If you already have an ILR eVisa and get a new passport, update your existing UKVI account before travelling. You do not need a fresh ILR application just to add the renewed passport. A new passport does not mean you should create a second UKVI account.
- Sign in to the account that holds your eVisa and use the official UKVI account-update service.
- Follow the evidence instructions, then check that your current passport is recorded and the eVisa still shows the correct status.
- Before travel, match your passport and UKVI details to the passenger information given to your carrier.
Waiting for another visa decision? GOV.UK says you cannot change your name, passport or travel document through the account-update service while that decision is pending. If the new passport was issued abroad, the available update route also depends on whether it is biometric and which details changed; use the table below. Key account and travel rules checked on 3 October 2026.
Identify what actually needs changing
Start by placing the new passport beside your current account record. Is only the passport number or expiry date different, or has your name or nationality changed too? Then inspect the immigration status separately. A correct ILR record with an old passport number calls for a document update. An eVisa still showing your previous visa calls for a status-error investigation.
Use the official UKVI account-update service for changed personal and travel-document details. It cannot alter immigration decisions. GOV.UK also says you cannot change your name or passport through this service while waiting for a visa application decision. If another application is pending, obtain instructions for that situation before attempting the update.
This guide concerns an existing eVisa. Someone relying only on an old ILR stamp or endorsement has a different evidence task, discussed below. ILR Calculator UK provides independent general information, not individual immigration advice or a guarantee of travel.
Reuse the account that already holds your eVisa
Find the original account confirmation or a sign-in method that previously worked. A new passport does not mean you need a new UKVI account. The official account setup guidance specifically tells people with an existing account not to create another one. Previous use of the ID Check app, an eVisa account or the EU Settlement Scheme may help identify that account.
You may initially need the identity-document details already associated with the account, rather than the newly issued passport. Have access to the email address or phone used for authentication. If that access has been lost, use the account-recovery help linked from GOV.UK; opening a second account is not a reliable repair.
For a household, work through each person's record separately. Label any saved confirmations with the account holder's name and the document involved. This is a practical filing method, not a government evidence requirement, and avoids mixing a parent's passport change with a child's record.
Submit the update, then check the result against the passport
Follow the document and identity instructions shown by the service. When a name, date of birth or nationality has changed, the official guidance requires an identity document demonstrating the change. Do not enter the old spelling merely to bypass a mismatch, or assume that updating a contact field will correct the document record.
Use this short worksheet to distinguish a request from a verified result:
| Check | What to record privately |
|---|---|
| Before submission | Which account you accessed, which fields need changing and which passport you intend to travel with |
| During submission | Any specific evidence request, the submitted change and the confirmation or reference supplied |
| After UKVI responds | Whether the account now shows the intended document and whether the eVisa status remains correct |
| Before departure | Whether the passport, account and passenger details agree for this journey |
Read numbers directly from the document and compare them character by character. Watch for an old passport number left in a travel booking or a different name order in the account. Keep the confirmation with your immigration records, but use the live account for the final check rather than treating an old screenshot as current evidence.
If the account still shows the old document, preserve the message and follow the official help route. The linked general update guidance does not promise a universal completion time for every passport change. Leave room to resolve queries instead of planning around an assumed same-day result.
If your new passport was issued outside the UK
The GOV.UK eVisa travel guidance separates the available routes as follows. Use the branch for the passport you actually hold and the details that changed.
| Passport and change | Published route |
|---|---|
| Biometric passport; passport number, expiry date, name or nationality changed | Update the UKVI account yourself |
| Biometric passport; another personal detail changed | Ask UKVI to update the account through the service linked in the travel guidance |
| Non-biometric passport; only passport number or expiry date changed | Update those passport details yourself |
| Non-biometric passport; other personal details changed | Ask UKVI to update the account through the linked service |
The UKVI-assisted route may involve fingerprints and a photograph at a visa application centre. Follow its instructions before arranging the return journey around an assumed completion date. For example, renewing a non-biometric passport with the same personal details falls into a different branch from renewing it after a name change.
