Cannot sign in to UKVI: what to do

To sign in, you need details linked to your account: this may be a passport, national ID card, BRP/BRC or UKVI customer number. Your new passport number may not work if you have not added it yet. Check your old UKVI letter and the document used to create the account.

If you have lost access to your phone or email, use Recover your UKVI account. Have your personal and document details ready and follow the checks the service offers. Do not send these details to the Svoi chat. If the message with the code has not arrived, check the selected contact, your spam folder and your network connection.

We do not promise recovery in 10–15 minutes: the process depends on the information and verification methods available. If the official process does not help, contact UKVI; do not buy “fast-track access” from an unknown intermediary.

• Recover your UKVI account
• UKVI help

Open the official recovery service even if you have lost access to both contacts, and follow the available identity verification process. If you cannot complete it, contact UKVI through an official channel. Do not share documents with people who contacted you first after you complained in a group chat.

When contacting UKVI, explain which contacts you cannot access and which document you used. Passport details and any GWF/UAN application numbers or UKVI customer number are useful. Note the date you contacted them and the reference number you receive so you can follow up on the same request.

Ask them to explain the next steps and whether language support is available. Before contacting them, check GOV.UK for opening hours, call charges and available channels; previous telephone menus may change.

I cannot access the email address or phone number linked to my UKVI account. Please help me recover access.

• Official UKVI contact options
• Webchat UKVI

If you can sign in but your eVisa shows incorrect details, will not open because of a technical error or will not let you get a share code, use Report an error with your eVisa. This is a different process from recovering access or adding a new passport.

To report the error, have ready a contact email or UK postal address, your name, date of birth, nationality and one of the requested document or application numbers. If you are reporting an error in your name, date of birth or nationality, GOV.UK asks you to enter them as they appear in your eVisa.

UKVI says it aims to correct most errors within 5 working days; complex cases may take up to 15, and an email is sent if it takes longer or more information is requested. This applies to the eVisa correction service; it is not a promise to recover any account before your flight or shift.

• Report an error with your eVisa

If you can sign in and have changed your email, phone number, address or passport, use Update your UKVI account. This is not an application for a new visa. After the change, check that the record matches your valid document and contact details.

You cannot change your name or passport through this service while waiting for a decision on a visa application. For travel from abroad, the rules for changing your name and other details also depend on whether you have a biometric passport: see the separate guide.

• Update your details
• New passport and travel

First, check your emails: an account may have been created when you applied for a visa, used UK Immigration: ID Check or previously switched from a BRP. If you already have a UKVI account, use it. If not, open Set up a UKVI account.

You need an email and phone for access, as well as available documents or application numbers as described in the service instructions. Creating an account is not the final step: you need to verify your identity and link your eVisa. GOV.UK provides another verification method for people without a suitable document or the ability to use the app.

• Official account creation and linking
• If you still have an old BRP

Do not keep creating new accounts every time you have a sign-in error. GOV.UK explicitly asks you not to create another one if a UKVI account already exists. Keep the emails for both accounts and ask UKVI to explain which one to use.

We do not promise an automatic merge, a specific timescale or that you will inevitably be blocked. UKVI corrects the individual record after checking it; a new account does not in itself correct an incorrect status.

• UKVI help

You can ask someone you trust to help read the instructions or open the official service alongside you. Where possible, keep access to your own email and phone and enter one-time codes yourself. Help with reading does not require handing over control of your account.

Official videos explain account creation, updates and recovery. If you do not have a suitable phone or document, or it is unclear how you can complete verification, ask UKVI for an available option. Do not assume you have lost your status just because of a technical difficulty.

• UKVI videos
• Contact UKVI

Keep your reference number and tell your employer or scheme operator about the problem with proving your status. For technical problems with Right to Work, an employer can make a request to the Employer Checking Service; this is not permission to work without a check. For travel, check the requirements and your passport in advance.

Recovering access does not extend your visa and does not in itself correct errors in the conditions of your status. If the question concerns your right to stay or work, you need a regulated adviser, not a promise from technical support.

• Employers and technical errors
• Travel with an eVisa
• Regulated advice