Digital Right to Work Checks: What UK Employers Need to Know About IDVT and DVS
For some years UK employers have had a third option for right to work checks — not just manual document inspection or the Home Office online service, but a digital route using a certified identity provider. From 1 October 2026 the employer's guide to right to work checks calls that provider a right to work digital verification service provider (RtW DVSP), and the route covers more than it used to. If you still think of it as an "IDSP check" or a "DVS check", here's what you need to know.
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, consult a qualified immigration solicitor.
What changed on 1 October 2026
Two things: the name and the scope.
The terminology now follows the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. If you choose to use a provider, the guide says "it is mandatory that the DVSP is registered on the Office for Digital Identities Attributes (OfDIA) register, and that they are able to provide right to work checks". Older guidance and vendor material may still say IDSP (Identity Service Provider), IDVT (Identity Document Validation Technology) or DVS; those are the terms of the previous scheme.
The scope is wider. In the guide's words, a RtW DVSP "is able to carry out digital right to work checks on holders of valid British or Irish passports (or Irish passport cards) (up to 6 months past the expiry date), verify acceptable documents from List A and List B of Annex A when and where they are available from the issuing authority in a digital format, and provide facial recognition technology to enable an employer to confirm that a worker is the same individual the right to work check was conducted on and is not an imposter."
Who can be verified this way
- British and Irish citizens with a passport, or an Irish passport card, that is current or up to 6 months past its expiry date. A provider checks an expired document's chip by "passive authentication", and the guide notes that a provider "may choose not to offer services to verify these expired documents". A clipped passport is a cancelled document and is not acceptable.
- Other List A and List B documents, but only "when and where they are available from the issuing authority in a digital format".
Two limits matter in practice. First, coverage varies: the guide says "Services available by RtW DVSPs will vary across the registered providers", so ask yours what it covers. Second, most people with time-limited permission or EU Settlement Scheme status now hold an eVisa, and the Home Office checklist says that "Where an individual has an eVisa, employers must use the Home Office online right to work checking service". For them you use the online right to work service with a share code.
What a RtW DVSP check involves
The guide sets out four steps, all completed before employment starts:
- Locate — choose a RtW DVSP permitted to conduct right to work checks from the OfDIA register.
- Obtain — receive a document from the provider detailing the output of the check.
- Check — satisfy yourself that the photograph and biographic details (for example date of birth) are of the person in question. This can be done in person, by video call, or using the provider's facial recognition technology; if facial recognition is used, keep a secure copy of the provider's comparison.
- Retain — the guide says employers "must retain a clear copy of the output of the check for the duration of the employment and for two years afterwards".
The output has to contain set information, including the person's name and date of birth, an image of the document, a photograph, the date of the identity check, the provider's name, confirmation that it is registered and is checking under the supplementary code, and a link to its register entry. You cannot simply ask an employee to show you a result on their own phone — you need to receive and store the output yourself.
Using a provider does not move the liability. The guide is explicit that "the employer (and not the RtW DVSP) remains responsible for ensuring that the check is carried out in accordance with the prescribed requirements."
What statutory excuse a RtW DVSP check gives you
For a British or Irish passport (or Irish passport card), the guide says: "An employer will have a continuous statutory excuse if both they and the RtW DVSP conduct the right to work check as prescribed by the Home Office." That is the same protection as a List A manual check: no follow-up check is needed, because the check establishes that the person is a British or Irish citizen.
The catch: the excuse depends on the provider being registered and on you receiving and checking the output as prescribed. Using an unregistered provider, or just viewing the employee's own screen, doesn't give you a statutory excuse.
How to find a registered provider
The government publishes the register of digital verification services: find registered digital verification services on GOV.UK. Check that the provider you are considering is registered for right to work checks — a provider telling you it is registered is not enough, and the output of each check must include a link to its register entry.
If you buy the service through a screening or referencing agency that is not itself registered, the guide says that organisation "must clearly state that it is working with a certified and registered RtW DVSP and identify the service carrying out the check." Pricing varies by provider, usually per check; for a micro-employer with occasional British or Irish hires, a free manual check may be the better fit.
RtW DVSP vs manual check vs online check — which to use
| Employee type | Manual check | RtW DVSP check | Online share code check |
|---|---|---|---|
| British citizen with passport | ✓ (current or expired) | ✓ (current, or up to 6 months past expiry) | ✗ |
| Irish citizen with passport or passport card | ✓ (current or expired) | ✓ (current, or up to 6 months past expiry) | ✗ |
| eVisa holder, including EU Settlement Scheme status | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (the checklist says employers must use it) |
| eVisa holder with a pending in-time application | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (six-month excuse); the Employer Checking Service if they cannot give you a share code |
| Other List A or List B document | ✓ | Only where the document is available digitally from the issuing authority and your provider offers it | ✗ |
For British and Irish citizens, both routes that apply — manual and RtW DVSP — give a continuous statutory excuse. A provider check can be done remotely; a manual check by live video link needs the original documents in your physical possession. Manual is free.
What records to keep
- Manual check: a copy of each document in a format that cannot be manually altered, plus a secure record of the date of the check — either a dated declaration on the copy ("The date on which this right to work check was made: [insert date]") or a separate record. The guide says "Simply writing a date on the copy document will not be sufficient".
- RtW DVSP check: a clear copy of the provider's output, which includes the date of the identity check, and the facial-recognition comparison if one was used.
- Online check: a PDF or HTML copy of the 'profile' page, which includes the photograph and the date of the check.
Retention period: the duration of employment plus two years afterwards. Then securely destroy.
Why a provider check doesn't change follow-up obligations for everyone else
A common misconception: if a business uses a provider for British staff, people assume the same applies to everyone. It doesn't. For an employee with time-limited permission, checked through the online service, you still have a follow-up check to do before their permission expires. (Holders of EU Settlement Scheme pre-settled or settled status are the exception: the guide says "a check is required only before employment begins; no repeat checks are required.")
See our guide to follow-up right to work checks for how those timelines work, and our follow-up check timeline calculator to work out the dates.
The practical case for (and against) a provider
The case for: remote hiring is cleaner — no need to arrange an in-person or video document inspection with the originals in your hands. The provider verifies the document digitally, and can provide the facial-recognition comparison. For recruiters or employers with a high volume of British and Irish passport holders, the time saving is real.
The case against: for micro-employers running occasional checks, the cost per check may not justify the benefit over a free manual document check. A manual check of a British passport is simple, and the process takes minutes.
The decision isn't regulatory — both routes give the same excuse for British and Irish passport holders. It's operational.
Either way, a provider only ever takes the identity-verification step off your hands; the responsibility for the check does not move. We cover the limits on automating a right to work check separately.
Sources
- Employer's guide to right to work checks — GOV.UK (quotations are from the final version that came into force on 1 October 2026)
- Employers' right to work checklist (accessible version, updated 1 October 2026) — GOV.UK
- Find registered digital verification services — GOV.UK
- Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 — legislation.gov.uk