NHS Access: What Your Visa Entitles You To

How the NHS Works for Visa Holders

The National Health Service provides healthcare to everyone living in the UK. However, the way you access the NHS and what you pay depends on your immigration status. The key distinction is between people who are "ordinarily resident" in the UK and those who are not.

If you hold a Skilled Worker visa, Spouse visa, or other visa of more than 6 months and have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), you are treated as ordinarily resident for NHS purposes. This means you can access most NHS services on the same basis as a British citizen or settled person.

If you are on a short-term visa of 6 months or less (such as a Standard Visitor visa), you are generally not entitled to free NHS treatment except for services that are exempt from charges for everyone.

The Immigration Health Surcharge

The surcharge is a fee that most visa applicants pay when they submit their visa application. It was introduced in 2015 and has increased significantly since then.

The rates on GOV.UK are:

• £1,035 a year for most applications
• £776 a year for students, their dependants, the Youth Mobility Scheme, and anyone under 18 on the date of application

The surcharge covers the whole length of your visa, counted in half-year blocks and rounded up. A 3-year visa costs 3 times the yearly rate. A visa of 2 years and 6 months costs two and a half times it: £2,587.50 at the standard rate. A visa of more than 6 months but less than a year costs a full year. A visa of 6 months or less costs nothing if you apply from outside the UK, and half a year (£517.50, or £388 at the lower rate) if you apply inside it.

You pay the surcharge when you apply for your visa, before the visa is granted. If your visa application is refused, the payment is refunded automatically. You pay it again when you extend your visa or switch to a different visa category.

Who Does Not Pay It

Some applicants do not pay it at all. According to GOV.UK guidance, exemptions include:

• People applying for indefinite leave to enter or remain
• Health and Care Worker visa applicants and their dependants
• EU Settlement Scheme applicants
• People claiming asylum or humanitarian protection, and their dependants
• Victims of modern slavery or human trafficking, and their dependants
• Children under 18 looked after by a local authority
• Stateless people applying to stay
• Ukraine Extension Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme applicants
• Diplomats, visiting armed forces, and NATO civilian staff who are not subject to immigration control, and their dependants

Visitors, and anyone applying from outside the UK for a visa of 6 months or less, do not pay it either.

Registering with a GP

Your GP (General Practitioner) is your main point of contact with the NHS. GPs provide primary care, refer you to specialists, and manage ongoing conditions. Registering with a GP is one of the first things you should do when you arrive in the UK.

The process is straightforward:

1. Find a GP practice near where you live. You can search on the NHS website.
2. Contact the practice and ask to register as a new patient.
3. Complete a registration form (GMS1 form). The practice will provide this.
4. You may be invited for a new patient health check, but this is optional.

Importantly, GP practices cannot refuse to register you because of your immigration status. NHS England guidance is clear on this point. You do not need to provide proof of address, identification, or an NHS number to register, although practices may request these to help with administration.

If a GP practice refuses to register you, ask them to explain in writing. You can also contact NHS England to make a complaint or ask to be assigned to a practice. A practice has no need to see your immigration status at all to register you, so you do not have to show a share code from your eVisa to get on the list.

What NHS Services Are Free for Everyone?

Certain NHS services are provided free of charge to everyone in the UK, regardless of immigration status or whether you have paid the the surcharge. These include:

• Accident and Emergency (A&E) treatment: Initial treatment in A&E is free for everyone. However, if you are admitted to hospital or receive follow-up treatment, charges may apply if you have not paid the surcharge.
• Treatment for certain infectious diseases: This includes tuberculosis, COVID-19, and other diseases where treatment protects public health.
• Family planning services: Contraception, advice, and related services.
• Treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
• Treatment under a section of the Mental Health Act.
• Treatment required by a court order.

These exemptions apply even if you are on a visitor visa or have overstayed your visa. The NHS will not refuse emergency or exempt treatment.