If you hold several nationalities, check which passport will be used for the UK journey and ensure it is added to the account. British or Irish dual citizens have separate travel-document guidance; do not assume the ordinary ILR eVisa process is their travel route.
Prepare for the carrier's check as well as your own
Before travel, compare the actual passport, the account, the eVisa and the passenger information supplied to the airline or other carrier. Keep the comparison specific: a correct passport number does not compensate for a different name elsewhere. Check the destination's entry requirements separately from evidence for returning to the UK.
If a carrier cannot verify the status automatically, the official carrier guidance on proving immigration status describes using a share code or a valid physical immigration document alongside the valid passport. It also explains that the carrier can contact the carrier support hub. Boarding remains the carrier's decision; an account-update receipt is not a promise that its check will succeed.
Legacy ILR holders should not read an eVisa-update checklist as a statement that their old settlement evidence is automatically unusable. The carrier guidance explicitly addresses physical ILR proof, such as an endorsed letter or a stamp in an expired passport, presented with a valid passport. It recommends an NTL application in the UK to obtain digital confirmation for future journeys. This is different from updating a passport on an eVisa that already exists.
What if the passport is correct but the records still disagree?
The next action depends on the remaining mismatch. If the carrier has stale passenger information, identify the field that needs attention with the carrier. If the UKVI account has not accepted the new document, pursue the account-update query with its reference. If the eVisa still describes the wrong immigration status, use our guide to correcting a wrong eVisa status after ILR, which explains the evidence and official error-reporting routes.
Start the passport check before committing to a journey that leaves no room for follow-up. A useful question for an unresolved case is: which organisation still holds the conflicting detail, and what evidence would show it has been corrected? That question is more useful than repeatedly submitting the same update. Where UKVI's answer conflicts with the grant itself, or an urgent journey depends on unresolved status evidence, seek specific official help or regulated advice.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to apply for ILR again when I renew my passport?
For an existing ILR eVisa, ordinary passport renewal is an account-document update. Use the account that already holds the eVisa and check the resulting record against the new passport. This does not resolve a separate question about whether settlement remains valid. If you only have legacy physical evidence, or UKVI disputes the status itself, identify that different problem before choosing a service.
Should I create a new UKVI account for my new passport?
No, if you already have an account, reuse it. Search your account confirmation and previous sign-in records if you cannot remember how it was created. You may need the earlier identity details to sign in before updating the document. If the obstacle is access to your email or phone, follow official account recovery. A second account can leave the original problem unresolved.
Can I update my passport after it is renewed abroad?
The official travel guidance allows some changes from abroad, with different branches for biometric and non-biometric passports. A passport-number or expiry-date change can be updated through the account in either branch. Changes to personal details need closer checking: the biometric branch includes name and nationality changes, while other situations may require UKVI assistance. Follow the published branch and any identity instructions before relying on the update for return travel.
What if my new passport has a different name?
Treat this as a personal-details change as well as a document change. Prepare identity evidence showing the changed name and check the instructions for your location and passport type. Do not alter spelling simply to make a form accept it. Afterwards, compare the account and passenger information with the passport you will carry, and keep the update confirmation in case a mismatch needs explaining.
Can I travel while the passport update is still pending?
Do not assume a submission confirmation means the new passport is linked or the carrier can verify it. Check the current account and seek official help if the result is unresolved. The carrier guidance describes additional ways to prove status, but those do not create a universal boarding guarantee. Explain the actual document and status issue to the carrier before relying on an urgent journey.
Will updating my passport fix an eVisa that shows my old visa?
A document update and an immigration-status error are different tasks. Check the ILR decision against the live eVisa to identify which information is wrong. If the passport is now correct but the previous visa still appears, keep the decision and a record of the discrepancy and use the official error-reporting route. Repeating the passport update does not ask UKVI to correct the immigration decision record.
