NHS healthcare in the UK – the health surcharge, registering with a GP and what you still pay
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Most visa holders pay for the NHS upfront, through the Immigration Health Surcharge, and then use it much like everyone else. Here is who gets free NHS care in the UK, what the surcharge costs, how to register with a GP, when to call 111 or 999, and what prescriptions and dental care cost in 2026.
For most newcomers, the way into the NHS in the UK is the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), paid with the visa application – £1,035 a year for most applicants since 6 February 2024. Two other charges were set for 2026: NHS dental charges in England rose on 1 April 2026, and the government announced that the prescription charge in England stays at £9.90 in 2026/27.
Who gets free NHS care in the UK?
NHS hospital care depends on residence, not nationality or tax: it is free for people 'ordinarily resident' in the UK. Since 6 April 2015, people from outside the EEA who are subject to immigration control count as ordinarily resident only with ILR (indefinite leave to remain), and the same applies to EEA and Swiss citizens who moved here on or after 1 January 2021.
| Your situation | NHS access |
|---|---|
| Visa of more than 6 months, IHS paid | Free from the day your visa starts; the same charges as residents |
| EU, EEA or Swiss citizen here by 31 December 2020, with settled or pre-settled status or a pending application | Free |
| EU, EEA or Swiss citizen arriving since 1 January 2021 | A visa, usually with the IHS |
| Irish citizen | No IHS; healthcare on the same basis as British citizens |
| Healthcare paid for by an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland | Register your S1 with the NHS Business Services Authority |
| Visitor who is not exempt | Hospital treatment charged at 150% of the NHS cost |
Source: the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS, read 23 September 2026.
Some care is free for everyone: A&E (accident and emergency), NHS 111, family planning, treatment of sexually transmitted and certain other infectious diseases, and care for conditions caused by torture, female genital mutilation or domestic or sexual violence. GP and nurse consultations are free to all. If your status is digital, you may be asked for a share code from your eVisa.
How much is the Immigration Health Surcharge?
You pay the IHS upfront, for the whole length of the visa, when you apply. The rates rose from £624 to £1,035 and from £470 to £776 for applications from 9am on 6 February 2024, and no newer rate was shown in government guidance on 23 September 2026.
| Applicant | IHS |
|---|---|
| Most visas; adult dependants usually the same | £1,035 a year – £3,105 for 3 years |
| Students and their dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme, under-18s | £776 a year – £1,552 for 2 years |
| Applying from outside the UK for 6 months or less | Nothing |
| Applying inside the UK for 6 months or less | Half a year: £388 at the lower rate, £517.50 otherwise |
| More than 6 months but less than a year | A full year |
| More than a year, up to 18 months | One and a half years |
Source: UK Visas and Immigration, read 23 September 2026.
Nobody pays when applying for ILR or to the EU Settlement Scheme, as an asylum seeker or visitor, as a Health and Care Worker or their dependant, or as a Frontier Worker permit holder with an S1. Private medical insurance does not exempt you. If UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) emails you about an unpaid surcharge, pay within 10 working days from inside the UK, or 7 from outside, or the application is refused.
The whole surcharge comes back if your visa is refused or you withdraw before a decision. Full-time university students with a European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC) from the EU, EEA or Switzerland who do not work can claim a full or partial refund, as can holders of a registered S1 whose visa started on or after 1 January 2021.
How do you register with a GP?
Register with a GP (family doctor) surgery soon after you arrive. In England, anyone can register for free, with no ID, proof of address, proof of immigration status or NHS number – just your name, date of birth and address. The online form takes about 15 minutes per person, and you usually hear within 5 days. A parent normally registers children under 16.
A surgery can refuse you if it is not taking new patients or you live outside its area, but it must say why in writing within 14 days. You can register as a temporary patient for up to 3 months, and even if that is refused, you get immediately necessary treatment for up to 14 days.
These are England's rules. In Northern Ireland, ask a local practice whether it takes new patients; arrivals from outside the UK use form HSCR-1, and if no practice will take you, the Business Services Organisation can allocate one. England has no formal registration with an NHS dentist: contact any NHS practice, be ready for a waiting list, and if you cannot find one, ask your local integrated care board (ICB).
