Registering with a GP in London: the NHS, the IHS and the reciprocal deal

Sign up with a GP in your first week, before you're sick. It's free, it takes about 15 minutes online, and you don't need a utility bill to do it.

The short version

• Anyone in England can register with a GP. The NHS says plainly that you do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status [1].
• If you're on a work, Youth Mobility or student visa, you paid the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). That gives you NHS care free from the day your visa starts [2][3].
• The IHS doesn't cover everything. Prescriptions are £9.90 an item in England in 2026–27, and NHS dentistry has its own bands [4][5].
• GP visits, NHS 111 and A&E are free to everyone, visa or not [6].
• The UK–Australia Reciprocal Health Care Agreement is for visitors. Once you live in London on a visa, the IHS is what covers you [3][7].

How the NHS works for Australians on a visa

The NHS feels familiar to anyone raised on Medicare, with one big difference. There's no card to swipe and no gap fee at the GP. Once you're registered, a GP appointment costs nothing.

The GP is the front door. In London, as in most of England, you can't usually book a specialist yourself. Your GP refers you to hospital clinics, physio, mental health services and so on. That's why getting registered early matters. Without a GP, you end up in walk-in centres or A&E for things a GP would sort in ten minutes.

Most Australians arriving in London are on a Skilled Worker, Youth Mobility Scheme, Student or family visa. When you applied, you paid the IHS upfront for each year of the visa. In 2026 that's £776 a year for students, Youth Mobility visa holders and children, and £1,035 a year for most other visas [2]. In return, you can use the NHS free of charge from the date your visa starts, broadly on the same footing as a UK resident [3].

GOV.UK lists what the IHS does not cover: prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and assisted conception. You pay for those the same way a local does [3].

Registering with a GP, step by step

The NHS website has a "find a GP" search by postcode, and many London surgeries let you register online [1].

1. Search by postcode. Use the NHS website and look at surgeries near home. Many surgeries only take patients who live inside a set boundary, so check the practice area map.
2. Check they're accepting patients. The listing usually says whether a surgery is taking new registrations and whether it offers online sign-up.
3. Fill in the form. You give your name, date of birth, address and contact details. You may be asked for an emergency contact and your previous doctor [1]. Use your Australian GP's details if you like.
4. Skip the paperwork stress. You don't need a passport, bank statement or share code to register [1]. A surgery may ask for documents in some situations, such as a child's registration, but it can't refuse you just because you have none.
5. Wait for confirmation. The NHS says you should hear back within about five days of the surgery getting your details [1].
6. Download the NHS App. Once registered, you can book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and see your record.

Your NHS number usually arrives after you register. You don't need one to sign up [1].

If a surgery says no

A surgery can turn you down if its list is closed, you live outside its area, or you were removed from its list before. It must write to you within 14 days explaining why [1]. Even then, it must still give you any immediately necessary treatment for up to 14 days [6].

If you're stuck, contact your local integrated care board (ICB), your local Healthwatch, or Citizens Advice [1]. In practice, the fastest fix in London is to try two or three other surgeries nearby.

Where to go when you're sick

London has several doors into the NHS. Picking the right one saves you hours.

A&E in London means big hospital emergency departments such as St Thomas', the Royal London or King's College Hospital. Waits for non-urgent cases can be long. NHS 111 can book you into an urgent treatment centre, a GP out-of-hours service or an A&E slot, and is the better first call when you're unsure.

GOV.UK confirms that GP and nurse consultations, NHS 111 and A&E department services are free to everyone, whatever their immigration status [6]. Follow-up hospital care can be charged to people who aren't covered, which is where the IHS or the reciprocal deal matters.

What you still pay for

The NHS isn't completely free, even with the IHS paid.

Prescriptions

In England, prescriptions are £9.90 per item for 2026–27. If you need regular medicines, a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) caps the cost at £32.05 for three months or £114.50 for 12 months [4]. Children under 16, people 60 and over, and pregnant women and new mums with an exemption certificate get free prescriptions. Note the charge applies in England. Scotland and Wales don't charge.

Bring a few months' supply of any regular Australian medicine and a letter from your doctor. UK brand names often differ, so ask your Australian GP to write the generic name.

Dentists

NHS dentistry runs separately from GP registration. You don't "join" a dentist the same way, and in many parts of London finding one taking new NHS adult patients is hard. Charges in England from 1 April 2026 are [5]:

• Band 1 (check-up, X-rays, scale and polish if needed): £27.90
• Band 2 (fillings, root canals, extractions): £76.60
• Band 3 (crowns, dentures, bridges): £332.10
• Urgent care: £27.90

Many Australians end up going private for dental, at much higher prices. Check whether your employer's benefits include a dental plan.

Eye tests

NHS eye tests are only free for some groups, such as children. Most adults pay at a high-street optician.

The reciprocal agreement: visitors vs residents

Australia and the UK have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. Services Australia says it may cover some of your medical costs in the UK public health system when you visit, if you meet the agreement's conditions and can prove you're from Australia and eligible for Medicare [7].

In practice the agreement is about visits. If you fly in for a holiday or a work trip and need medically necessary treatment, you show your Australian passport and Medicare card. It isn't a substitute for travel insurance, and Services Australia still tells travellers to take out their own cover [7]. Once you live in London on a visa, you're no longer a visitor. You pay the IHS as part of your application, and that's what gives you NHS access [2][3]. On the Medicare side, if you leave Australia for good, you may stop being eligible, which also affects the reciprocal deal when you later visit other countries. Read our guide to Medicare when you live abroad before you cancel anything.

Parents visiting from home

When Mum and Dad come over for a few weeks, they're visitors. GP appointments, NHS 111 and A&E are free for them anyway [6]. For hospital treatment beyond that, the reciprocal agreement may cover medically necessary care if they're eligible for Medicare. It won't cover a flight home on a stretcher or planned treatment. Get them travel insurance.

Tips from Australians who've done it

• Register as soon as you have a fixed address, even a short let. You can re-register when you move boroughs.
• Ask about the practice's online consultation forms. Many London surgeries triage everything this way, especially in the morning rush.
• Keep a copy of your Australian vaccination record and any recent test results. Your UK GP can't see your Australian record.
• Women should ask about cervical screening and contraception early. Booking can take a while.
• Need mental health support? Your GP can refer you, and in many London boroughs you can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies.

Want to know which surgeries are taking new patients near you? Ask in Cooee UK, our Facebook group for Australians in the UK. Someone has usually just signed up in your postcode.

Sources

1. How to register with a GP surgery – NHS
2. Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application: how much you have to pay – GOV.UK
3. Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application – GOV.UK
4. NHS prescription charges frozen for the second year running – Community Pharmacy England
5. Current NHS dental charges – NHS Business Services Authority
6. NHS entitlements: migrant health guide – GOV.UK
7. Most useful information for going overseas – Services Australia

Keep reading

• Having a baby in London: NHS maternity care from booking to birth
• Moving to London from Australia: the complete guide
• Medicare when you live abroad
• Private health insurance when you move overseas