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 NHS Inform 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
Understand that prescriptions are free in Scotland
NHS Scotland abolished prescription charges in 2011. England charges a per-item fee. If you take regular medication this is a material annual difference and one of the clearest practical benefits of living in Scotland rather than England.
In personWho: You
3
Learn the 111 route for urgent care
NHS 24 on 111 handles urgent but non-emergency problems, particularly out of hours, and will direct you to the right service. Accident and Emergency 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 across the UK and practices taking new NHS patients are scarce. Start looking early, and be aware that private dentistry is the fallback and is not covered by the surcharge you paid.
In personWho: You
5
Take the winter light seriously
At 55.9° north, December days are short and overcast. Vitamin D deficiency is common, and seasonal low mood is widely recognised here rather than dismissed. Raise it with your GP rather than assuming persistent winter fatigue is just adjustment — it is easily tested and easily corrected.
In personWho: 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, prescriptions in England, or private treatment. It also 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

Free prescriptions are a genuine Scottish advantage over England.

NHS Scotland abolished prescription charges in 2011; England still charges a per-item fee that adds up quickly for anyone on regular medication. Wales and Northern Ireland also abolished them. It is one of the clearest practical consequences of devolution and it never appears in UK-wide relocation advice.

Source: NHS Inform

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

NHS dentistry is the gap the surcharge does not fill.

Access to an NHS dentist is genuinely difficult across the UK, with many practices closed to new NHS patients. The surcharge does not change that. Start looking in your first month rather than when you have toothache, and budget for private treatment as a realistic fallback.

Source: community-reported

The December light is a clinical issue this far north.

Edinburgh is at 55.9° north — further north than Moscow — with a December sunset before 3:40pm and heavy cloud. Vitamin D deficiency is common among people arriving from sunnier latitudes and presents as fatigue and low mood people misattribute to homesickness. It is easily tested and corrected.

Source: NHS Inform

Common mistakes to avoid

Not registering with a GP until you are ill.
Assuming the surcharge covers dentistry — NHS dental access is separately difficult.
Going to A&E for something NHS 24 on 111 would have handled.
Assuming England's prescription charges apply here — they do not.
Dismissing persistent winter fatigue rather than getting vitamin D checked.

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