Government Consults on National Digital ID - Visa Holders Explicitly Included
12 Mar 2026
If you're a visa holder living in the UK, the government wants to hear from you. On 12 March 2026, the Cabinet Office launched a public consultation on a proposed national digital identity system — and foreign nationals with permission to be in the UK are explicitly named in scope alongside British and Irish citizens.
The consultation is titled "Making public services work for you with your digital identity" and sets out a vision for a voluntary digital ID that people could use to access government services, prove their right to work, or verify their identity online. Crucially, the government has stated there will be no legal obligation to hold or present a digital ID — it would be an option, not a requirement.
For visa holders who already hold an eVisa and a UKVI account, this could eventually connect to existing digital immigration status infrastructure. However, the consultation does not set out specific proposals for how it would interact with eVisas or UKVI accounts. Those details are still being worked out, and your input now could shape how the system is designed for people in your situation. If you have views on how digital immigration status should — or shouldn't — be integrated with a broader national ID system, this is the moment to say so.
The consultation closes at 12:30pm on 5 May 2026. You can respond via the GOV.UK website. A People's Panel deliberation process will run until 21 June 2026, after which the government will publish its response.
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