UK visa granted without a vignette: what the eVisa-only system means before travel

UKVI stopped issuing all visa vignettes to successful new applicants from 1 July 2026. A person granted permission to come to the UK will now ordinarily receive an eVisa: a digital record of identity, immigration status and the conditions attached to that status.

The change applies to new grants. It does not invalidate a vignette issued earlier. The Home Office confirms that an existing vignette remains valid until the date shown on it.

Applicants should therefore distinguish between two situations. A passport returned without a new sticker after a successful application may reflect the new system. A passport containing an unexpired vignette can still be used within its validity. Neither conclusion should be assumed without checking the decision and the digital record.

The decision communicates the outcome of the application. The eVisa records the person’s identity, immigration status and conditions. Before travel, the applicant should sign in to the UKVI account, open the eVisa and check the route, validity dates and personal details against the decision and passport.

That comparison matters. A positive decision does not make an incorrect date, identity mismatch or inaccessible account harmless. Those defects can affect the carrier’s ability to recognise the permission and may also create difficulties when the holder later needs to prove a right to work or rent.

The disciplined approach is to treat the decision, eVisa and passport as one record. If they do not align, the difference should be resolved rather than carried into the journey.

The practical decision may be made at check-in. Airlines and other carriers are required to establish that a passenger has the digital permission or other valid documentation needed for the journey. An unresolved account or passport problem can therefore become a boarding problem before the person reaches the UK border.

An eVisa should not be confused with an Electronic Travel Authorisation. An eVisa records immigration status following a grant of permission. An ETA is advance permission to travel for eligible non-visa nationals who do not already hold another form of UK immigration permission. A person should not apply for an ETA merely because the new visa is not represented by a passport sticker.

Travel readiness is best tested while there is time to correct the record: access the account, inspect the eVisa, confirm the linked passport and retain the decision communication and any relevant digital evidence for the journey.

Where a person did not apply with an acceptable identity document, the Home Office may issue a Form for Accompanying an eVisa, commonly shortened to FAV, as well as the eVisa. The form is linked to the digital status and allows the holder to travel to the UK.

The FAV is not the old visa vignette under another name. It is an accompanying document used in a narrower set of circumstances. The Home Office states that a person issued with one will usually need to return to the visa application centre to collect it before travelling.

An applicant should follow the specific collection instruction given in the case. A person told that a FAV is required should not assume that the eVisa alone is sufficient for the first journey.

Employers and sponsors should not treat a blank passport as evidence that permission has not been granted. Equally, a decision email should not replace the prescribed right-to-work process. The employer should complete the applicable online check and confirm the permission, expiry date and work conditions shown by the Home Office service.

For a sponsored worker, the immigration record should also be reconciled with the Certificate of Sponsorship, intended start date, role and sponsor records. If digital access or travel disruption affects the proposed start, the sponsor should consider the relevant reporting and record-keeping duties on the actual facts rather than relying on the former vignette process.

The digital system changes the evidence seen by the business. It does not reduce the sponsor’s obligation to know who is working, on what permission and within which conditions.

Different problems require different services. A changed passport, contact detail or personal detail is ordinarily managed through the UKVI account update service. An eVisa showing the wrong status, date of birth or other immigration information should be reported through the eVisa error service.

The Home Office states that it aims to fix most reported eVisa issues within five working days, with complex cases potentially taking longer. That target should not be treated as a guarantee or as a substitute for allowing sufficient time before travel.

Where both the eVisa and an accompanying form are wrong, or where the account cannot be recovered, the appropriate UKVI support route should be used. The important point is diagnostic: identify whether the defect concerns access, identity information, the passport linked to the account, the immigration grant or the accompanying travel document. Then use the process designed for that problem.