When should you call 111 or 999?
| Situation | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Life-threatening: a serious road accident, a stroke, a heart attack | 999, or 112 from most mobiles; or go to A&E |
| Urgent but not life-threatening, or your GP is closed | NHS 111: phone, 111 online or the NHS App – free, 24 hours a day |
| A child under 5 | Call 111 – the online service is for ages 5 and over |
| You need an interpreter | Call 111 and ask for one |
| Outside England | NHS 24 on 111 in Scotland; NHS 111 Wales; nidirect in Northern Ireland |
Source: the NHS, read 23 September 2026.
What do prescriptions and dental treatment cost?
Visa holders pay the same as residents for prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests, and NHS-funded assisted conception is excluded.
| Nation | Prescriptions |
|---|---|
| England | £9.90 per item; the government announced it stays at £9.90 in 2026/27 |
| Scotland | Free since 1 April 2011 |
| Wales | Free at pharmacies in Wales if you are registered with a Welsh GP, since 1 April 2007 |
| Northern Ireland | Free for everyone |
Source: the NHS, the Welsh Government and nidirect, read 23 September 2026.
In England, prescriptions are free for under-16s, 16- to 18-year-olds in full-time education and people aged 60 or over, in pregnancy and for 12 months after a birth with a maternity exemption certificate, and with a medical exemption or HC2 low-income certificate. For regular medicines, a prepayment certificate covers every item: £32.05 for 3 months or £114.50 for 12.
| NHS dental charge, England | From 1 April 2026 | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Band 1: examination, X-rays, scale and polish | £27.90 | £27.40 |
| Band 2: fillings, root canal, extractions | £76.60 | £75.30 |
| Band 3: crowns, dentures, bridges | £332.10 | £326.70 |
| Urgent treatment | £27.90 | – |
Source: the NHS and the 2026 dental charges regulations, read 23 September 2026.
You pay only the highest band once per course of treatment. Wales charges by care package instead – £37.50 for urgent care, £27.21 for a new patient assessment, at most £384 a course – and examinations are free for under-25s and people aged 60 or over. We could not confirm 2026 dental charges for Scotland and Northern Ireland, so ask the practice first.
Once you live here, apply for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), valid for up to 5 years, for medically necessary state healthcare in the EEA and some other countries; it does not replace travel insurance. And a baby born here to parents on a visa of more than 6 months is covered for hospital care for 3 months if it stays in the UK – apply for its visa within that time.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Budget for the IHS: £1,035 a year, £776 for students | When you apply for your visa |
| 2 | Register an S1 with Overseas Healthcare Services, 0191 218 1999 | As soon as you move |
| 3 | Register with a GP surgery | Your first week |
| 4 | Contact NHS dentists; join a waiting list if needed | Your first month |
| 5 | In England, order a prepayment certificate for regular medicines: 0300 330 1341 | Before your next prescription |
| 6 | Apply for a UK GHIC | Before your first trip abroad |
Source: UK Visas and Immigration and the NHS, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- GOV.UK – Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application: How much you have to pay · gov.uk
- Home Office – Immigration Health Surcharge guidance v10.0 (30 September 2025); legislation.gov.uk SI 2024/55 · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Pay for UK healthcare: Who needs to pay · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Pay for UK healthcare: Overview · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Pay for UK healthcare: Refunds · gov.uk
- GOV.UK / OHID – NHS entitlements: migrant health guide · gov.uk
- NHS – Register with a GP surgery · nhs.uk
- NHS – When to use NHS 111 online or call 111 · nhs.uk
- NHS – When to call 999 · nhs.uk
- NHS – NHS prescription charges; GOV.UK – Chancellor freezes charges to keep prescriptions under a tenner · nhs.uk
- NHS – Save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) · nhs.uk
- NHSBSA – Free NHS prescriptions · nhsbsa.nhs.uk
- legislation.gov.uk – NHS (Free Prescriptions and Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (SSI… · legislation.gov.uk
- GOV.WALES – Free prescriptions; legislation.gov.uk WSI 2007/121 · gov.wales
- nidirect – Help with health costs · nidirect.gov.uk
- legislation.gov.uk – NHS (Primary Dental Services and Dental Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/265);… · legislation.gov.uk
- NHS – How much NHS dental treatment costs · nhs.uk
- NHS – How to find an NHS dentist · nhs.uk
- GOV.WALES – NHS dental charges and exemptions · gov.wales
- GOV.UK / DHSC – Healthcare for EU citizens living in or moving to the UK · gov.uk
- NHS – Applying for healthcare cover abroad (GHIC and EHIC) · nhs.uk
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.