New to the UK > How to prove your right to work in the UK

How to prove your right to work in the UK

Wollit Team3 minute read · Updated 28th July 2024

To prove your right to work in the UK, you need to show very specific documents to your employer based on your nationality and immigration status. Here is how the process looks and how your right to work relates to your credit score and ability to get loans and mortgages.

How do I prove my right to work in the UK?

Being asked to prove your right to work is often a part of the checklist when being interviewed for a job. The employer is not being racist or anything if they ask you to prove it – it’s just a requirement.

This is how you can prove it.

If you’re a British or Irish citizen:

Just show your British or Irish passport to your employer. Expired passports are completely acceptable.
If you don’t have a passport, you can use a UK birth of adoption certificate, or even a letter from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that has your name and National Insurance number.

Things are a bit more complicated if you’re not a citizen of UK or Ireland:

If you have a biometric residence permit or have used the UK Immigration, you can generate a share code online. This code allows your employer to check your work eligibility online and quickly.
If you cannot get a share code, you can also present your original immigration documents that show your right to work.
If you are a Commonwealth citizen, you may also be eligible for a share code or can use your valid passport with the right of abode stamp.

How do I get a share code to prove my right to work?

Getting a share code is the most straightforward way to prove your right to work in the UK. Here is how to get one:

If you have a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account:

Log into your UKVI account using the ID you used for your visa application.
A 6-digit code will be sent to your phone or email to verify your identity.
Once logged in, you can view your immigration status and create a share code
Give this to your prospective employer along with your date of birth.
They can then simply view this online.

If you have a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or card:

Go to the GOV.UK website and click "Start Now" on the right to work share code page;
Select that you have a biometric residence card or permit;
Enter your document number and date of birth;
You will then be shown your right to work share code;
You can either send the code to your employer's email or copy it to provide to them.

Keep in mind that a share code is valid for 90 days. Also, each time you need to prove your right to work, you will need to generate a new code.

Do I also need to pass a credit check when applying for a job?

In most cases, no. However, for certain jobs and in certain sectors, you might also have to pass a credit check.

Here are some examples:

Jobs in the financial services sector, such as banking, investment, and insurance, often require credit checks due to the sensitive nature of the work and access to client data and money.
Law firms may for some roles be required by law to run credit checks on candidates.
And credit checks are becoming more common in other industries as well, such as in healthcare and engineering. A poor credit score may raise concerns about your reliability and trustworthiness.

This is why it’s important to work on your credit score – credit checks are increasingly being used for more than just applying for loans. For example, letting agencies use them when deciding whether to accept you as a tenant. A bad credit score might even mean you can’t get a mobile phone contract.

One of the ways to improve your score is to download a credit-building app like Wollit.

Wollit works by reporting a fixed fee monthly subscription as a loan repayment to the credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). This helps you build or rebuild your credit history by showing that you can pay debt on time. It can even report your monthly rent payment to Experian, adding another line in your credit report that shows lenders you're responsible and pay your bills when they’re due. In time, this will help you improve your credit score so you won’t need to be worried about any credit check ever again.