Acceptable documents

Right to work check documents: what you can accept, what you can't, and what to do with no passport

By the Vernx team. Checked against GOV.UK guidance dated 1 October 2026. Last checked: 26 October 2026.

For a manual right to work check you can only accept original documents from the Home Office's List A or List B (Annex A of the employer's guide, 1 October 2026). A British passport works even if it has expired. If someone has no passport, a UK birth or adoption certificate works only together with an official document giving the individual's permanent National Insurance number and their name, for example an HMRC or DWP letter. A driving licence is not on either list, so it cannot be used.

Below: the full lists in plain English, the no-passport route, the three ways to do the check, and what to copy and keep. All from GOV.UK.

This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. The lists are the Home Office's. The employer decides whether a document matches. If a document does not clearly match one, use the Home Office's own tools or take advice. Vernx does not decide which list a document is on, does not run the check, and does not create a statutory excuse.

Which documents can you accept for a right to work check?

A manual check starts with the guide's step 1 (page 20): obtain original documents from either List A or List B of Annex A. The employers' right to work checklist, updated 1 October 2026, says the same under "Step 1 - Obtain". If a document is not on those lists, it does not count for a manual check.

If you do the Home Office online check with a share code, the guide (page 65) says there is no requirement for employers to check any of the documents listed in Annex A. You do not also ask that person for a passport. The checklist points employers to www.gov.uk/view-right-to-work.

Choose the check by the person, not by preference. The guide (page 19) says the type of check depends on nationality, the permission they have to work, and the individual's preference. Employers cannot mandate the method, and should give a reasonable opportunity to prove the right to work. The checklist says employers must not require an individual to prove their right to work using a particular method. People who have been issued with an eVisa will only be able to evidence their right to work using the Home Office online service (guide, page 19).

All of these checks must be done before the worker commences employment (guide, page 19; checklist, section 2).

What changed in the 1 October 2026 lists?

Use the 1 October 2026 list. List A item 1 now reads "a passport (current or expired) showing the holder is a British citizen" (guide, page 65; checklist). Older copies of the guide still turn up in search and use different wording for that item. Checking a job applicant's right to work says you can no longer accept biometric residence cards or permits. The guide (page 37) says a manual check of an original, expired BRP is not acceptable, and that BRPs ceased to be issued on 31 October 2024. See what is in force from 1 October 2026.

List A: documents that mean no follow-up check

List A is for people with a continuous right to work. If you check correctly before they start, you establish a continuous statutory excuse for the duration of that employment, and no follow-up checks are required (guide, page 65; checklist).

The guide's glossary (page 7) says a current document means a document that has not expired. Items 1 and 2 accept expired passports. Item 4 needs a current one. Footnote 6 to item 4 says the definition includes those with a document which shows that the holder is entitled to readmission to the UK (RUK endorsement) and ILR endorsements from a Crown Dependency.

Items 5 to 8 always come as a pair: the main document plus the official NI document. On its own, neither half is on the list. Footnote 7 to item 6 says the definition includes a birth certificate issued by a UK diplomatic mission (British Embassy or British High Commission) and consular birth certificates.

List B: documents that mean a follow-up check

Group 1: until their permission ends

List B Group 1 establishes a time-limited statutory excuse until the expiry date of permission, and a follow-up check is required (guide, page 66; checklist). The code of practice on preventing illegal working, 1 October 2026, page 17, says the follow-up must be done on, or before, the date their permission comes to an end. You can work that date out with the follow-up date calculator. That page is guidance from the guide. It is not legal advice.

Group 2: six months, and only with a Positive Verification Notice

Each List B Group 2 item involves a Positive Verification Notice from the Home Office Employer Checking Service. The time-limited statutory excuse lasts for six months (guide, page 67; checklist). A Positive Verification Notice provides a statutory excuse for 6 months from the date specified in the notice (guide, page 36).

If you used the Home Office online check with a share code, you do not need to check any of these documents (employer's guide, page 65).

When you need the Employer Checking Service

The guide (pages 35–36) lists the circumstances when an employer needs to contact the Employer Checking Service:

1. A non-digital Certificate of Application, or an acknowledgement letter or email, confirming receipt of an EU Settlement Scheme application on or before 30 June 2021.
2. A non-digital Certificate of Application confirming an EU Settlement Scheme application on or after 1 July 2021.
3. An Application Registration Card stating that the holder is permitted to undertake the work in question. If the card has an expiry date, that date must not have passed.
4. No acceptable documents from a person who is not British or Irish, and an online check is not possible, for example because of a technical issue with an eVisa.
5. No acceptable documents, and the person cannot generate a share code because they have an outstanding application made before their previous permission expired.
6. A cohort whose right to work must be verified by the Employer Checking Service, such as immigration permission issued in a Crown Dependency.
7. Other information indicating the person is a long-term resident who arrived in the UK before 1988, and no acceptable documents have been provided.

