gov.uk has no share code API. We built one.
Send a share code and date of birth from your own software. Get gov.uk's answer back as JSON: right to work for the people you hire, right to rent for the people you house and immigration status for everyone else.
- Work email only
- No card
- Sandbox key straight away
- 10 live checks a month free
JANE EXAMPLE DOE
They have the right to work in the UK until 1 January 2027.
- Valid until
- 1 January 2027
- Check again by
- 1 January 2027
- gov.uk reference
- WE-EXAMPLE-12
- Checked for
- Acme Ltd
Three checks, one API
Each check has its own endpoint and sends what gov.uk asks for. One account, one key and one monthly allowance cover them all.
Right to work
For employers, recruitment agencies and platforms hiring in the UK.
- Their code
- From gov.uk/prove-right-to-work, starting with W
- You send
- Share code, date of birth, your company name
- Check again
- recheck_date: the day their permission ends
- Endpoint
- POST /api/check/right-to-work
Right to rent
For landlords and letting agents in England, for every adult tenant.
- Their code
- From gov.uk/prove-right-to-rent, starting with R
- You send
- Share code, date of birth, your name, landlord or agent
- Check again
- recheck_date: the later of the end date and a year after the check
- Endpoint
- POST /api/check/right-to-rent
Immigration status
For banks, lenders, universities, councils and anyone else checking a person’s UK immigration status.
- Their code
- From gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status, starting with S
- You send
- Share code, date of birth, your organisation, job title and why you are checking
- Check again
- valid_until: the day their permission ends, null when there is no limit
- Endpoint
- POST /api/check/immigration-status
Run a real check now
Two live checks a day without an account, right to work, right to rent or immigration status: the share code decides. The details go to gov.uk and are deleted within 7 days.
gov.uk’s answer appears here: the outcome, name, photo, dates, conditions and when to check again.
No share code to hand?
Get a sandbox key. Test codes return every outcome instantly, so you can build without a real applicant.
How it works
- 1
You send the share code
With their date of birth and who is checking: your company, you as a landlord or letting agent, or, for immigration status, your organisation, job title and reason.
- 2
We run the official check
A real session on the gov.uk service for that check, the same pages you would fill in by hand.
- 3
You get gov.uk’s answer
As JSON, with the photo to compare, the gov.uk PDF to keep as evidence and the date to check again.
Check Share Code is not affiliated with HM Government, the Home Office or gov.uk.
Everything gov.uk shows, as fields
One JSON shape for every check. ISO dates, arrays for lists, and a clear error code when gov.uk can't answer.
outcome- Right to work
- ACCEPTED or REJECTED. No gov.uk record is a NOT_FOUND error.
- Right to rent
- ACCEPTED or REJECTED. No gov.uk record is a NOT_FOUND error.
- Immigration status
- Always ACCEPTED, with gov.uk’s status. No gov.uk record is a NOT_FOUND error.
title- Right to work
- Right to work
- Right to rent
- Right to rent
- Immigration status
- Immigration status
name- Right to work
- As gov.uk shows it
- Right to rent
- As gov.uk shows it
- Immigration status
- As gov.uk shows it
expiry_date- Right to work
- When their permission ends, or null
- Right to rent
- When their permission ends, or null
- Immigration status
- valid_from and valid_until instead
recheck_date- Right to work
- The expiry date
- Right to rent
- The later of expiry and one year after the check
- Immigration status
- valid_until: when their permission ends, null when there is no limit
conditions- Right to work
- Always a list, empty when there are none
- Right to rent
- Always a list, empty when there are none
- Immigration status
- activities and restrictions: what they can and cannot do, always lists
reference- Right to work
- gov.uk’s reference for this check
- Right to rent
- gov.uk’s reference for this check
- Immigration status
- gov.uk’s reference for this check
photo_data_url, pdf_data_url- Right to work
- The photo to compare, the gov.uk PDF
- Right to rent
- The photo to compare, the gov.uk PDF
- Immigration status
- The photo to compare, the gov.uk PDF
Hand it to your coding agent
Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or Copilot can build any of our checks from the docs. Pick the check, then paste the prompt with your sandbox key in the environment.
Add UK right-to-work checks to this project using the Check Share Code API. Follow the quickstart: https://checksharecode.co.uk/docs/quickstart.md. Read my API key from the CHECKSHARECODE_API_KEY environment variable. If it isn't set, get a sandbox key yourself with POST https://checksharecode.co.uk/api/agent/signup (send your name and what we are building as name and use_case), store the api_key it returns in CHECKSHARECODE_API_KEY, and give me the claim_url so I can keep the key. Test it with share code AA1AA1AA1 and date of birth 1990-01-01.
