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UK partner visa eVisa: do they keep your passport, and can you travel while you wait?

One of my biggest doubts while applying was whether I'd be left without my passport for weeks. With the eVisa, that doesn't happen. Here's how it worked for me, and how I travelled to the US while waiting for the decision.

By Sara · Not legal advice

What changes with the eVisa

The visa isn't printed or stuck into your passport. At the biometrics appointment they scan your passport, you keep it, and that's it. Your permission to be in the UK is linked to your passport digitally.

Travelling while you wait for the decision

At first I wasn't sure whether I could leave the country while the application was being processed. In my case I travelled to the United States the week of 13 September, in the middle of the process, and I could travel with my passport without any problem. The approval arrived on 15 September.

The approval email

When the visa is approved you get an email from the Home Office saying your application has been successful and that you've been issued an eVisa. It includes the dates of your permission. Ours runs for 2 years and 9 months, the usual length of the partner visa.

Two things worth knowing from that email:

• The email isn't proof of permission to travel. Your proof is the eVisa itself, linked to your passport.
• Check your details before you travel. If anything on your eVisa is wrong, the email tells you to report it on GOV.UK before you travel.

Official information: eVisas on GOV.UK.

We're not solicitors and this guide isn't legal advice. It's my own experience with an EU passport in 2026. Before travelling while your application is in progress, check the current rules on GOV.UK for your situation.