Register with a GP

The short version

Registering is free, and it's the master switch for healthcare in the UK – without a GP you can't book appointments, get prescriptions or be referred to a specialist. Unlike in some countries, you can't just book yourself in at a hospital: you need a GP to refer you to a specialist.

The key point: nobody checks your documents

This is where lots of people get stuck, thinking they have to wait for their eVisa, a bank account or proof of address. You don't.

In the NHS's own words, you don't need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status to register. Having an NHS number makes it easier for the surgery to find your records, but you can register without one. As long as you're in England, you can register, and it's free.

In other words: still sorting out where you'll live, documents still in progress, no bank account yet – you can still register. If the receptionist asks to see ID, you can tell them you know you don't need any to register. You can even register with no fixed address: use a temporary address, or the surgery's own.

Walk through it with screenshots

Every step below shows what that screen really looks like. Screenshots taken on 5 September 2026. Websites change – if the page doesn't match the picture, go by the website, and let us know.

Step 1 · First, the bit that matters: you don't need any documents

Open the NHS page and read this line first: "You do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status."

Why start here rather than going straight to the form? What stops most people isn't the form – it's wondering "do I even qualify yet?" Read that line once and you won't second-guess yourself again.

Step 2 · Search by postcode

This screen has just one box, labelled "Enter a postcode in England".

• Enter a postcode, not a street address – the postcode of where you live, not your uni's.
• Postcodes look like WC1E 6BT. The space in the middle is optional.
• There's also "Use your location" if you can't be bothered typing – but you'll need to be near home.

Step 3 · Only two badges matter on the results page

Results are listed nearest first. Each surgery has badges above its name, and you only need to know two:

This corrects an earlier version of this guide. It used to say "you might be turned away if you live outside the catchment area, so search near where you live". Going through it ourselves, we found the page turns this into a badge. You don't need to guess whether you're in the area – the badge tells you at a glance.

Once you've picked one, tap "Register online with this GP" under that surgery (the one with the green round arrow).

Step 4 · Read these three numbers before you start

This takes you to a national registration service (not a form each surgery makes itself). There are three numbers on this screen – read them before you tap Start now:

1. About 15 minutes per person.
2. "You need to complete the process in one session." – you have to finish in one go. Close the tab, lose signal or wander off to find your passport number and you're back to the start. So have your passport next to you before you begin.
3. The surgery will register you within 1 to 5 working days of receiving your details.

The screen also tells you when not to use this service: if you need medical help urgently (use NHS 111 online), need emergency care, or only want a temporary registration for less than 3 months (that's a different route).

Step 5 · Question one: who's registering?

This is the first screen after Start now. Registering yourself? Choose Myself.

(Someone else is for registering a child, or someone who can't fill in the form. Choose it if you're filling it in for a friend, too.)

Step 6 · Question two: first time with a UK GP?

First, look at the small print at the top: "Section 1 of 3 – Matching you to your record". The form has three sections and you're on the first – worth knowing, so it doesn't feel endless halfway through.

"Are you registering with a UK GP for the first time?" If you've just arrived and have never seen a GP in the UK, choose Yes.

Step 7 · Question three: your legal name, as on your passport

This is the screen people most often get wrong, and if you get it wrong, your records won't match up later. The page itself says: "Enter your name as it appears on your passport or other legal documents."

• First name = your given name, Last name = your surname (family name). Copy them exactly as your passport shows them, and if you'd normally put your family name first, don't do that here.
• Title is a dropdown (Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms / Dr / Mx / Master / Other) – pick whichever fits.
• Middle name and Previous last name are both marked (optional) – leave them blank if you haven't got one. Don't make one up.

After that it's your date of birth, address, contact details and an emergency contact. Copy them from your passport and your tenancy agreement – no traps.

Once you've sent it

The surgery will usually let you know within 1 to 5 working days of getting your details that you're registered, though it can take longer. Don't expect to get an appointment until then.

A myth that gets passed round: "If you're not registered with a GP, A&E will cost you a fortune"

Wrong. A&E and Urgent Treatment Centres are free for everyone, whatever your immigration status; and because you paid the IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge) with your visa, hospital treatment beyond A&E is free too. So the reason to register isn't "so I don't get charged". It's so someone looks after the small stuff, your prescriptions are cheap, and someone can refer you when you need it - A&E is for emergencies. Turn up there with a cold and a temperature and you're the one queuing for six hours.

The five things people ask most once they've registered

This guide covers England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own GP systems (so if posts from Glasgow or Edinburgh don't match these steps, that's why) – go by the local NHS pages.

Easy traps

• Waiting until your paperwork is sorted before you register. The most common mistake, and the one that costs you most – as above, there's nothing to wait for.
• Closing the page halfway through. The form doesn't save a draft, so close it and you start again. Have your passport handy and don't use a connection that might drop.
• Not re-registering after you move. A new area may be outside your old surgery's catchment, so register again once you've moved. You don't need to tell your old surgery first – once you're registered, the system lets them know automatically.
• Booking a GP for every little thing. GP appointments are hard to come by. For headaches, colds, allergies and minor injuries, ask the pharmacist at a pharmacy first - no appointment, and you can get medicine there and then.
• Not sure whether you need a doctor, so you just wait. Call 111 (free) and it'll tell you whether to look after yourself, go to a pharmacy, book a GP or go straight to A&E.

A word of advice (practical, not an official rule)

The form asks for your contact details, and surgeries mostly get in touch by phone and text. So getting a UK mobile number before you fill it in makes things smoother – but that's practical advice, not something the NHS requires, and not having a UK number is no reason to put off registering.