Pregnancy and NHS Care on a UK Visa: Your Rights
If you are pregnant and living in the UK on a visa, you have rights to NHS maternity care. This guide explains what you are entitled to, how the Immigration Health Surcharge affects your access, and what to do if your situation is complicated.
- Section
- Practical Life in the UK
- Reading time
- 10 min
- Last checked
- 8 March 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- IHS-paying visa holders get full NHS maternity care at no extra cost.
- Maternity care is classified as immediately necessary and will never be refused.
- Register with a GP as early as possible to begin antenatal care.
- Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance and Statutory Sick Pay are not public funds.
- Those without IHS coverage may be charged but will still receive treatment.
Visa holders who have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge are entitled to full NHS maternity care. Even those without IHS coverage will not be refused urgent maternity treatment. This guide covers your rights, how to access care, and what costs may apply.
Your Entitlement to NHS Maternity Care
If you are living in the UK on a visa and have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), you are entitled to use the NHS on the same basis as a permanent resident. This includes all maternity services: antenatal care, scans, blood tests, delivery (whether at hospital or a birth centre), and postnatal care.
The NHS provides maternity care free at the point of use for IHS-paying visa holders. You do not need to pay anything additional at the hospital or GP surgery.
How to Access Maternity Care
The first step is to register with a GP. You can do this at any GP practice near your home. Once registered:
- Book an appointment with your GP to confirm your pregnancy.
- Your GP will refer you to a midwife for your first antenatal appointment (booking appointment), usually around 8-10 weeks of pregnancy.
- You will be assigned a midwife and a hospital or birth centre for your care.
- Attend regular antenatal appointments throughout your pregnancy.
You can also self-refer to a midwifery service in many areas without going through your GP first. Check your local NHS trust's website for details.
What Maternity Services Are Included
NHS maternity care covers:
- Antenatal appointments and check-ups
- Ultrasound scans (typically at 12 weeks and 20 weeks)
- Blood tests and screening
- Mental health support during and after pregnancy
- Labour and delivery care
- Emergency caesarean sections and other interventions
- Postnatal care and health visitor visits
- Breastfeeding support
NHS prescriptions during pregnancy are free in England. You will receive a maternity exemption certificate from your midwife that entitles you to free prescriptions and free NHS dental treatment during pregnancy and for 12 months after the birth.
If You Do Not Have IHS Coverage
If you have not paid the IHS (for example, if you are on a visitor visa, or your visa has expired), the rules are different but the core message is important: maternity care will not be refused.
The NHS classifies maternity care as "immediately necessary" treatment. This means hospitals must provide it regardless of your ability to pay or your immigration status. However, you may be charged after treatment. The charge is typically 150% of the standard NHS tariff.
If you cannot afford the charges, speak to the hospital's overseas patient team. Payment plans may be available, and in some cases, charges can be reduced or waived based on financial hardship.
NHS Charges and Immigration
NHS debt and immigration are connected, but not in the way people often fear. Under the suitability rules, an application may be refused where an NHS body has told the Home Office that the applicant has unpaid charges to overseas visitors totalling at least £500, incurred on or after 6 April 2016. That refusal is discretionary, not automatic, and the ground falls away once the debt is paid. Maternity care itself is treated as immediately necessary and is provided first, whatever the charging position.
If you are concerned about charges, seek advice from organisations like Maternity Action or community support groups that help immigrants access healthcare.
Maternity Benefits and Financial Support
Which maternity payments you can claim depends on your visa conditions. A "no recourse to public funds" condition blocks the benefits GOV.UK names as public funds. Payments based on National Insurance contributions, and payments made by an employer, are not on that list:
- Statutory Maternity Pay: Paid by your employer, and on the GOV.UK list of things that are not public funds, so a no recourse to public funds condition does not block it. It is 90% of average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for the next 33 weeks — 39 weeks in total. Statutory Sick Pay is not a public fund either.
- Maternity Allowance: Not a public fund either. It is on the GOV.UK list of things that are not public funds, so a no recourse to public funds condition does not block it. It is for people who cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay, including self-employed people. It is £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is less, for up to 39 weeks; for self-employed claimants it is between £27 and £194.32 a week, depending on Class 2 National Insurance contributions.
- Sure Start Maternity Grant: A Social Fund payment and therefore a public fund, so it is blocked while a no recourse to public funds condition applies.
- NHS Healthy Start: Normally tied to Universal Credit with monthly take-home pay of £408 or less, or to Pension Credit. There is a separate route for people whose immigration status does not allow public funds: they can qualify if they have a British child under 4 and take-home pay of £408 a month or less. People under 18 who are more than 10 weeks pregnant can apply without any qualifying benefit, until the baby is born.
Read more about child benefit for visa holders and childcare options in our related guides.
Registering Your Baby's Birth
After your baby is born, you must register the birth within 42 days in England and Wales (21 days in Scotland). This is a legal requirement regardless of your immigration status. The birth certificate does not confer immigration status on the child.
Your child's nationality depends on the immigration status of both parents at the time of birth. A child born in the UK to a parent with indefinite leave to remain (settlement) or British citizenship is usually a British citizen. A child born to parents on temporary visas is not automatically British. See our guide on children born in the UK for more details.
Your Rights as a Patient
As a patient using NHS maternity services, you have the right to:
- Choose where to give birth (home, hospital, or birth centre), subject to availability and medical advice.
- An interpreter if you do not speak English fluently. Request one through your midwife or hospital.
- A female healthcare professional for examinations if you prefer.
- Refuse treatment or interventions (with the understanding that medical staff may advise against this).
The NHS Constitution sets out your rights as a patient.
Next Steps
If you are pregnant and on a UK visa, register with a GP as soon as possible and begin your antenatal care. If you have concerns about costs or entitlements, contact Maternity Action's advice line or your local Citizens Advice bureau.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
Can I use the NHS for maternity care on a UK visa?
Yes. If you have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) as part of your visa application, you are entitled to NHS maternity care on the same basis as a UK resident. This includes antenatal appointments, delivery, and postnatal care.
Is maternity care free for visa holders?
If you have paid the IHS, NHS maternity care is free at the point of use. If you have not paid the IHS and are not otherwise exempt, you may be charged 150% of the NHS tariff for maternity services. However, maternity care is classified as immediately necessary and will not be withheld.
Will using NHS maternity care affect my visa?
No. Accessing maternity care on the NHS will not negatively affect your visa status or future applications. The NHS is a separate system from immigration enforcement, and healthcare providers do not report patients to the Home Office for receiving treatment.
Can I register with a GP while pregnant on a visa?
Yes. You can register with a GP regardless of your immigration status. GP practices should not refuse registration based on your visa type. Once registered, you can access antenatal care referrals through your GP.
What if I become pregnant while on a visitor visa?
Visitor visa holders are not covered by the IHS. If you need maternity care while on a visitor visa, the NHS will provide it as it is classified as immediately necessary, but you may be charged afterwards. It is advisable to have travel insurance that covers pregnancy.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.