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. 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 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 and the damp seriously
Glasgow sits at 55.9° north with more rain than the east coast and heavy winter cloud. Vitamin D deficiency is common among arrivals from sunnier latitudes, and damp housing stock makes respiratory problems more common than the climate alone would suggest. Both are worth raising with a GP rather than absorbing.
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, private treatment, or 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

Glasgow's health statistics are worse than the rest of Scotland's, and the reasons are structural.

Life expectancy in parts of Glasgow is markedly lower than in comparably deprived English cities — a pattern researchers call the Glasgow effect, attributed to a combination of post-industrial deprivation, housing policy history and the physical legacy of the city's redevelopment. It is not a reason to avoid the city, and it does not describe the experience of an incoming professional, but it explains why NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is under more pressure than its size alone would predict.

Source: Glasgow Centre for Population Health

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

Damp is a health issue in Glasgow's tenement stock, not just a comfort one.

A great deal of the city's housing is pre-1919 sandstone tenement with solid walls, and rising or penetrating damp is common in poorly maintained buildings. It drives respiratory problems, particularly in children. When viewing, look at the corners of external walls and behind furniture, and ask about the building's roof and gutter repair history — a landlord's obligation to keep the property free of damp is enforceable through the tribunal.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Not registering with a GP until you are ill.
Assuming England's prescription charges apply here — they do not.
Going to A&E for something NHS 24 on 111 would have handled.
Assuming the surcharge covers dentistry — NHS dental access is separately difficult.
Accepting visible damp in a tenement flat as normal rather than as a repairing obligation.

Some of this may be out of date.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