UK eVisa passport update: what to check before travelling

A UK eVisa passport update keeps the travel document in an existing UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account current when a passport changes. Under the standing UKVI update guidance, account holders should update changed passport details, but cannot change their name or travel document while waiting for a visa application decision.

This guide covers existing eVisa holders preparing to travel, including people whose documents change while they are outside the UK. Last checked: 27 October 2026.

When an eVisa passport update is needed

UKVI says to update an account after changes to a passport, name, telephone number, email or home address. The service also allows another passport to be added. It changes the account record; it cannot amend details in a visa or citizenship application.

For a name, date of birth or nationality change, the update guidance requires an identity document proving the change. Someone who helped with a visa application cannot use that one-off access to update another person’s account: the account holder must make the update.

Separate the tasks before starting. A replacement passport belongs in the account-update process. An incorrect immigration status belongs in the error-reporting process. Trouble identifying the account’s sign-in document belongs in account recovery.

Check the sign-in details before opening the service

The eVisa viewing guidance lists several possible sign-in documents: a passport, national identity card, biometric residence card, expired biometric residence permit or UKVI customer number. Access to the account’s sign-in telephone number or email address is also required.

The official sign-in screen says to use the most recent identity document added to the account. Having a newly issued passport in hand and having already added it to UKVI are separate stages, so check which document the account currently uses.

For lost access, the account recovery service can reset sign-in contact details or help identify the document or customer number used. The reset route asks for the existing sign-in document, date of birth and access to a new telephone number and email address.

Someone who wants to take over an account previously managed by another person can use that recovery route too. UKVI says recovery can still be attempted without all the listed information. Follow the recovery questions to find the available help.

What changes when you are outside the UK

The official travel guidance distinguishes biometric and non-biometric passports. With a biometric passport, an account holder abroad can update the passport number and expiry date, name and nationality themselves. Other personal-detail changes require UKVI’s assistance.

With a non-biometric passport, the self-service changes available abroad cover the passport number and expiry date. Other personal changes require the assisted route. UKVI may ask for fingerprints and a photograph at a visa application centre.

Before travelling, the valid passport used for the journey must be added to the account. Personal details must also match the passenger information supplied to the carrier exactly. UKVI warns that incorrect details can cause boarding refusal or delays at the border.

For an onward flight to Canada, use the separate Canada eTA guide when checking that authorisation’s passport link.

What to do next

1. Identify the right account. If the sign-in document is unknown, or both sign-in contact methods are inaccessible, start with UKVI account recovery. Restore access before attempting the passport change.
2. Update the travel document. Use the official update service. If a visa decision is pending, check the restriction in the UKVI update instructions before proceeding.
3. Use the appropriate overseas route. If the change requires UKVI’s help while abroad, open the assisted update form. After choosing a language, select the option covering personal details or documents on a UKVI account.
4. Inspect the immigration record. Open the eVisa viewing service and check the displayed identity and status. It also supplies a travel share code if additional proof is requested; codes last 90 days and can be reused within that period.
5. Report an incorrect record. Use the eVisa error form for wrong status or details, or an eVisa that can be viewed but cannot generate a share code. Keep the problem separate from a routine passport replacement.

How error reports are handled

UKVI’s error correction guidance aims to resolve most reported errors within five working days, with complex cases taking up to 15 working days.

For an eVisa newly linked to an account, UKVI says access can take up to 24 hours. Report the problem if it remains invisible after that period, or if signing in produces a technical error. The error service asks for contact details, identity information and a document or application reference.

What we don’t know yet

The update guidance gives no fixed completion time for an ordinary passport change. The error-correction targets apply to reported errors, so they cannot establish when a passport update will finish.

If a carrier cannot check the UK eVisa at departure, UKVI’s travel instructions say to ask the carrier to contact the UK Border Force carrier support hub.

Sources

• GOV.UK: UKVI account updates
• GOV.UK: eVisa travel guidance
• GOV.UK: Viewing immigration status
• Home Office: UKVI account recovery
• GOV.UK: eVisa error reporting