Do not contact the Employer Checking Service where employment commenced before 29 February 2008 and has been continuous with that employer ever since (guide, page 36). The service aims to provide a response within five working days of a valid request. Tell the person you are carrying out the check. This page follows the employer's guide on those points.

Birth certificates, NI numbers and driving licences

Is a birth certificate proof of right to work?

Only as half of a pair. List A item 6 (guide, page 66) is a long or short birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK, together with an official document giving the individual's permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer. The same pairing works for a birth or adoption certificate from the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland (item 7), and for a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen (item 8). On its own, the certificate is not on the list.

What counts as the NI document, and can it be digital?

Prove your right to work to an employer gives worker-facing examples: a letter from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland. The letter must show the name and National Insurance number. The legal test in the guide is an official document giving the permanent National Insurance number and name, issued by a government agency or a previous employer.

Digital evidence is allowed for that NI document only. The guide (page 20) says it may be accepted as a screenshot of the document on the individual's personal device, an email receipt or other electronic submission. Be confident it belongs to the person and comes from a reliable source, such as an official government digital service. You must not request the individual's password. Find your National Insurance number says a worker can download a letter showing their National Insurance number from the HMRC app or their personal tax account. That is where the worker can get a letter. It is not a Home Office rule that a payslip, P45 or P60 is the NI document on the list.

Is an NI number on its own proof of right to work?

No. An official document showing the permanent National Insurance number appears only as the second half of a pair: List A items 5 to 8, and List B Group 1 item 3.

Can I use a driving licence for a right to work check?

No. A driving licence is not on List A or List B (guide, pages 65–67; checklist). A manual check must use originals from those lists. Home Office research, prepared by Verian and published on 1 April 2025, found the mix-up is common. Among employers who carry out manual checks (n=1,690), 62% wrongly said a driving licence could be accepted. The report gives 69% in manufacturing, 70% in construction and 72% in wholesale and retail. Some said they check licences because staff drive for work. Quantitative fieldwork was December 2023 to April 2024. If the job involves driving, check the licence for that reason, separately. It is still not the right to work check.

Expired, clipped or damaged passports

British passports, and Irish passports or passport cards, are accepted current or expired on List A. A clipped passport is a cancelled document and is not acceptable (guide, page 31, footnote 3; checklist footnote). The glossary (page 7) says a cancelled passport will have its corner clipped. A right to work digital verification service provider can check valid British or Irish passports, or Irish passport cards, up to 6 months past the expiry date (guide, page 31). An expired one needs the chip to be read, and the check may fail if the chip is damaged. For older ones, do a manual check.

Photos, scans and video calls

Except for digital evidence of the name and National Insurance number, the checklist says employers must not rely on a screenshot, scanned copies or other electronic copies. The check must be in the holder's presence, in person or by live video link. On a video link you must be in physical possession of the original documents. The guide (page 22) gives one example: the person can send the documents by post so you can hold them during the video call. Follow page 22 and the checklist.

Names that do not match

Differences must be explained by supporting evidence, for example a marriage certificate, divorce decree absolute or deed poll. Employers may keep copies of these (guide, page 21).

What to do when a staff member has no passport

British or Irish, with no passport: ask for a List A pair and do a manual check. A right to work digital verification service provider cannot do the check without a passport or passport card (guide, page 31). The employer page for share codes says British and Irish citizens cannot get a share code. See how a share code check works and what to save.

No passport and no birth certificate either: the lists offer no other document for this person. GOV.UK's worker page lists only those options. For a manual check, the person needs one of the listed documents, for example by ordering a copy birth certificate. England and Wales orders go through the General Register Office; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own processes. GOV.UK explains this on order a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate. The check must still be done before they start work. Some Commonwealth citizens may be able to get documents through the Windrush Scheme, which GOV.UK describes on Prove your right to work. The guide's Employer Checking Service case for a long-term resident who arrived before 1988 is separate, and only where no acceptable documents have been provided.

Someone who is not British or Irish can give a share code or eligible immigration documents. Prove your right to work says you can choose which option you use. eVisa holders must use the online check. If they cannot prove it, for example because an in-time application is pending, the employer uses the Employer Checking Service.

