E-Visas To Replace All Physical Travel Documents: UK Govt's Push To Digitise Immigration

In a swift push to digitise immigration, the United Kingdom is preparing to phase out all physical visa documents and completely shift over to e-visas, beginning Feb. 25, 2026.

Every visa holder's status will be linked to their passport through an online UKVI account, the authorities have said, adding that the changes will modernise borders, improve security, and streamline travel. 

Reports suggest that the UK government has been testing this approach for many years now and believes that a digital system will not only reduce administrative delays but will also curtail the loss of documents. The process of visiting the country will be significantly simpler, the authorities maintained. 

What Does It Mean? 

Simply put, this move by the UK government will be the end of visa vignette stickers, as well as other physical proofs of status. Here are some of the points you should know about how things will change moving forward. 

The UK government will no longer issue physical documents such as the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), the Biometric Residence Card (BRC), and paper stamps.

Visa stickers will be completely phased out by the end of 2026. 

People holding physical documents will be seamlessly shifted to digital ones, without re-applying for a visa. 

The government in the UK are banking on the new e-visa system to prevent fraud, reduce errors, speed up verification at airports, even as the risk of damage to or loss of documents is minimised.

The digitisation of the travel process will also improve security, with instant airport checks, lesser waiting times at immigration (given the process will be faster), and a simple yet effective way of immigration sharing status.

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