A right-to-work check is a legal requirement for every UK employer before a worker's first day. You must check that the person has permission to work in the UK, keep a record of the check, and — for time-limited workers — repeat the check before their permission expires. Failing to comply can result in a civil penalty of up to £60,000 per worker.
Who needs a right-to-work check?
Every employer in the UK is legally required to check the right-to-work status of every person they employ — regardless of nationality. This includes:
- British citizens
- Irish citizens
- EU, EEA and Swiss nationals
- Workers from any other country
There are no exceptions based on how certain you are about someone's nationality. Checking everyone protects you from discrimination claims and ensures you have a statutory excuse if a problem arises later.
Types of right-to-work check
1. Online check (share code)
The most common check for overseas workers. The worker generates a share code at gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status and shares it with you. You enter it at gov.uk/view-right-to-work along with their date of birth.
Used for:
- EU/EEA/Swiss nationals with settled or pre-settled status
- Workers with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
- Workers with a visa in the UKVI system
Read our full guide to share codes →
2. Manual document check
Used for British and Irish citizens (and some others without a UKVI record). You check original documents in person and keep a copy.
Acceptable documents include:
- UK passport (or expired passport issued by the UK, or a Certificate of Naturalisation)
- Irish passport or passport card
- UK birth certificate + proof of National Insurance number
- Full list available from the Home Office right-to-work employer guide
3. IDSP check (remote document verification)
For British and Irish citizens only — you can use a certified Identity Service Provider to verify documents remotely. Useful for remote hiring.
Step-by-step: how to conduct a right-to-work check
For online (share code) checks:
- Ask the worker for their 9-character share code and date of birth
- Go to gov.uk/view-right-to-work
- Enter the share code and date of birth
- Review the result — note any time limits on their right to work
- Screenshot the result page with the date you checked it
- Store the record securely
For manual document checks:
- Ask the worker to bring original documents from the Home Office acceptable documents list
- Examine the originals in the worker's presence (do not accept photocopies)
- Check that photos match the person, dates are valid, and documents appear genuine
- Make a clear copy (scan or photo)
- Write the date you conducted the check on the copy
- Store securely for the duration of employment plus two years
Documents you can accept (summary)
| List | Right to work | Examples | Re-check needed? | |---|---|---|---| | List A | Unlimited | UK passport, EU settled status, indefinite leave to remain | No | | List B | Time-limited | Visa with expiry date, pre-settled status | Yes — before expiry |
The full Home Office document lists are available at gov.uk.
How long to keep records
Keep right-to-work records for:
- The full duration of employment, plus
- Two years after the employment ends
You must be able to produce these records if the Home Office requests them during an inspection.
The penalty for getting it wrong
| Offence | Penalty | |---|---| | Employing illegal worker (civil) | Up to £60,000 per worker | | Knowingly employing illegal worker (criminal) | Unlimited fine + up to 5 years imprisonment | | Not keeping records | Loss of statutory excuse |
The statutory excuse: If you conduct a right-to-work check correctly and keep records, you have a statutory excuse even if the worker later turns out to be working illegally. This is why the process matters as much as the result.
Repeat checks for time-limited workers
If a worker's right to work has an expiry date (they are on a time-limited visa, or have EU pre-settled status), you must:
- Note the expiry date at the time of the original check
- Set a reminder to re-check before the expiry date
- Conduct a new share code check when the reminder triggers
- Keep a record of each check
Tracking this manually across multiple employees is where mistakes happen. KornerIQ automates expiry tracking and sends alerts 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before any worker's permission expires.
Automate your right-to-work checks
Managing right-to-work compliance manually — spreadsheets, paper copies, calendar reminders — puts you at risk. A single missed re-check removes your statutory excuse.
KornerIQ handles the entire process:
- Log each check with date, result and document type
- Automatic re-check reminders before visa expiries
- Per-employee audit trail ready for Home Office inspection
- Multi-store compliance overview for businesses with multiple locations