People management
Right to work checks UK: a practical employer checklist
Check an applicant's right to work before they start employment. Use the correct Home Office route, confirm any restrictions and keep dated evidence of the check.
- Complete the appropriate check
- Before employment
- Permission must cover the actual work
- Check restrictions
- Keep the required evidence
- Employment + 2 years
Right-to-work checks for employment in the United Kingdom.
Choose the appropriate checking route
Depending on the applicant, a check may use the Home Office online service with a share code, original acceptable documents or an eligible identity service provider using identity document validation technology.
British and Irish citizens cannot obtain a right-to-work share code. Check the appropriate original documents or eligible identity-service route instead. Biometric residence cards and permits are no longer accepted for a manual check; use the required online process.
Verify identity and the work permitted
Check that the evidence belongs to the applicant and that their permission covers the job being offered. Review expiry dates and any restriction on hours or type of work. For students, check study and vacation dates where relevant.
Apply a consistent process and do not discriminate based on nationality or where someone appears to be from. If the normal evidence cannot be provided because of an outstanding application or another qualifying circumstance, check whether the Home Office Employer Checking Service is required.
Keep evidence and plan follow-up checks
Retain the required copies or online-check evidence, record when the check was made and keep it securely during employment and for two years afterwards. A note saying 'passport seen' is not a substitute for the required evidence.
For time-limited permission, schedule the appropriate follow-up before it expires. Recheck the current Home Office instructions when completing the check, as document rules and processes can change.
In practice
Permission has an expiry date
A new employee's permitted work is confirmed through the appropriate online service. The employer records the check date, saves the required result and confirms that any conditions fit the proposed role.
A follow-up task is assigned to a named person before the permission expires. The reminder links to the evidence, so the next reviewer can see what was checked and which restriction matters.
Your next steps
- Identify the right Home Office checking route before the start date.
- Match the evidence to the person and verify job and hours restrictions.
- Save the required dated evidence with controlled access.
- Assign follow-up checks and retain records for employment plus two years.
Sources and review
Reviewed against the official guidance below on 7 September 2026. Rates and employment rules can change; use the linked guidance for a decision about an individual case.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Crown copyright. This is Leavely's independently written guide.
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