits — and is accessed through your UKVI account
How long is a share code valid?	A share code lasts for 90 days
Can a share code be reused?	Yes — use it as many times as you need before it expires, and get a new share code whenever you need one
What does the checker need?	Your date of birth
What do share codes prove?	Your status to employers or landlords, or when you travel — right to work and right to rent checks

What is a share code and how long does it last?

A share code is the way you share what your eVisa proves. Your eVisa shows your identity and immigration status — including your rights in the UK, for example to work, rent or claim benefits — and a share code generated from it lasts for 90 days. You access the eVisa itself through your UKVI account.

The rules that surprise people are reuse and renewal. A share code is not single-use: you can use it as many times as you need before it expires. And codes are not rationed: you can get a new share code whenever you need one. Expiry is therefore a soft deadline — if a code lapses before an employer runs its check, you simply generate another and send that instead.

On the employer’s side, the code alone is not enough: the person checking needs your date of birth. When you send a share code for a right to work check, send your date of birth with it, so the employer can complete the check without a follow-up email.

When should you send a share code to an employer?

Send a share code when the employer is actually ready to check it — usually around the offer and onboarding stage. Because a share code lasts for 90 days, can be used as many times as you need before it expires, and can be replaced whenever you need a new one, there is no advantage in generating codes early.

Hiring processes for sponsored roles can take weeks. There may be several interview rounds — our guide to Skilled Worker visa interview questions covers the immigration-specific ones — followed by offer paperwork and, for a sponsored hire, the employer’s own steps such as assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship. To understand that side of the wait, see how Certificate of Sponsorship processing works and how long UK visa sponsorship takes end to end.

Against that backdrop, the 90-day validity is generous but not infinite. The practical approach: generate a fresh code when an employer asks for it, rather than attaching a code to every application you send. If a process drags on and your code expires before the check happens, nothing is lost — get a new share code and pass it on. And because a code can be used as many times as you need before expiry, the same valid code can serve more than one employer if you are juggling parallel offers.

What if your eVisa shows wrong details?

If your eVisa is wrong — for example, it shows the wrong date of birth or immigration status — report it. If your details have changed rather than being wrong, update your UKVI account: that covers a change of name, a change of nationality, or needing a new photo.

Errors matter more at the job-offer moment than at any other, because the person checking your share code needs your date of birth. A wrong date of birth on your eVisa is exactly the kind of problem to report and resolve before you send a code — not after an employer flags a mismatch during onboarding.

The same logic applies to life changes. If you have married and changed your name, taken a new nationality, or simply need a new photo, update your UKVI account so what the employer sees matches the person they hired.

Do you still need a BRP?

No — BRPs are historical documents, and your status is now shown by your eVisa. But do not bin the card: expired biometric residence permits are accepted as identification to access the eVisa, so an old BRP can still be the key that gets you into your UKVI account.

In a hiring context, the split is clean. What you give an employer is a share code from your eVisa; the BRP’s remaining role is as identification for accessing that eVisa in the first place. Keep the card somewhere safe alongside your passport — expired does not mean useless.

Share codes for Skilled Worker jobseekers

If you are applying for sponsored jobs, the share code is only part of the conversation. Your eVisa and share code prove the status you already hold; a Skilled Worker role also depends on the employer being licensed to sponsor you. Those are separate things, and strong candidates keep both tidy — a UKVI account with correct details on one side, and a target list of genuinely licensed employers on the other.

The second part is where jobseekers waste the most time: applying to companies that cannot sponsor anyone. Every job listed on Tarve comes from a licensed sponsor, so the right to work conversation that follows an offer is never undermined by a sponsorship dead end — you can check any employer in the licensed sponsor directory before you apply. For the wider picture of who actually hires on this route, our database of UK companies that sponsor visas breaks it down by industry and location.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an eVisa share code last?

A share code lasts for 90 days. Before it expires you can use it as many times as you need, and you can get a new share code whenever you need one — so an expired code is an inconvenience, not a crisis.

Can I use the same share code for more than one employer?

Yes. Gov.uk is explicit that you can use the share code as many times as you need before it expires. If you are in several hiring processes at once, the same valid code can go to each employer — and if it expires mid-process, you can get a new share code whenever you need one.

What does the person checking my share code need?

Your date of birth. The code alone is not enough for the person checking, so send both together — it lets the employer complete your right to work check without back-and-forth.

Are share codes only for right to work?

No. Gov.uk describes share codes as the way to prove your status to employers or landlords, or when you travel — covering right to work and right to rent checks. The 90-day validity and the reuse rule work the same way whichever check you are completing.

My BRP has expired — is it still useful for anything?

Yes, for access: expired biometric residence permits are accepted as identification to access the eVisa. BRPs are historical documents now — the status an employer checks lives in your eVisa and travels as a share code — but the old card can still identify you when you need to get into your UKVI account.

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Source: gov.uk — view and prove your immigration status (checked 7 August 2026). This article summarises published gov.uk guidance on eVisas and share codes for general information only — it is not immigration advice. Guidance can change: check gov.uk for the current position before relying on it, and speak to a regulated immigration adviser about your own circumstances.