FAQ

I seem to have more than one UKVI account, does this matter and what can I do?

It is possible to have more than one UKVI account, for example in the following scenario:

• you were granted pre-settled status having applied with a previous passport
• you then renewed your passport but didn’t link that new passport to your pre-settled status
• you then applied for, and were granted, settled status with your new passport

Other situations can also result in duplicate UKVI accounts, for example:

• You have EUSS status having applied with a previous passport
• You then renewed your passport, and wanted to link it to your EUSS status
• However, you mistakenly used the “EU Exit: ID Document Check” app to link your new passport. What this would have done would be to start a new application for EUSS status with the new passport, resulting in a second UKVI account.

Duplicate UKVI accounts can cause problems, for example:

• If you login with the wrong document, you see the wrong status
• If you try to add your passport from one (old) UKVI account to the other (newer) UKVI account, it gets rejected with the error that the passport is ‘already in the system’.

In order to resolve this, we recommend using the Account Recovery service provided by the Home Office. See our FAQ “I can’t remember the document number to log in to my UKVI account.  What can I do?” for a full description of this service.

Using the service should result in an email from the Home Office listing all the document numbers for the UKVI accounts that you have. It should also include instructions on how you can request to have some of these accounts archived. Once archived, that should solve the problem where you are prevented from linking a passport because it is ‘already in the system’