NHS Access for Asylum Seekers UK

Your Right to NHS Healthcare

Asylum seekers are entitled to free NHS healthcare in the UK. This is set out in the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations. Unlike most other visa holders, asylum seekers do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Your entitlement to free NHS care continues while your asylum claim is being considered. If your claim is refused, the exemption narrows — see below.

Registering with a GP

A GP is a general practitioner, a family doctor. The GOV.UK migrant health guide sets out the registration rules:

• A GP practice cannot refuse to register you because of your immigration status, or because of a medical condition
• “GP practices are not required to ask for proof of identity, address or immigration status”
• You do not need an NHS number (one will be assigned when you register)
• If a practice refuses to register you, contact NHS England or the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

See our GP registration guide for step-by-step instructions.

What Services Are Free

As an asylum seeker, the following NHS services are free:

• GP consultations. All GP appointments and treatment.
• Hospital treatment. All treatment provided by NHS hospitals, including emergency care, planned treatment, and surgery.
• Maternity care. Antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, free while you are an asylum seeker. See our pregnancy and NHS guide.
• Mental health services. Counselling, therapy, and psychiatric care through the NHS. See our mental health guide.
• Family planning. Contraception and sexual health services.
• Treatment for communicable diseases. Including TB and HIV treatment.
• Accident and emergency care. A&E is free to everyone, whatever their immigration status. The charging guidance adds a limit: it “does not include those emergency services provided after the overseas visitor has been accepted as an inpatient… or at a follow-up outpatient appointment”. For an asylum seeker that does not matter, because the exemption covers hospital treatment anyway.

Prescriptions, Dental Care and Eye Tests

These are charged for separately from hospital treatment, and the exemption from NHS hospital charges does not by itself make them free. The route to them is an HC2 certificate. The GOV.UK migrant health guide says: “A full help HC2 certificate (which includes free NHS prescriptions) can be applied for using the HC1 form.”

An HC2 certificate covers:

• NHS prescriptions
• NHS dental treatment
• NHS sight tests, and help towards glasses or contact lenses
• Travel costs to hospital appointments

Form HC1 is available from a GP practice or Jobcentre Plus. People receiving asylum support are among those the certificate is designed for.

Healthcare for Children

Children of asylum seekers receive the same healthcare as any other child in the UK:

• All NHS treatment is free
• Vaccinations and immunisations are provided through the GP and school health programmes
• Free prescriptions for all children under 16
• School health services and health visitors

See our education guide for asylum seeker children for information on school-based health services.

Mental Health Support

Many asylum seekers have experienced trauma, violence, or persecution. Mental health support is available through:

• Your GP. Can refer you to NHS Talking Therapies (the service that used to be called IAPT) or to specialist services.
• Community mental health teams. For more serious mental health conditions.
• Specialist organisations. Freedom from Torture, the Helen Bamber Foundation, and local refugee mental health services provide specialist support for asylum seekers and torture survivors.

If you need an interpreter for mental health appointments, the NHS should provide one. Ask when you book your appointment.

If Your Claim Is Refused

A refusal changes the position on hospital treatment, not on the GP. The GOV.UK migrant health guide says a refused asylum seeker can register with a GP and receive free primary care in England, Wales and Scotland, as can any other patient whatever their immigration status.

For hospital treatment, the exemption from charges continues only if you are receiving:

• support from the Home Office under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, or
• support from a local authority under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948 or Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, or
• support from the Home Office under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which continues for some households after a refusal

These services stay free whatever the outcome of the claim, because they are free to everyone:

• accident and emergency services
• diagnosis and treatment of some communicable diseases, including HIV and tuberculosis
• diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections
• family planning services — which the guidance says does not include termination of pregnancy or fertility treatment

Maternity care sits differently and is often misdescribed. The charging guidance says: “Maternity services are chargeable but must be treated as being immediately necessary, with no patient having them denied or delayed based on their status as an overseas visitor or due to charging-related issues.” So the care must be given, and a bill may follow if no exemption applies.

The rules here are detailed. Our refused asylum options guide covers what happens next, and a regulated adviser can check which exemption applies to a particular case.

Common Problems

• A GP practice refusing to register you. The migrant health guide says practices cannot refuse on immigration grounds. NHS England’s contact centre is 0300 311 22 33, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday (9.30am on Wednesdays), closed on bank holidays.
• Language barriers. The NHS should provide interpreters. Request one when booking appointments. Do not use family members, especially children, as interpreters for medical appointments.
• Hospital bills. An asylum seeker is exempt from charges for NHS hospital treatment, so a bill suggests the exemption was not recorded. Contact your solicitor or legal aid provider.

Next Steps

GP registration is open to anyone, whatever their immigration status, and does not require documents. The asylum support provider and refugee support organisations can help with the practical steps.

For official NHS guidance, visit GOV.UK migrant health guide.

Related guides:

• UK asylum process
• Asylum support
• Asylum interview guide
• NHS access for visa holders

Questions and answers