What the Surcharge Covers

With the surcharge paid, you can use the full range of NHS services, including:

• GP consultations and referrals
• Hospital treatment (including surgery and inpatient care)
• Maternity care
• Mental health services
• Community health services

Without the surcharge, and without another exemption, hospital treatment is charged at 150% of the NHS national tariff. Those charges are large: a routine operation runs into thousands of pounds.

Prescriptions, Dental, and Optical Care

Prescriptions

In England, most adults pay a prescription charge of £9.90 an item. This applies to everyone, including British citizens. A Prescription Prepayment Certificate caps what you pay if you need several prescriptions.

Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland for everyone, including visa holders.

Dental Care

NHS dental care has separate charges everywhere in the UK. In England there are three bands: £27.90 for an examination, X-rays and simple gum treatment; £76.60 for fillings, root canal treatment and extractions; and £332.10 for crowns, bridges, dentures and braces. Urgent treatment is £27.90. These charges apply to everyone who is not exempt — exemptions include under-18s, pregnant women, women who have given birth in the past 12 months, and people on certain benefits.

Finding an NHS dentist can be difficult, as many practices are full. You may need to join a waiting list or consider private dental care.

Optical Care

In England, NHS eye tests are free if you are under 16, aged 16 to 18 and in full-time education, 60 or over, or have certain medical conditions. Otherwise you pay for eye tests and glasses yourself. NHS eye examinations are free for everyone in Scotland. People on low incomes may get help through the NHS Low Income Scheme.

Differences Across the UK

Healthcare is a devolved matter, which means England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each run their own NHS system. The main differences relevant to visa holders are:

• England: prescriptions cost £9.90 an item. Dental treatment is charged in three bands.
• Scotland: prescriptions are free. The dental examination is free for everyone and all dental treatment is free under 26.
• Wales: prescriptions are free. The dental examination is free under 25 and at 60 or over. Dental treatment has been charged as fixed care packages since 1 April 2026, capped at £384 for a course.
• Northern Ireland: prescriptions are free. Dental treatment is charged.

What the surcharge buys you works across all four nations. If you move within the UK, you register with a new GP in your new area.

Maternity Care on a Visa

Maternity care is considered "immediately necessary" treatment by the NHS. This means it will always be provided, regardless of your ability to pay or your immigration status. However, if you have not paid the surcharge and do not have another exemption, you may be charged for maternity care after the treatment.

With the surcharge paid, maternity care is free, including antenatal appointments, birth, and postnatal care. You should register with a GP and a midwife as early in your pregnancy as possible.

Mental Health Services

Mental health services are available through the NHS. You can access them through your GP, who can refer you to specialist services or prescribe medication. In England, you can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies (previously IAPT) for conditions like anxiety and depression without seeing your GP first.

With the surcharge paid, mental health services are free. Waiting times for specialist services can be long, so private therapy may be worth considering if you need urgent support.

What Happens When Your Visa Expires?

What the surcharge buys lasts as long as your visa. If your visa expires and you do not extend it, that cover ends. From that point, you would be treated as an overseas visitor and may be charged for non-exempt NHS services.

If you apply to extend your visa before it expires, your existing cover continues until a decision is made on your application. You pay a new surcharge for the extension period.

If you are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain or British citizenship, you are ordinarily resident and use the NHS without paying the surcharge again.

Tips for Managing Your Healthcare on a Visa

• Register with a GP as soon as you arrive. Do not wait until you are ill. Set up your eVisa at the same time.
• Keep a copy of your surcharge payment confirmation. A hospital overseas visitor team may ask to see it.
• If you are charged for treatment you believe should be free, challenge it. Contact the hospital's overseas visitor team and provide evidence of your surcharge payment.
• Consider getting a Prescription Prepayment Certificate if you live in England and need regular medication.
• Register with an NHS dentist early. Waiting lists can be long.
• Check whether your employer offers private health insurance as a benefit. Many do, and it can supplement your NHS access. See our visa fees guide for the full cost of immigration to the UK.

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