How to access healthcare in England if you are visiting from abroad

The NHS operates a residence-based healthcare system.

Most NHS services operates a residence-based healthcare system. Most NHS services are free to people who are ordinarily resident in the UK.

Being ordinarily resident is not dependent on nationality, payment of UK taxes, National Insurance (NI) contributions, being registered with a GP, having an NHS Number or owning property in the UK.

Ordinarily resident means living in the UK on a lawful and properly settled basis for the time being, and you’ll be asked to prove this.

Find out more about moving to England from EU countries or Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland

Indefinite leave to remain (ILR)

If you’re subject to immigration control, you can only be considered ordinarily resident if you’ve been given the immigration status of indefinite leave to remain (the right to live here on a permanent basis).

But if you’re a family member of an EEA national who’s resident in the UK, you may not be subject to immigration control, even though you yourself are from outside the EEA.

Visit GOV.UK for more information about applying to join family living permanently in the UK

Family members of people of Northern Ireland

If you have a family member who is an eligible person of Northern Ireland and who lives in the UK, you may be able to join that person in the UK without paying the immigration health surcharge.

See GOV.UK for a definition of an eligible person of Northern Ireland

Otherwise you may be eligible to apply for pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme on the basis of that relationship. Once you have either pre-settled or settled status you will not be charged for your healthcare, as long as you live in the UK on a properly settled basis for the time being.

GOV.UK has more information about applying to join family living permanently in the UK

Immigration health surcharge

If you’re coming to the UK on a temporary stay of more than 6 months, you may be required to pay an immigration health surcharge at the time of your visa application.

The standard surcharge fee is:

• £470 per year per person for students and each of their dependants
• £624 per year per person for everyone else

The full amount will be paid upfront for the duration of your visa.

There are circumstances when you do not have to pay the surcharge, such as if you’re the dependant of a member of the forces who is not subject to immigration control.

You can find full details about healthcare surcharges, including exemptions, on GOV.UK

If you’ve paid the surcharge or were exempt from paying it, and your visa allows you to be here for more than 6 months, you’ll be entitled to free NHS hospital treatment in England on a similar basis to an ordinarily resident person.

This will apply from the date your visa is granted until it expires.

But any new course of treatment for NHS-funded assisted conception services will not be free to surcharge payers (or people exempt from paying it), unless another exemption applies.

If your visa is curtailed or ended earlier than planned by the Home Office, you can be charged for any further NHS hospital treatment from that date on, even if you have paid the surcharge.

You’ll also have to pay for any chargeable treatment you received before the start date of your visa.

If you apply for an extension of your visa, you might also have to pay a further surcharge.

If you apply for, and are granted, indefinite leave to remain, you will not have to pay the surcharge.

Paying the surcharge only gives you access to services the NHS provides. Paying the surcharge does not mean you’re treated faster.

Doctors will assess the urgency of your condition in the same way ordinarily resident patients are assessed and, if necessary, you’ll be placed on a waiting list.

Patients in England are required to make contributions towards the cost of their NHS care, such as paying prescription costs or dental charges. You’re required to make the same contributions.

Find out more about paying NHS charges

Visas applied for before 6 April 2015

The surcharge was introduced on 6 April 2015. If you’re in the UK now but applied for your visa before that date, you may still be eligible for free NHS hospital treatment in England on the same basis as someone who’s ordinarily resident.

The following must apply to you:

• you applied for a visa to come to the UK, or to stay in the UK, for more than 6 months before 6 April 2015
• your visa application was approved and your visa has not expired
• you’re in the UK now
• if you applied for your visa after 6 April 2015, you would have had to pay the surcharge, or you would have fallen into one of the exemption categories

If the bullet points apply to you, your care is covered from the date your visa is granted until it expires.

But if your visa is curtailed or ended earlier than planned by the Home Office, you’ll become chargeable for any further NHS healthcare from that date onwards.

If you then wish to apply for a further period of leave to remain, you’ll have to pay the surcharge, unless you fall into one of the exemption categories.

If you wish to apply for, and are granted, indefinite leave to remain, you do not have to pay the surcharge.

Children born in the UK to those here lawfully for more than 6 months

If you give birth to a child in the UK, your child will be entitled to free NHS hospital treatment in England on the same basis as someone who’s ordinarily resident up to 3 months of age, but only if they remain in the UK during that period.

You’ll also need to meet one of these criteria:

• you have a valid visa of more than 6 months and paid the surcharge for that visa
• you have a valid visa of more than 6 months, but were exempt from paying the surcharge
• you have a valid visa of more than 6 months, which you applied for prior to 6 April 2015

You should apply for a visa for your child during the 3-month period after your child’s birth.

If required, you may have to pay the surcharge for your child. Failure to do so means you may be charged for NHS services provided for your child after the 3-month period.

You do not need proof of address or immigration status, ID or an NHS number.

You might be able to register with a GP surgery that’s not in the area you live. Find out about registering with a GP surgery out of your area

GP surgeries are usually the first contact if you have a health problem. They can treat many conditions and give health advice. They can also refer you to other NHS services.

Registering with a GP

Find a GP that suits what you need. Some GP surgeries offer more services than others. You can look up GP surgeries to see what they offer and how they compare.

Because of coronavirus (COVID-19), try to avoid going into a GP surgery to register.

You can:

• check the GP surgery website to see if you can register online
• call or email the GP surgery and ask to be registered as a patient

You can download a GMS1 registration form on GOV.UK if you’re asked to complete one.

You do not need proof of ID to register with a GP, but it might help of you have one or more of the following:

• passport
• birth certificate
• HC2 certificate
• rough sleepers’ identity badge
• hostel or accommodation registration or mail forwarding letter

If you’re homeless, you can give a temporary address, such as a friend’s address, a day centre or the GP surgery address.

If you need to help registering with a GP surgery

If you need help registering or filling in forms, call the GP surgery and let them know.

You could also ask for help from:

• local organisations – for example if you’re homeless you could ask a centre that supports homeless people
• Citizens Advice
• your local Healthwatch

Can a GP surgery refuse to register me?

A GP surgery can refuse to register you because:

• they are not taking any new patients
• you live outside the practice boundary and they are not accepting patients from out of their area
• you have been removed from that GP surgery register before
• it’s a long way from your home and you need extra care, for example home visits

If you have problems registering with a GP surgery:

• they are not taking any new patients
• call the NHS England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 22 33
• contact your local Healthwatch

Changing GP surgeries

You can change your GP surgery if you need to.

This might be because:

• you have moved
• you have had problems with your current practice
• you were removed from the patient list

You should tell the GP surgery if you change address or move out of the area.

Using a GP surgery you’re not registered with

You can contact any GP surgery if you need treatment and:

• you’re away from home
• you’re not registered with a GP surgery
• it’s a medical emergency

You might need to register as a temporary resident or permanent patient if you need treatment for more than 14 days.

You can register as a temporary resident for up to 3 months. You’ll still be registered with your usual GP surgery if you have one.

Registering with a GP under the Mental Capacity Act

The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) is designed to protect and empower people over 16 who are unable to make decisions about their care and treatment.

If a person is unable to register with a GP because they cannot make decisions about their care, registration can be done by:

• a relative
• the main carer
• a lasting power of attorney
• a person appointed by a court under the Mental Capacity Act