Key points
- The UK will stop issuing visa stickers for visitor visas from February 25, 2026
- Successful applicants will receive an eVisa accessed through a UKVI account
- Applicants will visit a Visa Application Centre once to confirm identity and receive their passport back the same day
- Existing physical visa stickers remain valid until they expire
Visa stickers in passports will be replaced by digital eVisas accessed through a UKVI account
The UK will stop issuing visa stickers for visitor visas and some other visa types from February 25, 2026. Instead, successful applicants will receive an eVisa, which they must access through their UKVI account before traveling.
UK embassies have been announcing the change across their social media channels. The UK Embassy in Egypt and the UK Embassy in the Philippines both posted on their Facebook pages that from February 25, 2026, visitors who need a visa will receive an eVisa only, replacing the traditional visa vignette stickers in passports.
According to GOV.UK, applicants who make a successful application on or after February 25, 2026 may not receive a visa sticker. Instead, they will need to access their eVisa through their UKVI account to view the permission they have been granted.
How the new process works
Applicants will visit a Visa Application Centre once to confirm their identity. Their passport will be returned the same day. Once the visa is granted, eVisa holders will be directed to create a UKVI account to access their digital visa.
Visitors who already hold a physical visa sticker in their passport can continue to use it until it expires. There is no need to switch to an eVisa before the sticker’s expiry date.
