Registering with a GP in the UK: Guide for Expats and New Residents (2026)

Why Registering with a GP Matters

In the UK, your GP surgery is the gateway to the entire NHS. Almost all NHS care — from a specialist referral to a repeat prescription, from a mental health referral to a sick note for your employer — requires an active GP registration. Without a GP, you cannot access most NHS services outside of emergency care.

This is different from healthcare systems in many other countries, where you might see a specialist directly or access care through a hospital outpatient department without a primary care registration. In the UK, the GP system means your family doctor knows your medical history, co-ordinates your care, and acts as the first point of contact for almost everything. Registering promptly is not just administrative — it is the foundation of your entire NHS experience.

How to Register: Step by Step

What Documents You Need

GP registration does not require immigration documents. You are not legally required to show your visa, BRP card, eVisa, or passport to register with a GP. NHS guidance is explicit on this point: immigration status should not be a barrier to primary care registration.

In practice, most surgeries will ask for some form of identification and proof of address when you register. Useful documents to bring include:

• Passport (any nationality)
• A utility bill, bank statement, or tenancy agreement showing your UK address
• Your BRP card or eVisa (helpful for confirming identity, but not required)
• A letter from your employer or university confirming your UK address
• Any medical records or medication lists from your home country

If you do not have any of these documents — for example, because you have just arrived and your tenancy has not yet been formalised — a surgery cannot legally refuse to register you on that basis alone. If you encounter refusal, note it in writing and contact NHS England or your local Integrated Care Board.

Your Rights as an NHS Patient

If You Are Refused Registration

GP surgeries can legitimately refuse to register a new patient if they are not accepting new patients at all, or if you live outside their catchment area and they do not have the capacity to accept out-of-area patients. These are valid operational reasons.

What surgeries cannot do is refuse to register you because of your nationality, immigration status, lack of address documentation, or inability to show an NHS Number. If you believe you have been refused registration unlawfully, the steps to take are: ask the surgery for their formal reasons for refusal in writing, then contact NHS England (0300 311 22 33) or your local Integrated Care Board, who can allocate you to a practice directly. You are entitled to be registered with a GP even in the most challenging circumstances.

Choosing the Right Practice for You

Not all GP surgeries are the same. The NHS publishes GP patient survey scores and CQC inspection ratings for every practice, which are accessible through the NHS website. When choosing a surgery, factors worth considering include: the practice's CQC rating, patient satisfaction scores for appointment availability and care quality, whether the surgery offers extended hours or online appointment booking, whether it has specialist services on-site such as a practice nurse with experience in diabetes or mental health, and the practical question of whether it is accessible from your home or workplace.

For families, registering the whole family at the same surgery is strongly advisable. A GP who knows your family as a unit provides better continuity of care than separate practices with no shared records. For children, ask whether the practice has a dedicated paediatric nurse and what the arrangements are for child health checks and vaccinations.

After You Register: What to Expect

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation letter from the surgery and, in due course, your NHS Number by post. You may be contacted to book a new patient health check appointment — a brief appointment with a practice nurse to establish your baseline health record. Attending this is not mandatory but is strongly recommended, especially if you take regular medication that will need a repeat prescription arrangement set up in the UK.

Your first GP appointment can typically be booked within one to three weeks for routine matters. For urgent concerns — including anything that has developed acutely or that worries you medically — contact the surgery on the day and explain the urgency. Most surgeries hold same-day urgent slots; if yours does not have capacity, they should direct you to an alternative urgent care service.

The NHS App is worth downloading once you are registered. It allows you to book appointments, request repeat prescriptions, view test results, and access your health record online. It requires verification against your NHS Number, which arrives a few weeks after initial registration.

Transferring Medical Records from Abroad

Your GP surgery cannot access medical records from your home country directly, but you can bring copies with you — and this is well worth doing. Relevant records include: a summary of your medical history, results of recent blood tests or scans, a list of all current medications with generic (not just brand) names and dosages, vaccination history, and any letters from specialists who have been managing ongoing conditions.

Your UK GP can use these to set up appropriate repeat prescriptions, identify any vaccinations you may need, and make more informed referrals to specialists if required. If your records are in a language other than English, a summary translated into English by a qualified medical translator is the most useful format.

This article is for general information purposes only. NHS GP registration rules, patient rights, and processes may change. Always verify current information at nhs.uk or contact NHS England for guidance on your specific situation.