Checked: November 2026. Employers and landlords in England must check that people have the right to work or rent, and many job seekers and tenants are asked to "send a copy of your passport" first. The official guidance is more specific than that request. This post sets out what the Home Office guides say, in plain terms, and how to send a copy safely when one is really needed. It is general information, not legal advice. For anything high-stakes, ask the employer or landlord, or a qualified adviser.
A copy sent in advance is not the check
Both Home Office guides say the person doing the check must not rely on a scan or copy. The employer guide says employers "may not rely on the inspection of the document via a live video link or by checking a screenshot or scanned copy of the document", with one narrow exception for official evidence of a name and National Insurance number in digital form (employer's guide). The landlord guide lists, under what a landlord must not do, "Rely on a faxed, scanned or copied version of the document" (landlord's guide).
For a manual check, the guides say the checker must be in physical possession of the original document and check it in the presence of the holder, either in person or by live video call. A person may choose to send an original by post so that the check can be done by video call. So a photo emailed before an interview or viewing does not complete a check. It is worth asking whether it is needed at all.
When a share code replaces ID copies
A share code is the online route for people who hold an eVisa. GOV.UK says that "A share code lasts for 90 days" and that it can be used "as many times as you need before it expires". The person who uses it "will see some of your personal details", and you are told what they will see when you create it. You give them the code and your date of birth, and "You will not need to show them your eVisa" (view and prove your immigration status).
For employers and landlords the online route is the required one in some cases. The employer guide says "Where an individual has an eVisa, employers must use the Home Office online right to work checking service". The landlord guide says the same for a person who holds only an eVisa.
The online steps, in the guides' own order, are:
- Get the share code and date of birth from the worker or prospective tenant.
- Enter them into the Home Office online service. The landlord guide says landlords "must access and view the Home Office online right to rent service directly".
- Check that the photograph shown is of the person being checked.
- Store a PDF or HTML copy of the profile page securely.
The guidance for this route does not describe any scan of a passport or BRP as part of the check. GOV.UK also says an employer "cannot reject your application because you gave them an eligible immigration document" instead of a share code, and that a non-British or Irish person can choose which option to use (prove your right to work, prove your right to rent).
What an employer or landlord keeps after an online check
- Employer: a PDF or HTML copy of the profile page, kept "for the duration of employment and for two years afterwards", then securely destroyed. The check must be done before the person starts work to establish the statutory excuse (employer's guide).
- Landlord: a PDF or HTML copy of the profile page, which "will include the photograph and date on which the check was conducted", kept "for the duration of the tenancy agreement and for at least one year after the tenancy agreement comes to an end" (landlord's guide).
- Both guides allow the copy to be stored electronically or in hardcopy.
What must be copied in a manual check
A manual check uses original documents from the lists in the guides, for example a British or Irish passport, or immigration documents for a person without an eVisa. After checking the original in the presence of the holder, the checker copies it. Both guides say to "make a clear copy of each document" in "a format which cannot be manually altered".
- Passports: copy any page with the document expiry date, the holder's nationality, date of birth, signature, biometric details and photograph, and any page with evidence of permission to enter or stay in the UK, such as a visa or entry clearance endorsement. The employer guide adds that the front cover does not have to be copied.
- Other documents: the landlord guide says to copy "the documents in full" and both sides.
- Date record: both guides require a secure record of the date of the check. The employer guide says a dated declaration on the copy is one way, with the wording "The date on which this right to work check was made: [insert date]", and that "Simply writing a date on the copy document will not be sufficient". The landlord guide gives similar wording that may be written on the copy.
- Retention: employers keep copies for the duration of employment and two years afterwards. Landlords keep them for at least one year after the tenancy ends. Then they must be securely destroyed.
The list matters for safe sending. Those pages carry the very details a copy must show, so the fields the checker needs cannot be blacked out or covered without defeating the copy.
When you may be asked for a copy anyway
The guides describe what the checker must do, not what a recruiter or agent might request for its own records. Some ask for a scan before the video call or visit. The pages read for this post do not ban asking. It is reasonable to ask who will see the copy, what it is for and how long it will be kept. A request that arrives before any real contact about a job or property deserves extra caution. For general risks, see the guide on sending a copy of your passport or ID card safely.
How to send a copy more safely
- Send only the pages the guide lists. For a passport that is the photo and details page and any visa or permission page. The front cover is not needed for an employer check.
- Use a share code instead, if you hold an eVisa. A code lasts 90 days and does not hand over a document.
- Mark the copy with the recipient, the purpose and the date. A light diagonal or tiled mark that does not cover the photo, the machine-readable lines or the dates keeps the copy usable and ties it to one request.
- Avoid a heavy watermark across the photo page. The guides ask for a clear copy, so a mark that hides fields can mean the copy is refused.
- Strip hidden location and camera data from phone photos before sending.
How to do it with DocPro
These steps work on your device and nothing is uploaded. Watermark PDF, Images to PDF and Clean photo metadata are free with no account.
- If your copy is a phone photo, open Images to PDF, add the photo, choose the Page size (Fit image, A4 or Letter) and press Create PDF.
- Open Watermark PDF and choose the PDF. With the type set to Text, type something like "Copy for Smith Lettings, tenancy check only, 2 Nov 2026" in Watermark text.
- Set Layout to Tiled or Centered, then lower the Opacity and Size so the details underneath stay readable. Check the preview.
- Press Add watermark, then save the new file. The original stays unchanged.
- For a photo you will send as a picture, Clean photo metadata has a Remove metadata button that strips location and camera data.
If a field is truly not needed, Redact PDF can black it out for good, but only once the recipient has confirmed it is optional.
What DocPro cannot do
- It cannot make a copy count as a right to work or right to rent check. Only the original, checked in the presence of the holder, or the Home Office online service, does that.
- It cannot make a copy "a format which cannot be manually altered" for the checker. That is the checker's duty. A watermark is a visible mark, not tamper protection.
- A watermark does not stop a determined fraudster. It makes reuse harder and shows who the copy was for.