The UK Visas and Immigration, UKVI, has announced that from February 25, 2026, visitors to the United Kingdom, UK, who require a visa will no longer receive physical documents as travellers will be issued an electronic visa, eVisa.
According to the UKVI, the eVisa must be accessed and viewed through a UKVI account prior to travel.
The announcement was made in an X post on Friday.
“From 25 February 2026 visitors to the UK, who need a visa, will get an eVisa only. Create your UKVI account and view your eVisa, before you travel to the UK,” the statement read.
“An eVisa is a digital record identity and immigration status – for example the type of visa you have or if you have indefinite leave to remain (settlement) in the UK – and the conditions of your status, for example if you’re allowed to work or study in the UK,” the UK government explained.
eVisas will replace all physical immigration documents.
The government noted that Biometric Residence Permit, BRPs, have already been replaced by eVisas, which will also phase out Biometric Residence Cards, BRCs, and traditional wet-ink passport stamps or vignettes.
Travellers will typically receive an eVisa when they successfully apply for a visa or other type of permission to be in the UK.
Once issued, users can view their eVisa and get a share code to prove their immigration status, for example when they get a new job or rent a home, and can travel after linking their passport or travel document details.
Accessing the eVisa requires a UKVI account.
“You can set up a UKVI account if you do not already have one. You do not need to pay to set up a UKVI account or access your eVisa,” the UK government website confirmed.
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