Do not make it harder for someone without a passport

The guide (page 31) says employers must not treat those who do not hold a valid passport, or who do not wish to prove their identity using a right to work digital verification service provider, less favourably. Offer another way, such as a manual check. The checklist says employers must not require a particular method. Do the check the same way for everyone, including British citizens, and not only for people you think are more likely to be migrants (guide, page 17). The code of practice on avoiding discrimination is the Home Office's own guidance on that point.

How to check, copy and date the documents

Manual check: obtain, check, copy, record

The checklist's step 2 asks you to be satisfied of these points: photographs and dates of birth are consistent; expiry dates are in the future where that matters; work restrictions, and term dates for students, have been checked; reasonable steps have been taken that the document is genuine and belongs to the holder; name differences are explained; and the holder was present, in person or by video, with you holding the originals.

Copy a clear copy of each document in a format which cannot be manually altered, for example a PDF, HTML or hardcopy (guide, page 21; checklist). For passports, copy the pages with the expiry date, nationality, date of birth, signature, immigration permission, photograph and any page showing permission to enter, remain or do the work. The front cover does not have to be copied. Checking a job applicant's right to work says that for all other documents you must make a complete copy.

Record the date as "The date on which this right to work check was made: [insert date]", or keep a manual or digital record made at the time the check is conducted (guide, page 22). Simply writing a date on the copy document will not be sufficient. Keep the copies for the employment and for two years afterwards, then securely destroy them. Employers should be able to produce them quickly. If a document turns out to be false, the guide (page 22) says you are liable for a civil penalty only if it was reasonably apparent that it is false.

Home Office online check

Go to www.gov.uk/view-right-to-work, enter the share code and date of birth, check the photograph, and keep the profile page as a PDF or HTML copy (checklist; guide, page 30). The guide (page 24) says share codes are 9 characters and begin with W, codes beginning with R or S are not accepted for right to work, and a code is valid for 90 calendar days. The rest of that check is on the share code page.

Using a certified provider for British and Irish passports

The current Home Office term is RtW DVSP: a right to work digital verification service provider, which is a certified digital ID provider. The GOV.UK page Checking a job applicant's right to work still says IDVT, and Prove your right to work says identity service provider (IDSP). Those older names mean the same kind of provider. Use is not mandated (guide, page 30). The provider must be on the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes register. The checklist says you keep the provider's output: name, date of birth, document image, photograph, date of the identity check, and the provider's name. To test your own files, use the 10-question right to work file self-check.

Keeping the document check on file

Once you have checked the documents, the part that matters later is the record: the copy, the date, who did it and how. In Vernx you keep the copies on the worker's file with who checked, when and by which route: manual, online or a certified provider. If they showed a List B document, set the follow-up date. For a Positive Verification Notice there is a 6-month clock, and reminders go by email on days 1, 3 and 7. When someone leaves, Vernx reminds you when the two years are up. If you are asked to show your checks, export an inspection pack. List A means no follow-up date. List B Group 1 means a follow-up date when permission ends. List B Group 2 means the 6-month Positive Verification Notice clock. You decide which applies. Vernx keeps the date you record. Plans from £69/month. Vernx does not do the right to work check or decide which documents are acceptable, and it is not legal advice.

Questions about acceptable documents

Sources

• Employer's guide to right to work checks, last updated 1 October 2026. PDF title: Employer's guide to right to work checks: 1 October 2026. Lists: pages 65–67. Manual steps: pages 20–22. Online check and share codes: pages 24 and 30. RtW DVSP and clipped passports: page 31. Employer Checking Service: pages 35–36. BRPs: page 37. Consistent checks: page 17.
• Employers' right to work checklist (accessible version), updated 1 October 2026.
• Code of practice on preventing illegal working: Right to Work Scheme for employers, 1 October 2026. Follow-up checks: page 17.
• Checking a job applicant's right to work, read 26 October 2026.
• Check a job applicant's right to work: use their share code, read 26 October 2026.
• Prove your right to work to an employer, read 26 October 2026.
• Find your National Insurance number, read 26 October 2026.
• Order a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate, read 26 October 2026.
• Employer awareness of Right to Work checks, published 1 April 2025.
• Code of practice on avoiding unlawful discrimination while preventing illegal working.
• Check if someone can work in the UK, the online tool named in the employer's guide, page 22.

Last checked against GOV.UK: 26 October 2026. This page is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Vernx records your check; it doesn't perform the Home Office right-to-work check or give legal advice.