Great Britain moves to digital visas: new biometric applicants and UKVI accounts for eVisa

The UK has unveiled a major update to its e-visa system and, from April 2024, is encouraging anyone holding biometric residence permit (BRP) cards to switch to a UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account.

And recently, in a statement, the government said it intends to phase out the use of physical documents to speed up the transition to a digital immigration process. In other words, foreign nationals who have physical and paper documents can create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. Creating a UKVI account is a completely free and fairly simple process, it does not change or affect applicants' current immigration status or rights in the UK in any way.

Electronic eVisa documents bring significant benefits and, unlike conventional documents, cannot be lost, stolen or tampered with. They can be accessed anytime and anywhere, allowing foreign nationals to control their own data and update it promptly.

It is worth noting that only those who have been granted permission to enter the UK for more than 6 months for the purpose of work or study and who have a biometric residence card can create a UKVI online account to access their eVisa. Other categories of applicants, including those intending to visit the country for less than six months for tourism purposes, do not need to create a UKVI account.

Other aspects of the visa process remain the same and physical documents such as BRP cards will remain valid until the end of the year. Current BRP card holders should continue to use their physical documents until they expire and create UKVI accounts to access the e-visa.

Stay tuned to Buch-Dein-Visum.de to stay up-to-date on visa policy changes and get up-to-date travel planning advice.