Proof of Right to Work in the UK: Documents, Share Codes and Employer Checks

How to prove your right to work in the UK, from passports to eVisa share codes, which right to work documents count, and how employers carry out right to work checks and avoid fines.

By Tony Musso on Thu Oct 15 2026

Every employer in the UK must check that a new worker has the right to work here before the job starts. That means you will be asked for proof of your right to work in the UK before your first day. If you're British or Irish, you usually prove it with your passport. If you hold a visa or EU Settlement Scheme status, you prove it online with a share code from your eVisa.

Employers have three ways to check: look at original documents, use the Home Office online check with a share code, or use a certified identity service provider for British and Irish passports. Get it right and the employer is protected from fines of up to £45,000 per worker. This guide covers both sides, starting with workers.

This is general information, not legal advice, and the rules change, so check the current guidance on gov.uk before you rely on it.

How to prove your right to work: the short version

1. Work out which group you are in. British and Irish citizens show documents. Almost everyone else proves their status online with a share code.
2. Find your proof before you apply. That means your original passport (an expired British or Irish passport still counts), or your UKVI account login if you have an eVisa.
3. Get a share code made for work. If you have an eVisa, use the GOV.UK "Prove your right to work to an employer" service. A code made for renting won't do.
4. Give it to the employer before you start. The check has to happen before your employment begins, so send your share code and date of birth, or bring your documents, as soon as you're offered the job.
5. Waiting for a Home Office decision? Give your employer your application details so they can use the Employer Checking Service.

The rest of this guide explains each step, then covers the checks from the employer's side.

Proof of right to work in the UK: what workers show

What you need depends on your nationality and immigration status.

British and Irish citizens

The simplest proof is your passport. For British and Irish citizens, an expired passport still counts, because your citizenship doesn't expire.

If you don't have a passport, you can show a UK birth or adoption certificate together with an official document that gives your National Insurance number and your name. That document needs to come from a government agency or a previous employer, such as HMRC or the payroll team at your last job. A handwritten note of your number won't do.

Your employer will want to see the originals, not photocopies or photos on your phone. If your passport is in date, they may instead ask you to verify your identity through an identity service provider (IDSP), which usually means scanning your passport and taking a selfie in an app or browser.

People with an eVisa or EU Settlement Scheme status

Most people who hold a UK visa, and everyone with EU Settlement Scheme status, now have an eVisa. An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status, linked to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account.

To prove your right to work:

1. Go to the "Prove your right to work to an employer" service on gov.uk.
2. Sign in with your UKVI account details.
3. Choose to share your right to work information and get a share code.
4. Give the employer the share code and your date of birth.

The employer then looks up your record online. They see your photo, your permission to work and any conditions, such as a limit on hours or the type of work you can do.

Two things catch people out. First, share codes are made for a specific purpose, so a code you generated for renting a home won't work for a job. Second, share codes expire, so generate a fresh one if your employer says yours no longer works.

Biometric residence permits (BRPs) are no longer used as proof of right to work, because they have been replaced by eVisas. If you still only have a BRP and haven't set up your UKVI account, do that before you start applying for jobs.

Students

If you're in the UK on a Student visa, you can usually work, but your hours in term time are limited and some types of work aren't allowed. The exact limit depends on your course and is shown in your visa conditions. Your share code will show the employer that you're a student, and they may ask for your university's term dates so they can make sure your hours stay within the rules. Check your own visa conditions before agreeing to any shifts.

Refugees and asylum seekers

If you've been granted refugee status, you can usually work in the UK and prove it with a share code from your eVisa, like other people with status.

Asylum seekers usually cannot work while their claim is being decided, unless the Home Office has given them permission to work.

Getting ready to apply

Sorting out your proof early makes you an easier hire. Have your passport or share code ready before interviews, and mention your status clearly on your CV. You can build a UK-style CV with our free CV builder, and prepare for the questions employers often ask, including about your right to work, with our guide to UK interview questions and answers.

If you need a visa to work here, start with our guide to jobs in the UK for foreigners, which explains how visa sponsorship works and which employers can offer it.

Right to work checks in the UK: a guide for employers

You must check every new worker's right to work before their employment starts. A correct check gives you a "statutory excuse", which means you won't be fined if it later turns out the person didn't have the right to work, unless you knew or had reason to believe they didn't.

Check everyone in the same way. Don't only check people who seem foreign or have an accent, as that risks unlawful discrimination.

The three ways to check

Some points to keep in mind:

• Manual checks suit British and Irish citizens and anyone with an expired passport. You must see the original documents. A copy sent by email doesn't count.
• Online checks are the only option for people whose status is held as an eVisa. You can't accept a BRP instead.
• IDSPs can only check in-date passports. You stay responsible for the check, so use a provider that is certified and check what you're given. These services usually charge a fee, so compare providers.

Right to work documents: List A and List B

For manual checks, the Home Office splits acceptable right to work documents into two lists.

List B is split into two groups depending on the type of document, and each group has its own rules for when you check again. The lists change from time to time, so check the current list on gov.uk rather than relying on an old copy. Online checks don't use the lists in the same way, but the result will tell you if the person's permission is time-limited.

Keeping records

For every check, keep a clear copy of the documents or the online check result, and record the date you made the check. Store copies in a format that can't be changed later. Keep them for the length of the person's employment and for two years after it ends, then destroy them securely.

Follow-up checks

If someone has time-limited permission, put the end date in your diary and check again before it expires. If you skip the follow-up check, you lose your statutory excuse from that date. If a worker's permission runs out and they can't show they have applied to extend it, you may need to stop employing them.

What happens if you get it wrong

The maximum civil penalty for employing someone without the right to work has been in force since February 2024.

Knowingly employing someone who doesn't have the right to work is also a criminal offence. If you hold a sponsor licence, a breach can put the licence at risk too.

When someone is waiting for a Home Office decision

Some people have the right to work but can't prove it in the usual way, because they're waiting for a Home Office decision. This can happen if they applied to extend their permission before it ran out, or if they're waiting for an appeal or administrative review.

In these cases, the employer uses the Employer Checking Service (ECS) on gov.uk. You give the Home Office details of the person and their application, and it tells you whether they can work. If you get a positive answer, keep a copy of it, as it gives you a statutory excuse for a limited time, and you'll need to check again when that runs out.

If you're the worker, tell your employer as early as possible that you're waiting for a decision, and give them your application details. Don't wait until your old permission has expired.

Finding work you can do

If you're new to the UK, it helps to focus on roles where employers are short of staff, as they're more used to checking share codes and may be able to sponsor visas. See our list of jobs in demand in the UK, then use our visa sponsorship guide to check whether those roles can be sponsored, in jobs in the UK for foreigners.

Jobs that can sponsor a visa