Completing the check

UK Citizens and Irish Citizens

Where presenting either a passport or a birth certificate as evidence:

• Original document must be presented.
• Undertake the check in the presence of the holder.
• Check that:
  • photographs and date of birth are consistent across documents and with the person’s appearance; 
  • the document is valid and genuine, has not been tampered with and belongs to the holder. The Home Office provides guidance on examining identity documents. For right to work purposes you are only expected to undertake ‘reasonable checks’ on a document. If you are concerned about the validity of any documents presented to you, please contact the HR Compliance Team.
• Obtain an additional document if the individual provides two documents that have different names, and ask them to explain the reason. The additional document could be a marriage certificate, a divorce decree, a deed poll or statutory declaration.
• Scan/copy the document and add the verification statement as below.

Non-UK nationals who have recently entered the UK and have an entry clearance vignette in their passport

Where presenting a passport which includes a vignette as evidence:

• Original document must be presented.
• Undertake the check in the presence of the holder.
• Check that:
  • photographs and date of birth are consistent across documents and with the person’s appearance; 
  • the passport and entry clearance vignette are both valid;
  • the document is valid and genuine, has not been tampered with and belongs to the holder. The Home Office provides guidance on examining identity documents. For right to work purposes you are only expected to undertake ‘reasonable checks’ on a document. If you are concerned about the validity of any documents presented to you, please contact the HR Compliance Team.
• Obtain an additional document if the individual provides two documents that have different names, and ask them to explain the reason. The additional document could be a marriage certificate, a divorce decree, a deed poll or statutory declaration.
• Scan/copy the document and add the verification statement as below.
• IMPORTANT: you must follow this up with an online check once the individual has their BRP, as detailed below.

Non-UK nationals who have a BRP

Proof of right to work for any check undertaken on or after 6 April 2022 (whether new or current employees) cannot be evidenced by an individual's Biometric Residence Permit, Biometric Residence Card or Frontier Worker Permit. 

Instead, we can accept a check conducted via the Home Office online checking service:

1. Ask the individual to log into https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work using their BRP number and date of birth;
2. They should then generate a share code (under “To share your details with an employer, you need to create a share code.”) and send it to you;
3. Arrange and carry out an in person/video call check with them and access their RTW profile while you’re talking to them at https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work – you’ll need their share code and their date of birth;
4. Click the Download button on the online page and add the verification statement as below.

We have detailed guidance on how to undertake an online right to work check, alongside visual examples of the types of online checks you may see, in this document:

• Online right to work checking guidance 

Note: individuals who are in the UK for less than 6 months will not receive a BRP; instead, their entry clearance vignette will cover the length of their stay - please follow the instructions in the above section.

EU/EEA nationals who are entering the UK for 6 months or more, or who are already in the UK

EU/EEA nationals who apply for a visa will not receive a BRP, their status will be purely digital. We can accept a check conducted via the Home Office online checking service:

1. Ask the individual to log into https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work using their passport or national identity card number and date of birth (they should select "I have a UK Visas and Immigration account" or "I have status under the EU Settlement Scheme" as appropriate);
2. They should then generate a share code (under “To share your details with an employer, you need to create a share code.”) and send it to you;
3. Arrange and carry out a video call check with them and access their RTW profile while you’re talking to them at https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work – you’ll need their share code and their date of birth;
4. Click the Download button on the online page and add the verification statement as below.

We have detailed guidance on how to undertake an online right to work check, alongside visual examples of the types of online checks you may see, in this document:

• Online right to work checking guidance 

Citizens of overseas countries who are visiting the UK for up to 6 months and enter via the passport eGates

Note: applicable only to those with Visitor visas, or Visitor status granted at the UK border; not applicable to GAE visa holders.

These individuals will have no evidence of right to work in the UK other than their passport:

• Original document must be presented.
• Undertake the check in the presence of the holder.
• Check that:
  • the photograph and date of birth are consistent with the person’s appearance; 
  • the document is valid and genuine, has not been tampered with and belongs to the holder. The Home Office provides guidance on examining identity documents. For right to work purposes you are only expected to undertake ‘reasonable checks’ on a document. If you are concerned about the validity of any documents presented to you, please contact the HR Compliance Team.
• Obtain an additional document if the document has a different name, and ask them to explain the reason. The additional document could be a marriage certificate, a divorce decree, a deed poll or statutory declaration.
• Scan/copy the document and add the verification statement as below.
• Retain the verified copy of the document with the letter inviting the visitor.