Verified against official sources — 30 Oct 2026

Arriving in the UK on a Student Visa: eVisa, When You Can Travel and Your First Weeks

NEW Published 30 October 2026

Illustration of a student arriving at an airport gate holding a phone showing a digital pass

The arrival windows GOV.UK sets, setting up your UKVI account and eVisa, travelling on a digital status, share codes for work and renting, and keeping your details current.

Approval is not the end of the process; it is the start of a digital one. A successful UK Student visa application now produces an eVisa — a digital record, not a sticker or a card — and the practical work of your first weeks is account work: create your UKVI account, link your passport to it, learn to prove your status with a share code, and arrive inside the travel window GOV.UK sets. This checklist works through it in order. Tick items off — your ticks are saved only in your own browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.

Quick answer

You can arrive up to 1 month before your course starts if it lasts more than 6 months, or up to 1 week before if it lasts 6 months or less — but you must not travel to the UK before the start date given on your visa, no matter when your course starts. If your application is successful you get an eVisa: create a UKVI account to access it, add the passport you will travel with, and check your details are correct before you travel — your carrier may not let you travel if they are wrong. To prove your status for a job or a home, get a share code from your eVisa; a share code lasts 90 days.

How to read this checklist

Every item below carries one label. RULE means GOV.UK states it. ADVICE means an AllVisaUpdates preparation tip; no official source requires it. The arrival rules are short, but two of them — the visa start date and your passport being linked to your eVisa — can stop a journey outright, so they are worth the care this ordering gives them.

SECTION 01When You Can Travel

RULE — Arrive no earlier than your window. Up to 1 month before your course starts if the course lasts more than 6 months; up to 1 week before if it lasts 6 months or less.
RULE — Never before the start date on your visa. GOV.UK's words override all other planning: you must not travel to the UK before the start date given on your visa, no matter when your course starts.
ADVICE — Book travel against the visa start date, not the course date. Flights booked to the pre-course window are wasted if your visa's own start date is later. Wait for the decision, read its dates, then book.

SECTION 02Setting Up Your eVisa and UKVI Account

RULE — You get an eVisa when your application succeeds. It is a digital record of your identity and immigration status and of your conditions — for example, whether you are allowed to work or study. eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents.
RULE — You need a UKVI account to access your eVisa. Your decision email or letter will tell you how to get access. Setting up the account and accessing the eVisa is free. If you used the ID Check app or created an account while applying, you may already have one — do not create a second account if you already have one.
RULE — Confirm your identity and link your account to your eVisa. You cannot access your eVisa until you complete these steps. Access is usually available straight away once linked, but can take up to 24 hours.
RULE — Each dependant needs their own UKVI account. A partner or child joining you accesses their own eVisa through their own account.
ADVICE — Set the account up before you travel, not at the airport. The 24-hour linking window and identity confirmation are home tasks; the airport is where you discover problems, not where you fix them.

SECTION 03Travelling on a Digital Status

RULE — Add the passport you will travel with to your UKVI account. You must travel with a valid passport or travel document that you have added to your account; your eVisa will be checked when you check in with your carrier and when you leave and enter the UK.
RULE — Check your details before you travel. Your UKVI account must hold your correct personal details and current passport, and your eVisa must show the right immigration status, matching the passenger information you give your carrier. GOV.UK warns your carrier may not let you travel if your details are wrong, and you may be delayed at the border.
RULE — A share code can prove your status to a carrier or border official. A travel share code is valid for 90 days and can be used more than once — you can get one before you travel. If you also hold a physical document proving your status, you may carry it as additional proof.
RULE — Update your account if your details change abroad. If your passport or personal details change while you are outside the UK, you must update your UKVI account (or ask UKVI to) before returning — with a biometric passport you can update passport details, name and nationality yourself.

SECTION 04Your First Weeks: Proving Status and Keeping Details Current

RULE — Prove your status with a share code. For a new job or renting a home, view your eVisa and get a share code; the person checking it sees some of your personal details and will need your date of birth. A share code lasts 90 days, and you can get a new one whenever you need one.
RULE — Report an error on your eVisa. If your eVisa is wrong — GOV.UK's examples are a wrong date of birth or immigration status — or you cannot use it to get a share code, report the error to UKVI.
RULE — Keep your UKVI account details up to date. Update it if you change your passport or travel document, name, mobile number, email address, home or postal address. UKVI uses these details to contact you, and stale details can delay travel or decisions.
RULE — Know your conditions before you work. Your eVisa shows the conditions of your status. GOV.UK's Student pages state you may be able to work — how much depends on what you are studying and whether you are in or out of term-time — and that you cannot claim public funds, work as a professional sportsperson or coach, or be self-employed. Read your own conditions before accepting any job.
ADVICE — Save your decision letter and CAS reference with your passport details. You will need the CAS number again for a Graduate visa application years from now; keep the set together from day one.

SECTION 05What This Checklist Cannot Tell You

Three honest limits. First, enrolment, attendance and course obligations are your sponsor's domain — GOV.UK's visa pages govern your status, not your university's registration deadlines, and your visa's conditions assume you are studying the course your CAS was issued for. Second, this checklist states no working-hours figure, because GOV.UK's Student pages publish none that applies to everyone: your conditions, shown on your eVisa, are your authority. Third, border officers can ask questions on arrival as in any system — carry your key facts (course, sponsor, address, start date) accessibly, and answer from your real circumstances.

FAQFrequently Asked Questions

Will I get a visa sticker in my passport?

Your status is an eVisa — a digital record — accessed through a UKVI account. GOV.UK confirms eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents; a vignette, if you have one from the application process, remains valid until it expires, but your status lives online.

My course starts 1 October and lasts a year. When is the earliest I can arrive?

Up to 1 month before the course — but never before the start date given on your visa. The visa's start date wins if the two differ.

How do I prove I can work or rent?

View your eVisa and get a share code. The employer or landlord uses the code, with your date of birth, to see your status. A share code lasts 90 days and can be regenerated whenever needed.

I renewed my passport after my visa was granted. What must I do?

Update your UKVI account with the new passport before you travel — you must travel with a passport that is added to your account, and your details must match what you give your carrier.

Where do my ticks on this page go?

Nowhere. The ticks are stored only in your own browser on this device, so the checklist remembers your progress. Nothing is sent to AllVisaUpdates, UKVI, or anyone else.

Disclaimer

General information only. This guide is based on official sources publicly available and checked on the date shown on this page. Visa rules change, and consular and USCIS officers decide every case on its own facts — nothing here is a confirmation or a guarantee for your individual case, and this is not legal advice. Always confirm the current requirement on the official page linked in this guide before you act, and consider a qualified immigration attorney for your specific situation.

Editorial note: This AllVisaUpdates checklist is general educational information — not legal advice. RULE items come from the official sources below, checked on 30 October 2026; ADVICE items are AllVisaUpdates guidance. The eVisa system is now the default for UK status — if anything in your account looks wrong, use GOV.UK's own help and webchat routes rather than third-party fixers.

Official references and verification status

These official references were accessed and checked on 30 October 2026, and this checklist's RULE items were verified claim-by-claim against them (record in the accompanying sources file). One honest limit: carrier practice in checking eVisas varies by airline and airport — GOV.UK's instruction is to have your account, passport link and details correct before travel, and that instruction, not any airline's habit, is what this checklist follows.

General educational information, not individualized legal advice. Follow official instructions and consult a qualified UK immigration adviser regulated in the UK for case-specific questions.