Register with a GP: NHS registration across the UK

How do I register with a GP in the UK?

In England, choose a surgery and complete its registration form online or on paper. Everyone in England can register for free. You do not need ID, proof of address, proof of immigration status or an NHS number. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own registration arrangements, explained below.

A GP surgery is your usual starting point for ongoing health problems and access to specialist care. Register before you need routine treatment, especially if you take regular medicines. Keep a list of your medicines and any existing care information ready to discuss with the practice.

This guide covers all four UK nations, with detailed online registration instructions for England. SettleUK is an independent guide, not a government site. Registration rules and access to particular services are different questions: joining a surgery does not establish that every NHS service will be free.

If you are moving within the UK, tell the new practice where your previous records are held. If you have never used the NHS, say so rather than guessing a previous surgery or identification number.

Choose a surgery that can accept you

Use the NHS GP registration page to search by postcode or location. Most people need to register near where they live. Check the practice's area and whether it is accepting new patients before completing a form.

Consider practical access as well as distance. Read the surgery's information about contacting reception and booking appointments. If you need help communicating or completing forms, ask the practice how it can support you. Prepare your questions before calling so you can discuss the issues that matter to you.

Some practices accept people outside their usual area, including near a workplace. The NHS search lets you filter for practices accepting out-of-area registrations. Acceptance is not guaranteed, and the choice can affect home visits, urgent GP care and community services.

• Ask whether your actual home address is within the practice boundary.
• If it is outside, ask how home visits and out-of-hours care would work.
• Discuss community services, including physiotherapy or midwife appointments, before choosing.
• Keep the surgery's contact details with your registration confirmation.

Do not choose an out-of-area practice solely because its online form is available. Ask it to explain the care arrangements first, especially if travelling to appointments could be difficult.

Register online or use a paper form in England

Most English surgeries allow online registration through the NHS website. The official guidance says the form takes about 15 minutes for each person. Allow extra time if you need help completing it. Appointment availability is separate from registration.

1. Find a practice in the area where you want to register.
2. Choose one offering online registration and read its information.
3. Complete the form with accurate personal and contact details.
4. Keep any confirmation and follow instructions from the practice.
5. Check that registration is complete before relying on it for routine arrangements.

You should be told when you have been registered. NHS guidance says this is usually within 5 days of the surgery receiving your details, but it may take longer. Contact the practice if you are unsure whether it has received the form.

You can also visit the surgery and complete a paper form, download the NHS paper form and take it in, or use the practice's own website where offered. Someone without reliable internet access does not have to use the online route.

The NHS App can help existing registered patients change surgery. You must already be registered with a GP to use the App, so it is not a prerequisite for first registration.

What information and documents do you need?

In England, the basic information includes your name, date of birth and address. The form also asks for an emergency contact, your current GP if you have one, and your carer's details if relevant. Give information you know and ask for help with anything unclear.

A practice may ask for extra documents for other purposes, such as locating medical records or establishing that you are a child's parent or guardian. Ask what the request is for if it appears to conflict with the registration guidance.

If you do not have a permanent address, NHS guidance allows a temporary address or the surgery's address. Explain your circumstances and agree how the practice should contact you. Avoid delaying an application while trying to obtain a tenancy agreement solely for registration.

Our NHS number guide explains how to find an existing number. You can look for it while registering; it is not an additional eligibility test.

Children, carers and changing surgery

Children under 16 usually need a parent or guardian to register them, using a separate form. NHS guidance says you may need to register at the same surgery and provide documents for the child or evidence of your relationship. A personal child health record can help if available.

Ask the practice which documents it needs for a child's registration rather than applying the adult guidance without checking. Keep the child's details separate from your own so the form identifies the correct patient and the adult completing it.

You can register someone you care for, and the service asks for your details as well as theirs. Where an adult cannot make decisions about their care, the NHS guidance explains who can register under the Mental Capacity Act. Ask the practice if that situation applies.

When changing surgeries in England, you do not need to tell the old surgery: it is notified automatically after the new registration. If you are keeping your current surgery and only changing address or other personal details, tell that surgery directly.

For continuity, prepare a short list of current medicines, allergies and ongoing treatment to discuss with the new team. Treat this as preparation for a clinical conversation, rather than a replacement for the transfer of official medical records.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

England's NHS online registration instructions are not a UK-wide application process. In Scotland, mygov.scot directs patients to NHS inform for GP registration. Use that route and contact the chosen practice for the current form and requirements.

