Right to work

Digital right to work checks for British and Irish citizens (IDVT)

British and Irish citizens can prove their right to work online, through a registered provider that checks their passport and can match their face to it. This guide explains how that works, what the provider does, and what you as the employer still have to do.

Last checked 23 October 2026 against the sources listed below. Written by Assize Data Ltd.

What IDVT is

IDVT stands for identity document validation technology. It is the name used from April 2022 for checking British and Irish passports digitally for right to work. The provider checks electronically that the document is genuine and belongs to the person, so you don't need to handle the original.

The rules in force since 1 October 2026 no longer use the term IDVT. Providers are now called right to work digital verification service providers, and three things have changed:

• you must use a provider registered for right to work on the government's digital verification services register;
• passports that expired up to six months ago can now be checked;
• if facial recognition technology is used in any right to work check, it must come from a registered provider.

A digital check is optional. It is one of three prescribed methods. The others are the Home Office online check with a share code and a manual check of original documents, both explained in our guide on how to do a right to work check.

Who can be checked this way

• British citizens with a British passport.
• Irish citizens with an Irish passport or Irish passport card.

The document must be current, or have expired no more than six months before the check. For an expired document, the provider must verify its chip electronically, which is called passive authentication. Providers can choose not to check expired documents, and the check can't be done if the chip is damaged. A cancelled passport, with clipped corners, is never acceptable.

Everyone else needs another method. People with an eVisa must use the Home Office online check with a share code. A British citizen whose passport expired more than six months ago, or who has no passport, can have a manual check instead. In a manual check, a British passport is acceptable whether current or expired. Without a passport, a UK birth or adoption certificate together with an official document showing the person's name and permanent National Insurance number also works.

Choosing a registered provider

Look the provider up on the digital verification services register before you use it. Check that:

• its entry lists Right to Work as a supplementary code;
• its certificate hasn't expired;
• it checks recently expired passports, if you need that.

If you use an unregistered provider, or one not registered for right to work, you won't have a statutory excuse. You can buy checks through another company, such as an HR or screening app. That company must tell you which registered provider carries out the check, and the output must name that provider.

What the provider does

The provider checks the passport or card and confirms whether the person's identity is verified. It can also use facial recognition to match the person's face with the photo on the document. It then sends you an output, which must include:

• the person's name and date of birth;
• an image of the passport's full photo page, or the front of the Irish passport card;
• a photo of the person;
• the date of the identity check;
• the provider's name, confirmation that it is registered and follows the supplementary code for digital right to work checks, and a link to its register entry;
• a clear yes or no on whether the identity was verified.

If facial recognition was used, you also get the face comparison and a yes or no on whether the faces match.

What you still have to do

The legal responsibility stays with you, not the provider. Before the person starts work:

1. Read the output. Make sure it contains everything listed above, says the identity is verified and names a registered provider. If it's reasonably apparent that the output is wrong or incomplete, you won't have a statutory excuse.
2. Make sure it's the right person. Check that the photo and details, such as date of birth, belong to the person who will do the job. You can do this in person or on a video call. If the provider did a facial recognition match, you can rely on it instead of repeating it.
3. Keep the evidence. Keep a clear copy of the output, and any face comparison, for as long as the person works for you and for two years after. Then destroy it securely.

If you and the provider both carry out the check as the Home Office prescribes, you have a continuous statutory excuse. British and Irish citizens don't need follow-up checks.

No do-it-yourself face matching

You can compare a photo with the person yourself, face to face or on a video call. But if facial recognition technology is used for any part of a right to work check, it must be provided by a registered right to work provider. That includes share code checks and manual checks. Your own face-matching software, or an unregistered app, won't meet the rules.

What it costs

Providers set their own prices, and these vary, so compare a few before you choose. You don't need a provider for the Home Office share code check or for a manual check.

The manual alternative

You must not treat anyone less favourably because they can't or don't want to use a digital check. Offer a manual check instead:

1. get the original passport, or another List A document, into your physical possession (the person can post it to you);
2. check it with the person present, in person or on a live video call;
3. make a clear copy that can't be altered;
4. record the date, for example "The date on which this right to work check was made: [insert date]".

You can't check the document itself over video or from a scan or photo. The full steps are in the Home Office employer's guide to right to work checks and the code of practice on preventing illegal working.

This guide is general information about the law in the UK, not legal advice. The rules change, so check the sources above, and take advice about your own situation. Assize Data Ltd is not a law firm.