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National Insurance number and eVisa share code – proving your right to work and rent in the UK

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

In the UK your immigration status is digital, your National Insurance number stays with you for life, and employers and landlords must check your status before you start. Here is how to get the number, use your eVisa and share code, and get through right to work and Right to Rent checks.

Woman filling in a form at a counter while a staff member looks on
Photo: Robert Kneschke/Adobe Stock

Proving what you may do in the UK has gone digital, and your National Insurance number is the other key you need from week one. BRPs (biometric residence permits), issued to people granted permission on or before 31 October 2024, have all expired. An expired BRP works for 24 months after its printed expiry date or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first – and only to sign in, get a share code, create a UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account or extend. From 1 October 2026, right to work checks also cover workers' contracts, sub-contractors and online matching platforms.

What is a National Insurance number, and do you already have one?

A National Insurance number has 2 letters, 6 numbers and a final letter – QQ123456B is the official example. It makes sure your National Insurance contributions and tax are recorded against your name only, and it stays the same for life.

Check before you apply. It may be shown with your eVisa in your UKVI account or on the back of a BRP. If you have worked or claimed benefits here before, look on payslips or a P60, in the HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs) app, your personal tax account or your Apple or Google Wallet. HMRC will not give it out by phone or webchat.

You can apply if you live in the UK, have the right to work and are working, looking for work or have a job offer. You do not need the number to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, and you can start work before it arrives, provided you can prove your right to work. Take Anna, an invented example on a Skilled Worker visa: if her eVisa shows a number, she gives it to her employer; if not, she applies online in her first week.

How do you apply for a National Insurance number?

You apply online, and only while you are in the UK. You prove your identity in the application, ideally by uploading a photo of yourself holding your passport plus photos of your ID. A passport from any country works, as does a national identity card from an EU country, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland. Without these, or if you cannot upload photos, it takes longer and you may need an appointment or to post photocopies.

StepWhatTiming
1Check your eVisa, BRP or old payslips for an existing numberBefore you apply
2Apply online and prove your identityOnce you are in the UK
3Wait for the numberUp to 4 weeks after proving your identity
4Call the helpline, with your application reference number readyIf you applied over 4 weeks ago, or have moved or changed details since
5Tell HMRC if your name or address changes laterWhenever it happens

Source: HMRC and the government guide Apply for a National Insurance number, read 23 September 2026.

The helpline, open Monday to Friday, is 0800 141 2079 for England, Scotland and Wales (8am to 5pm), 0800 141 2349 in Welsh (8am to 6pm) and 0800 587 0024 in Northern Ireland (9am to 4pm).

Your eVisa and UKVI account: how does a share code work?

An eVisa is a digital record of your identity, immigration status and its conditions, such as whether you may work. You see it in a free UKVI account. To create one you need a phone number, an email address and, for example, a valid passport and your visa application number (GWF or UAN); a smartphone app confirms your identity. If you ever applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, you already have an account – do not open a second one. Each dependant needs their own.

To prove your status, you generate a share code and give it to the employer, landlord or other checker with your date of birth. It lasts 90 days, can be reused until then, and you can get a new one at any time. You sign in with your passport, national identity card, biometric residence card, an expired BRP or your UKVI customer number.

Update the account whenever your passport, name, phone number, email or address changes. If you are also British or Irish, you do not need an eVisa. A lost or stolen BRP must still be reported, or you risk a fine of up to £1,000, and from 9 December 2026 expired BRPs no longer count as ID for EU Settlement Scheme applications. The UKVI Resolution Centre helps with account problems on 0300 790 6268, Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, weekends 9:30am to 4:30pm.

How do you prove your right to work in the UK?

Every employer must check your right to work before you start. If you are not British or Irish, you choose between a share code and eligible immigration documents, and the employer cannot reject you for choosing a document.

You areHow you prove itShare code?
BritishBritish passport, current or expired, or for example a UK birth certificate plus an official letter showing your National Insurance numberNot available
IrishIrish passport or passport card, current or expired, or for example an Irish birth certificate plus such a letterNot available
EU, EEA or Swiss with settled or pre-settled statusShare code, or eligible documentsYes
On a visa, such as Skilled Worker or StudentShare code, or eligible immigration documentsYes

Source: the Home Office, read 23 September 2026.

Employers check your original documents with you present, use the Home Office online check with your share code, or use a registered digital verification provider with facial recognition, for example for British and Irish passports. They can no longer accept biometric residence cards or permits, keep copies for 2 years after your job ends, and check again before time-limited permission expires.

Employers are strict for a reason: a civil penalty of up to £60,000 per illegal worker. Under the wider rules from 1 October 2026, an online matching platform counts as the 'employer' for the check, and penalties for these new arrangements apply only where the work starts on or after that date.

Right to Rent: the check that applies in England only

In England, landlords must check that every tenant aged 18 or over may legally rent before a new tenancy. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland you do not need to prove a right to rent. With time-limited permission, the check happens in the 28 days before the tenancy starts and is repeated at the end of your permission or 12 months later, whichever is later. Social housing, student accommodation, hostels and leases of 7 years or longer are exempt.

A landlord cannot insist on a share code if you can prove your right to rent with an accepted original document, and must check all tenants, not only those they think are not British. Without documents or a share code, the landlord uses the Home Office Landlord's Checking Service, which answers within 2 working days.

Right to workRight to Rent (England only)
Who checksYour employer; from 1 October 2026 also online matching platforms and those hiring sub-contractorsYour landlord
WhenBefore you start workBefore a new tenancy; within 28 days before it if your permission is time-limited
Your proofShare code or eligible documents – your choiceShare code or accepted original documents – your choice
Maximum fine for the checker£60,000 per illegal worker£20,000 per tenant

Source: the Home Office, read 23 September 2026.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Look for an existing National Insurance numberBefore you apply
2Apply for a National Insurance number onlineIn your first week in the UK
3Check your UKVI account and add your current passportBefore you travel, and after any change
4Generate a share code for your employerBefore your first day at work
5Generate a share code for your landlord (England only)Before you sign a tenancy
6Stop relying on an expired BRPBy 31 December 2026 at the latest
7Report a lost or stolen BRPStraight away

Source: the Home Office and HMRC, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.