Ask your Scottish practice which form and documents it needs. Explain if you have recently arrived or cannot provide a requested document, so staff can advise you on the next step.

In Wales, NHS 111 Wales says to contact your chosen practice and ask to join its patient list. You will be asked for NHS medical card details or to complete a form so records can be transferred.

If you cannot find a Welsh practice, contact the regional NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership and ask for Contractor Services. A practice can refuse for sufficient reasons, including a closed list or living outside its area, and should explain the refusal.

In Northern Ireland, nidirect says to ask reception about the practice area and new patients. It identifies HS100 registration and HSCR-1 for people arriving from outside the UK or returning after more than a year away.

Follow the Northern Ireland practice's instructions about the appropriate form and medical card. If refused because of distance or a closed list, nidirect directs patients to the Business Services Organisation for help joining a local doctor's list.

Temporary registration and problems joining

In England, temporary registration is available for up to 3 months if you are away from home and do not want to change GP permanently, or are visiting from abroad. Ask a surgery for its temporary services form.

After 3 months you can reapply as a temporary patient or apply for permanent registration. If temporary registration is refused, NHS guidance says you can still receive immediately necessary treatment for up to 14 days. Discuss what care you need with the practice.

A surgery may refuse an application because it is not accepting new patients, you live outside its area, or it has previously removed you from its list. In England, it must write within 14 days explaining a refusal.

1. Ask whether the issue is a closed list, boundary or missing information.
2. Explain any misunderstanding about your address or previous registration.
3. Ask for the written explanation and keep a copy.
4. Contact your local integrated care board if you need help registering in England.

The NHS also names local Healthwatch and Citizens Advice as sources of registration help. Do not assume a failed online submission is a formal refusal; first check whether the surgery has actually received and assessed your application.

Immigration health surcharge and NHS charges

The GOV.UK immigration health surcharge guide says most people pay the surcharge as part of their online immigration application, depending on the status they are applying for. Check that guidance for your own application rather than using GP registration as a visa test.

Where the surcharge is required, GOV.UK says you can start using the NHS free of charge from the date your visa starts, having already paid it. You may need to pay for treatment while a visa decision is outstanding.

GOV.UK also says some services can still involve charges, including prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and assisted conception. Paying the surcharge does not make all services free. Ask the provider about the service you actually need and any applicable exemptions.

GOV.UK notes that people with digital immigration status may need to prove status online when accessing healthcare. For GP registration in England, follow the NHS guidance above: proof of immigration status is not required.

How to find an NHS dentist

GP registration does not book dental care. In England, the NHS dentist guide says you can contact any NHS dentist for an appointment, whether you have symptoms or need a routine check-up.

Ask specifically for an NHS appointment because practices may offer both NHS and private care. You may be asked to join a waiting list. At a first visit, completing a registration form does not guarantee future NHS appointments with the same practice.

• Use the NHS dentist finder and contact practices about current NHS availability.
• Ask whether an appointment offered is NHS or private before agreeing.
• If there is no suitable appointment locally, contact your integrated care board.
• Explain additional care needs so the dental team can discuss appropriate services.

Most adults pay for NHS dental appointments. Check current charges and help with costs on the NHS website; this guide does not quote a fee. An immigration health surcharge payment does not itself remove dental charges.

These dentist-search instructions describe England. Use the health service guidance for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland for local dental arrangements. If your problem is urgent, seek urgent dental advice rather than waiting for a routine registration or check-up slot.

Urgent help and your registration checklist

In England, NHS 111 can help when you think you need medical help now, including when your GP is unavailable or closed. Use 111 online, the NHS App or call 111. Call rather than using the online symptom service for a child under 5.

NHS guidance says to call 999 for signs of a life-threatening illness. Do not wait for a registration confirmation in that situation. The appropriate route depends on the urgency of the problem, not whether you have found your NHS number.

For urgent advice outside England, the NHS directs people to NHS 24 in Scotland, NHS 111 Wales, and nidirect's health guidance in Northern Ireland. Do not assume England's online 111 service is the local route everywhere in the UK.

• Save your chosen surgery's contact details and confirmation.
• Ask how to arrange routine appointments and discuss regular medicines.
• Keep your contact details current with the practice.
• Find dental care separately and check whether it is NHS care.
• Use your nation's urgent-care guidance when routine care cannot wait.

SettleUK is an independent guide. It is not a government website and is not affiliated with GOV.UK, DWP, HMRC or the NHS.