UK eVisa Explained: What Dubai Travelers Need to Know Before Their Trip

A UK eVisa is not a file you download. It is an online record of your immigration status, linked to your passport, that you view by signing in to your free UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. UKVI stopped putting visa stickers in passports for new successful applicants on 1 July 2026, so a UAE resident approved for a UK visit visa now travels on an eVisa: you set up the UKVI account, make sure the passport you will travel on is linked, and the airline and UK Border Force check your status against it.

Last checked 24 September 2026 against GOV.UK. Reviewed by the Visa Doctor documentation team, Dubai.

What a UK eVisa is, and what it is not

GOV.UK describes an eVisa as a digital record of your identity and immigration status, for example the type of visa you have, and the conditions attached to it, such as whether you may work or study. You get one whenever you successfully apply for a visa or other permission to be in the UK. It has replaced physical immigration documents.

If you do not know whether your nationality needs a visa or an ETA, see which nationalities need a UK visa and, for Gulf passport holders, UK ETA or visa for GCC nationals.

What happens between your application and your eVisa

1. You apply online and attend the visa application centre in the UAE. You give fingerprints and a photo. For visit visas your passport is returned the same day.
2. You get a decision by email. For a Standard Visitor visa this is usually within 3 weeks. The email explains what to do next.
3. You may be issued a form for accompanying an eVisa (FAV). If so, UKVI says you will usually need to return to the centre to collect it. When linked to your eVisa, it allows you to travel to the UK.
4. You set up or sign in to your UKVI account and link it to your eVisa.
5. You check the details: name, date of birth, nationality, visa type, dates and conditions.
6. You travel with the passport linked to the account.

How to set up your UKVI account, step by step

Setting up the account and viewing your eVisa is free. Before you start, check whether you already have an account: you do if you used the UK Immigration: ID Check app when applying, created an account when applying and got a confirmation email, replaced a BRP or BRC with an eVisa, or applied to the EU Settlement Scheme. Do not create a second account.

What you need

• A mobile phone number and an email address you can use every time you sign in.
• Your valid passport and your visa application number: the GWF (global web form) number or UAN (unique application number) from your application emails.
• Or your passport and BRP number, if you had one. An expired BRP can be used for 24 months after its printed expiry date or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.
• A smartphone to install the app that confirms your identity. If you have no suitable passport or cannot use the app, GOV.UK offers another way to confirm your identity.

The steps

1. Go to the GOV.UK page to create a UKVI account and enter your details.
2. Confirm your identity with the UK Immigration: ID Check app on your smartphone, following its on-screen instructions.
3. Link your account to your eVisa. You cannot access the eVisa until it is linked.
4. Sign in to view your eVisa with your passport or other identity document plus a code sent to your phone or email.
5. Check every detail. If something is wrong, report an error (see below) before you travel.

A parent can set up and manage the account for a child, using the parent’s own phone number and email. When the child turns 18, update the account with their own contact details.

If you already have a sticker or a BRP

• Visa sticker (vignette): it remains valid until it expires. You can choose whether to access an eVisa as well; it is not compulsory while the sticker is valid.
• Expired biometric residence permit: you can still use it to create a UKVI account for 24 months after its printed expiry date or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.
• Biometric residence card: GOV.UK says you may still be able to use it in some situations, and a valid or expired card can be used to sign in.
• Home Office travel documents: since 11 March 2026 these are automatically linked to UKVI accounts, but you still need to carry the physical document.

Helping a parent or relative with their eVisa

Many UAE families manage UK visas for elderly parents. GOV.UK allows you to help someone else create their account and to manage it if you act on their behalf, for example for your child or under a power of attorney. Use your own phone number and email when you create it so you can sign in. When the person can manage their own account, or a child turns 18, change the contact details to theirs. You cannot use an account you only accessed because you helped someone apply for a visa to update their details; they need to do that themselves.

Share codes: how to prove your status

A share code lets someone else check your status online without you showing them the eVisa. They will also need your date of birth.

• A share code lasts 90 days and can be used as many times as needed before it expires.
• You can get a new one whenever you need it.
• You choose the purpose, for example to prove your status for travel, to an employer or to a landlord, and you are told what personal details the other person will see.
• If your name or nationality has changed, or your photo no longer looks like you, update your UKVI account before generating a code.

Travelling from the UAE with an eVisa

GOV.UK says your eVisa is checked when you enter and leave the UK, by a Border Force officer or at the eGates, and when you check in with your carrier to travel to the UK. Your carrier may not let you board if your details are wrong.

Before you go to the airport

• Make sure the passport you will travel on is added to your UKVI account. You can add more than one passport.
• Check that your eVisa shows the right status and dates.
• Make sure your details exactly match the passenger information you give the airline.
• Generate a travel share code in advance. It is valid for 90 days, so one code can cover a round trip. Save it with a screenshot of your status in case you lose signal, remembering that screenshots are not official documents.
• If you have a physical document that proves your status, such as a certificate of entitlement, you may carry it as extra proof.

At check-in and at the border

Present the passport linked to your account. The airline checks your status electronically and may ask for a share code. If the carrier cannot check your eVisa, ask it to contact the UK Border Force carrier support hub, which GOV.UK names for exactly this situation.

Dual nationals

Add the passport you will travel on. If one of your nationalities is British or Irish, you do not need an eVisa and must travel on your British or Irish passport, or a passport with a certificate of entitlement.

Renewing your passport? Update your account first

The most common eVisa problem for UAE residents is renewing a passport and forgetting that the eVisa is linked to the old number. Update your UKVI account with the new passport before you book travel.

• You can update your passport or travel document, name, phone number, email and addresses in your UKVI account.
• With a biometric passport you can update passport details, name and nationality yourself, even from outside the UK. With a non-biometric passport you can only update the passport number and expiry date yourself.
• Other changes need UKVI to update the account for you, and you may be asked to give fingerprints and a photo at a visa application centre.
• You cannot change your name or passport while you are waiting for a visa decision.

Indian passport holders renewing in the UAE may also want to read how a passport renewal affects existing visas.

Common problems and what fixes them

For other questions, GOV.UK offers a UKVI webchat and eVisa support videos. When reporting an error you will need a contact email, your name, date of birth and nationality, and one reference such as your passport number, GWF or UAN.

Timeline for a UAE resident travelling on a new UK visit visa

How Visa Doctor helps

We guide UAE-based applicants through the whole UK visa process, from the online form and appointment to setting up and checking the UKVI account and eVisa, so the switch from stickers to digital status does not catch you out at the airport. The visa decision belongs to UK Visas and Immigration. See our UK visa service, our guide for Indian passport holders, and who we are, or WhatsApp us.

Still waiting for the decision? See our guide to UK visa tracking from the UAE.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and official references

Checked 24 September 2026.

• GOV.UK: eVisas, what an eVisa is
• GOV.UK: Set up a UKVI account to access your eVisa
• GOV.UK: View your eVisa and get a share code
• GOV.UK: Travel with your eVisa
• GOV.UK: Update your details in your UKVI account
• GOV.UK: Report an error with your eVisa
• UKVI: Updates on the move to eVisas
• GOV.UK: Apply for a Standard Visitor visa