What is an eVisa?
From 2025, the UK has a fully digital immigration system. This means that all students will receive their Student visa as an online record called an eVisa. This is electronic proof of your immigration status in the UK and the conditions attached to it.
You will not receive a physical document as evidence of your full Student visa. Those who applied for their visa prior to 15 July 2025 may have received a 90-day entry vignette (sticker) in their passport but this does not reflect the full visa.
How to access your eVisa
You should access your eVisa via your UKVI account once you receive notification from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that your visa has been granted.
If you applied for your visa from outside the UK, you will first need to set up your UKVI account. Ensure you do this before you travel to the UK.
If you are an EEA or Swiss national, or were eligible to apply for your Student visa from inside the UK, you will likely have already set up a UKVI account when you applied for your visa.
Checking your eVisa
It is important that you check the details on your eVisa are correct.
Your eVisa will confirm the full duration of your immigration permission. The expiry date should cover the duration of your course, as stated by the course end date on your CAS used to support your Student visa application, plus:
- four months for undergraduate and PhD courses;
- two months for Masters courses of less than 12 months;
- four months for Masters courses lasting 12 months or more;
- two months for other courses lasting less than 12 months, e.g. exchange students.
You should also check:
- your personal details
- that your visa status is ‘Student’
- that your work conditions allow you to work up to 20 hours a week during term-term (though note the University’s expectations around work and study).
If you identify an error, contact the International Student Office for further guidance at international.students@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Sharing evidence of your eVisa
You will be able to share your online immigration status with third parties by generating a share code. A share code is a 9-character code that you can provide to others so they can check your status online. Each share code is valid for 90 days and you can generate a new share code whenever you need one.
Your College will ask you to provide a share code as part of their passport and visa checks prior to starting your studies. They will send you communication with further instructions before you start your course. The share code for your College to verify your status for study purposes should begin with ‘S’.
You may also need to provide a share code to verify your immigration permission for other purposes, for example to a landlord if you are renting private accommodation or to an employer (though note the University’s expectations around work and study). Share codes for these purposes will begin with ‘R’ or ‘W’ respectively.
Travelling to the UK
You will be able to travel and enter the UK based on your eVisa and passport.
Before travelling, ensure:
- you have set up access to your eVisa;
- your current travel document is linked to your UKVI account
- your arrival date will be on or after the ‘valid from’ date on your eVisa.
Your carrier should be able to check your eVisa directly but may also ask for a share code.
If you have been issued an entry vignette (applications made overseas prior to 15 July), you will also be able to show this.
Updating your eVisa
Ensure you update your UKVI account whenever your personal details or identity documents change.