Find out how to prove your right to work in the UK to an employer. Get an online share code to prove your right to work if you’re eligible or check what documents you can use instead.
You’ll need to prove your right to work in the UK to your employer before you start working for them.
How you do this depends on your nationality and what kind of permission you have to work in the UK.
If you’re a British or Irish citizen, you can prove your right to work in the UK with either of the following:
Your British or Irish passport or passport card can be current or expired.
If you do not have a passport or passport card, you can prove your right to work with one of the following:
You must also give your employer an official letter or document from a previous employer or a government agency.
For example, you could use a letter from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland.
The letter must show your name and National Insurance number.
If you have a passport or passport card, you may be able to use an online identity service provider (IDSP) to prove your right to work. Ask your employer if they offer this.
If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, you can prove your right to work with:
You can choose which option you use. Your employer cannot reject your application because you gave them an eligible immigration document instead of a share code, for example.
People with the right of abode are:
You can use a certificate of entitlement to prove your right to work, if you have one. This can be:
If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, your employer can check if you can work with the employer checking service.
If you’re a Commonwealth citizen, you may be able to get documents to show that you can work in the UK through the Windrush Scheme.
You can get a share code to prove your right to work in the UK if :
You cannot get a share code if your certificate of entitlement is a vignette sticker in your passport. You can apply for a digital certificate of entitlement, which you can use to get a share code to prove your right to work.
Your employer can use the share code to check:
There is a different way to prove your right to work if you’re a British or Irish citizen.
You can use this service to get a share code if you have:
You’ll have a UKVI account if you’ve ever:
If you cannot use the service, you can prove your right to work with your original immigration documents.
If you’re an employer, there’s a different way to view a job applicant’s details after you’ve been given a share code.
You’ll need one of the following:
If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, you can usually prove your right to work in the UK with one of the following:
a current passport with a Home Office ‘endorsement’ in it
an immigration status document
an application registration card
There may be other documents you can use if you:
are waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application
were given settled or pre-settled status in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
You can use your passport to prove your right to work in the UK if it has a Home Office ‘endorsement’ in it - for example, a stamp or a vignette (a sticker).
Your passport must be current. You cannot use it if it has expired.
The endorsement should show one of the following:
you have indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain in the UK
there’s no time limit to your stay in the UK
you can live in the UK and work - either any work or the type of work you’re applying to do
you have a vignette sticker certificate of entitlement to the right of abode in your current passport
you’re exempt from immigration control - for example, you’re a diplomat
You’ll have an immigration status document if both of the following apply to you:
you do not have a UKVI account
you could not get an endorsement in your passport when you were given permission to stay in the UK
For example, you might have an immigration status document if you’re a refugee or have been granted humanitarian protection or discretionary leave.
Your immigration status document must be current.
You must also give your employer an official letter or document from a previous employer or a government agency. The letter must show your name and National Insurance number.
For example, you could use a letter from HM Revenue and Customs, Department for Work and Pensions or the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland.
You’ll have an application registration card if you’re waiting for a decision on an asylum application. Your application could be to get asylum yourself or as a relative of someone who’s applying for asylum.
Your application registration card must say you have permission to work in the UK - it should say ‘Work permitted’.
You’ll need to show the card to your employer. They’ll use this to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
You can get a share code to prove your right to work.
You can also use a physical certificate of application from the Home Office to prove your right to work if you have one.
You’ll need to show your certificate to your employer who will use it to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
You can prove your right to work with the letter or email you were sent to confirm you have settled or pre-settled status. Your employer can use this to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
You can get a share code to prove your right to work if you have:
If you do not have an expired BRP or a UKVI account yet, you can use your passport with an ‘endorsement’ stamp or vignette sticker in.
If you do not have a passport, you can give your employer an entry clearance vignette sticker attached to a ‘Form for Affixing the Visa’ (FAV). They’ll use it to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
If you have a current Frontier Worker permit you can get a share code to prove your right to work online.
If you do not have a current Frontier Worker permit, you’ll need to prove to your employer that you:
are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
live outside the UK
started working in the UK (while living elsewhere) by 31 December 2020
have worked in the UK at least once every 12 months since you started working here
You can use the following types of documents to prove this:
your passport or national identity card
a utility bill or bank statement that proves your current address is outside the UK
utility bills or bank statements that prove you were also living outside the UK when you worked here before
a signed and dated job contract that says you must work in the UK
letters from employers saying how frequently you need to travel to the UK for work
tax returns from HMRC showing you’re self-employed in the UK
bank statements or invoices that show payments for work you’ve done in the UK
You’ll need to use as many of these documents as it takes to prove you meet all the eligibility rules.
Your employer will use the documents you give them to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
You can work for 6 months from the date your employer checked your documents with the Home Office. They’ll then have to check again, and may ask you for documents to help.
You’ll need to also prove one of the following to your employer:
you were involuntarily unemployed - for example, you were fired or made redundant
you were temporarily unable to work because of illness or an accident
you were temporarily unable to work following pregnancy or childbirth
you stopped working to start vocational training related to your previous work
You may be able to get a share code.
Your employer can contact the Home Office to check if you can work.