BRP to eVisa: What Nigerians in the UK Need to Do Before Travelling
If your Biometric Residence Permit is still sitting in your wallet or a drawer somewhere, and you're planning a trip home to Nigeria, there's a genuinely important step you need to take before you travel — because that physical card, on its own, is no longer how you prove your UK immigration status. Here's exactly what to check and set up first.
What actually changed, and what didn't
Most Biometric Residence Permits were printed with an expiry date of 31 December 2024. This did not mean the underlying immigration permission attached to that card ended — your leave to remain continued exactly as granted. What changed is how you prove that status: instead of showing a physical card, your status now lives digitally as an "eVisa," an online record linked to your passport and accessed through a UKVI account.
Step one: confirm you actually have a UKVI account set up
If you haven't already done this, it's the single most important thing to sort out before any international travel. Setting up a UKVI account is free, done at gov.uk/get-access-evisa, and requires an email address, a mobile number for security codes, and one identity document — your current passport, your BRP (even an expired one is accepted during the transition), or your application reference number (a GWF or UAN reference from a previous application).
Step two: check your passport is correctly linked
This is the single most common source of eVisa problems reported by travellers: a "passport mismatch," where your eVisa record is linked to an old or different passport than the one you're currently travelling on. If you've renewed your Nigerian passport since your visa was granted, you need to update your UKVI account with your new passport details before you travel — failing to do this is a leading cause of denied boarding and border delays.
Step three: generate and save a share code before you fly
Before travelling, log into your UKVI account and generate a "share code" through the "View and Prove your immigration status" service — a code that lets airlines, border officials, employers or landlords check your status. Take a screenshot of both the share code and your status page as a backup, since having this readily available on your phone (rather than needing to log in under pressure at a check-in desk) can meaningfully shorten any dispute if a staff member is unfamiliar with the process.
Step four: know that not every airline handles this smoothly yet
Genuinely, honestly: some airline check-in staff remain unfamiliar with share codes and eVisas, even now, and there have been real reports of travellers with entirely valid status being initially refused boarding because a staff member couldn't verify things through their own system. Arriving at the airport with your share code, your status page screenshot, and extra time built into your schedule gives you the best chance of resolving any confusion calmly rather than under pressure with a flight about to close.
Step five: don't rely on your expired BRP indefinitely
While an expired BRP has continued to be usable as a transitional document in some circumstances, this isn't an indefinite arrangement — current guidance points to expired BRPs remaining usable for up to 24 months after their printed expiry date, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. If you haven't yet made the digital transition properly, treat this as increasingly urgent rather than something to keep putting off.
A checklist for the week before you fly
In the days before travel: confirm your UKVI account login still works, confirm your current passport is linked correctly, generate a fresh share code (they're time-limited, so generate one close to your travel date rather than relying on an old one), and screenshot everything. This small amount of preparation removes almost all of the realistic risk described in this article.
Set up your eVisa checklist
Use our eVisa/BRP Transition Checklist to work through every step methodically before your next trip, so nothing gets missed in the busyness of preparing to travel.
Why this matters even if you've travelled successfully before
It's tempting to assume that because your last trip home went smoothly, your next one automatically will too — but circumstances change between trips in ways that genuinely matter here. A passport renewal since your last flight, an account detail that's drifted out of date, or simply a different, less experienced check-in agent on the day can all turn a previously smooth process into an unexpected hold-up. Treat every trip as its own fresh check, rather than assuming past success guarantees future smoothness.
Helping older or less tech-confident family members through this
If you have older parents, grandparents, or family members less comfortable with digital systems who are also navigating this transition, they may need extra help setting up and using their UKVI account well before travel. Sit down with them directly, walk through the account setup and share code process together, and consider writing down simple, step-by-step instructions they can refer back to independently — this kind of hands-on support genuinely reduces stress and risk for family members who might otherwise struggle with an unfamiliar digital process alone.
What to do if a problem does arise despite your preparation
Even with everything checked and prepared properly, it's still possible to encounter an unfamiliar staff member or an unexpected technical hiccup. If this happens, stay calm and polite, show your share code and status page screenshot, and ask to speak to a supervisor if the initial staff member seems genuinely unable to help — most airlines do have a resolution path for exactly this situation, even if the first person you speak to isn't immediately familiar with it. Losing your composure rarely speeds up a resolution, while calm, clear communication of your documented, valid status usually does.
Keeping your travel companions informed too
If you're travelling with friends or extended family who aren't necessarily on the same booking or itinerary, it's still worth briefly checking that they've also prepared their own eVisa details, particularly if you'll be relying on each other for support at the airport. A group of travellers who've all individually prepared properly gets through check-in far more smoothly than a group where only some members thought to check in advance, since a delay affecting one person can easily hold up the whole group's onward journey together.
A final word on peace of mind before you travel
There's real value in simply feeling confident and prepared as you head to the airport for a trip home, rather than carrying a background worry about whether your immigration status will be recognised smoothly. The checklist in this article exists precisely to convert that vague background worry into concrete, completed tasks — so that by the time you're actually travelling, this is one thing you genuinely don't need to think about anymore.
A quick recap you can act on today
To summarise the practical core of this article: set up your UKVI account if you haven't already, confirm your current passport is correctly linked to it, generate a fresh share code shortly before you travel, and keep a screenshot of both as backup. None of these individual steps takes long, but together they remove almost all of the realistic risk of an eVisa-related disruption to your travel plans — turning a potentially stressful unknown into a short, manageable checklist you can complete this week, well before you need to rely on any of it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to carry my old, expired BRP with me when I travel?
It's generally sensible to bring it as an additional backup document, even though your digital eVisa is now the primary proof of status.
What if I discover a passport mismatch only at the airport?
This is a much harder position to resolve under time pressure — always check and fix this well before travel day, not at check-in.
Does a share code expire?
Yes — share codes are time-limited, so generate a fresh one shortly before you actually need it rather than relying on one created weeks earlier.
Will this affect my children's travel too if they're on my visa as dependants?
Yes — each family member with their own immigration status generally needs their own UKVI account and eVisa set up correctly, including children.