Before you start

Immigration Health Surcharge paid with your visa application
Proof of address in the GP practice's catchment area
Passport and eVisa share code
A UK phone number for appointment systems

Step-by-step

1
Register with a GP practice in week one
Find practices covering your postcode through the NHS website and register with one. You do not need proof of immigration status to register — practices should not demand it — but you will usually be asked for proof of address. Do this while you are well.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Buy a prescription prepayment certificate if you take regular medication
England charges per item. A prepayment certificate covers unlimited prescriptions for three or twelve months for a fixed sum and breaks even at roughly two items a month. It can be paid by instalments, and almost nobody tells newcomers it exists.
OnlineWho: You
3
Learn the 111 route for urgent care
NHS 111 handles urgent but non-emergency problems, particularly out of hours, and will direct you to the right service. A&E is for emergencies, and using it otherwise means a long wait as low priority.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Register with a dentist separately and early
NHS dentistry is under real pressure and the South West has been among the worst-affected regions for NHS dental access. Start looking in your first month, and treat private dentistry as a realistic fallback that the surcharge does not cover.
In personWho: You
5
Check whether you qualify for free prescriptions anyway
Prescriptions are free in England for under-16s, over-60s, pregnant women and people with certain listed medical conditions, among others. The exemption categories are broader than most people assume and worth reading before buying a certificate.
OnlineWho: You
6
Know what the surcharge does and does not cover
It covers NHS care on the same basis as a resident. It does not cover dentistry beyond NHS rates, prescription charges, or private treatment, and it does not entitle you to care outside the UK — travel insurance is still needed.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Proof of address for GP registration
Passport and eVisa share code
Vaccination and medical records from your home country, ideally translated
A list of current medications by generic name

Things most newcomers don’t know

England charges for prescriptions and Wales, twenty minutes away, does not.

Wales abolished prescription charges, as did Scotland and Northern Ireland. England still levies a per-item fee. Bristol sits close enough to the Severn crossings that the contrast is visible in everyday conversation, but entitlement follows where your GP practice is registered, not where you happen to be — you cannot register in Wales for the prescriptions and live here.

Source: NHS England

The prepayment certificate is the single most useful thing nobody tells you.

It covers unlimited NHS prescriptions for a flat three- or twelve-month fee, breaks even at roughly two items a month, and can be paid by direct debit instalments. People on long-term medication routinely pay per item for years without discovering it exists.

Source: NHS Business Services Authority

NHS dental access in the South West is among the worst in England.

The region has had persistent difficulty recruiting and retaining NHS dentists, and lists closed to new NHS patients are common across Bristol and the surrounding area. The Immigration Health Surcharge does not help with this. Start looking in your first month rather than when something hurts, and budget for private treatment as a genuine possibility rather than a worst case.

Source: community-reported

You have already paid for the NHS, but you still have to register.

The Immigration Health Surcharge is charged per year of leave and paid up front with your visa application. It entitles you to NHS care — but nothing happens automatically. Until you register with a GP you have no route into the system except A&E, which is the worst way to use it.

Source: GOV.UK — pay for UK healthcare

Common mistakes to avoid

Not registering with a GP until you are ill.
Paying per item for prescriptions when a prepayment certificate would cost less.
Assuming Wales's free prescriptions apply on this side of the Severn — they do not.
Leaving the search for an NHS dentist until you have a problem.
Going to A&E for something NHS 111 would have handled.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.