Prove your right to rent in England
Using immigration documents
If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, you can use one of the following documents to prove your right to rent:
- a passport
- a travel document issued by the Home Office
- an immigration status document sent to you when you were given permission to stay in the UK
Your passport, travel document or immigration status document needs to have a Home Office endorsement in it - for example, a stamp or a vignette (a sticker).
This must say that you have one of the following:
- indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain in the UK
- no time limit to your stay in the UK
- a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode
- exemption from immigration control
- limited leave to enter or limited leave to remain in the UK, or permission to stay for a time limited period - this must cover the time you’ll be renting
- a certificate of entitlement to readmission to the UK
You can no longer use a physical biometric residence permit or card to prove your right to rent - you’ll need to apply for a share code instead.
Your document usually needs to be current. It can only be expired if it’s a passport with a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode in it.
Find out about the original immigration documents you can use.
If you’re a Ukrainian citizen
You can apply for a share code to prove your right to rent as soon as you get your biometric residence permit (BRP).
If you do not have a BRP yet, you can use your passport with an ‘endorsement’ stamp or vignette sticker in.
If you do not have BRP or a passport, you can give your landlord an entry clearance vignette sticker attached to a ‘Form for Affixing the Visa’ (FAV). They’ll use it to check your immigration status with the Home Office.
If you applied for settled or pre-settled status in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
You can show your landlord a letter or email confirmation to prove your settled or pre-settled status was given there. Your landlord can use this to confirm your immigration status with the Home Office.
If you applied for settled status in Jersey, you’ll need to use the online immigration status checker to get a confirmation letter.
If you’re waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application
You can apply for a share code to prove your right to rent.
You can also use a physical certificate of application from the Home Office to prove your right to rent if you have one.
You’ll need to show your physical certificate to your landlord, who will ask for a Home Office right to rent check to see if you can rent in England.
If you do not have your original immigration documents
You may be able to apply for a share code to prove your right to rent or use a combination of 2 documents.
Your landlord can also ask for a Home Office right to rent check to see if you can rent in England.