Not building yet? Ask your AI about us
It reads this page, then tells you if it fits, what it costs and what building it takes.
Where agents read from
- /llms.txtAn index of the docs, written for models
- /llms-full.txtEverything in one file, under 10 KB
- /openapi.jsonOpenAPI 3.1, also at /.well-known/openapi.json
- /docs/quickstart.mdEvery page has a Markdown copy
Who builds on it
ATS and HR software
Add a right to work step to your hiring flow. Your customers never leave your product.
Staffing and recruitment agencies
Check every placement the same way, with the gov.uk PDF filed against the candidate.
Gig, delivery and platform work
Right to work checks extend to platform and agency workers from 1 October 2026.
Letting agents
Check every adult tenant from your lettings software, and know when to check again.
Property and tenancy software
Add right to rent to referencing and move in, for the landlords and agents you serve.
Banks and lenders
Check a customer’s status when they open an account or apply for a loan, credit card or mortgage.
Universities and colleges
Check a student’s status at enrolment, and know when their permission ends.
Councils
Check status for homelessness assistance and council housing, with the gov.uk PDF on file.
Businesses that run more than one check
Employers with staff housing, build to rent operators and anyone else: one key for every check.
Pricing
One allowance for every check. Start free, pay when you check more people. Checks gov.uk doesn’t answer are never charged.
Free
£0
10 live checks a month
Then £0.75 a check if you add a card
Pro
£14/month
100 live checks a month
Then £0.25 a check
Scale
£49/month
500 live checks a month
Then £0.10 a check
Enterprise
Custom
Your volume, your rate
Invoiced monthly
Questions developers ask
What is a share code?
A 9 character code a person makes on gov.uk to prove their status: at gov.uk/prove-right-to-work for a job, gov.uk/prove-right-to-rent for a home, or gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status for anything else, such as a bank account or a course. Right to work codes start with W, right to rent codes with R, immigration status codes with S. With their date of birth, it lets you view their status on gov.uk. A code lasts 90 days.
Is there an official gov.uk API for share code checks?
No. gov.uk has no REST API for right to work, right to rent or immigration status checks, only forms filled in by hand, one person at a time. Check Share Code runs those same checks for you through one API call.
Do employers and landlords need different accounts?
No. One account and one key run every check, each on its own endpoint, sharing one monthly allowance.
How long does a check take?
A live check usually takes 15 to 40 seconds, because it runs the real gov.uk check. Set a 60 second timeout, or use async. Sandbox keys answer instantly and are never charged.
What does the API return?
Each check returns the outcome, gov.uk’s summary, name, date of birth, start and expiry dates, the date to check again by, conditions, restrictions, the gov.uk reference, who checked and when, the photo and the gov.uk PDF in one JSON response. Immigration status returns the status, its dates and what they can and cannot do in place of the summary and conditions.
Can I get results by webhook?
Yes. POST /api/check/right-to-work/async (or /right-to-rent/async, /immigration-status/async) queues a check and answers at once with its id. When the check ends, we post the result to your callback URL, signed in the Standard Webhooks format, and retry for about 22 hours until your endpoint accepts it. It works on every plan, sandbox included.
Do you store applicant data?
Only briefly. For each live check we keep the inputs and the gov.uk pages it went through, including the result, for up to 7 days so we can investigate a failed or disputed check. They are then deleted automatically, and nothing in the product reads them. If you use asynchronous checks, we also keep each result, encrypted, for 7 days so we can deliver it to you. Our logs record when you called and the outcome code, never the share code, name or date of birth. Sandbox checks store no applicant data.
Is Check Share Code part of the government?
No. Check Share Code is not affiliated with HM Government, the Home Office or gov.uk. It runs the public gov.uk checks with the share code the person gave you.
What does it cost?
The free tier includes 10 live checks a month with no card. After that, add a card and pay £0.75 for each extra check, or move to a plan. Pro costs £14 a month for 100 checks, then £0.25 a check. Scale costs £49 a month for 500 checks, then £0.10 a check. Checks gov.uk doesn’t answer are never charged.
Can I try it without an account?
Yes. The form on the home page runs two real checks a day, right to work, right to rent or immigration status, without signing up. For more, create a free account: you get a sandbox key straight away and 10 live checks a month.
Check your first share code today
Sign up with your email. Your sandbox key is waiting, and it runs every check.