How to register with a GP after moving to England

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

A GP surgery is a primary care practice and the starting point for most non-emergency health concerns. Register soon after moving to England, separately from finding a dentist or setting up an app. Registration is free. This guide covers England; the other UK nations have their own registration services.

Find a practice that accepts your address

Start with NHS Find a GP ↗, enter your postcode and open the official websites of several nearby practices. Compare the journey from home, building accessibility, opening hours and contact options. Before applying, check the catchment area and whether the practice accepts new patients. Save its website and urgent contact instructions: you may need them before a routine appointment.

If a practice near work would be easier, ask about out-of-area registration. This can affect home visits, urgent care and some community services. Ask exactly how you would receive care while at home. The NHS registration guidance ↗ explains these limitations.

Submit the form and keep the confirmation

Most practices offer NHS online registration. If an electronic form is difficult, request a paper form at the surgery. Prepare your basic personal details, a way to contact you, details of any previous GP and a list of regular medicines. Record the active ingredient, the dose on your existing prescription and how much you have left, so you can separately discuss continuity of treatment.

Adults do not need identification, proof of address, evidence of immigration status or an existing NHS number to register. Without a permanent home, you can use a temporary address or the surgery's address. Documents may be needed for another purpose, such as locating records or checking a representative's authority; ask why they are requested. See the NHS information requirements ↗.

Register each child separately

A child needs a separate form, usually completed by a parent or guardian if the child is under 16. The surgery may ask for documents about the child and your relationship to them. Prepare vaccination information and the red book, if available. For treatment received overseas, a short list of diagnoses, operations, allergies and current prescriptions will help you discuss which records need translating.

Check that registration is complete

The NHS says confirmation usually arrives within five days of receiving your details, although it can take longer. Submitting a form is not itself confirmation of registration. If nothing arrives, ask whether the application was received and whether anything needs clarifying.

Tell the practice separately if you need care before registration is finished. NHS 111 ↗ provides urgent advice; call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. Do not wait for an administrative process when care is urgent.

If you are refused or staying temporarily

A practice may refuse an application, for example because its list is closed or you live outside its area. It must explain the refusal in writing within 14 days. You can use that response to seek help from your local integrated care board ↗. Keep the application date and reply so the next person can understand the problem quickly.

Temporary registration is available for stays of up to three months. GP registration does not itself establish entitlement to free hospital treatment: the NHS visitor guidance ↗ explains charging separately. Free registration also does not remove normal prescription or dental charges. Checked on 7 October 2026.